Bad location close to elevated train

Here is a new loft conversion in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood.

This complex suffers from external obsolescence due to its proximity to the CTA elevated train line.

It seems there is always someone that will buy a bad location

Proximity to Multifamily Buildings

This nice Elmwood Park bungalow is located on a major arterial street, it faces commercial property and is flanked on both sides by apartment buildings.

Now this may be a great location for an apartment building, however, the proximity to all this external obsolescence makes it a bad location for a single family home.

The value of a single family home is maximized when it is surrounded by other similar residences.

Here is another example of a single family home flanked by apartments and located on an arterial street.

This prairie style home is located in Chicago's Austin neighborhood and was designed by architect Frank Lloyd Wright. One can only imagine the difference in value between this house in its bad location and a nice quiet residential location.

One thing that is sure about real estate is change. Another thing to keep in mind is that property on arterial streets will change faster than residential property back in the neighborhood.

107 years ago when Wright designed this property Central Avenue was still an arterial street. In 1903 the level of traffic & noise was nothing like it is today. This home may have been flanked by similar residences that were torn down and now the land is used for apartments. The level of external obsolescence has changed over time.

On Arteral Street & Faces Cemetery

Here is a bungalow currently listed for sale in Chicago's Dunning neighborhood with multiple forms of external obsolescence.


First off its located on an arterial street and then it faces a cemetery.

This poor location is having an affect on its appeal & marketability, the house has been listed several time and has spent about 450 days on the market.

Yes location, location, location that's what its all about. When this thing sells you can bet it will be at a discounted price

Backing to Railroad Tracks

They say Real Estate is all location, location & location, so why does someone build a nice custom built home on the worst lot they can find?

This custom buitl split level is in Chicago's Garfield Ridge neighborhood. As you can see it backs up to railroad tracks. In addition it sides on a four lane arterial street. Behind the tracks is commercial property, across the arterial street is commercial property and its close to the Midway Airport flight path.

Multiple forms of external obsolescence, nice house, real bad location.

Proximity to Low Flying Aircraft

Here is another example of homes with multiple forms of external obsolescence. In addition to being on the Flight Path from O'Hare International Airport some of those in this photo back to railroad tracks.

External obsolescence from being under the flight path of low flying aircraft is a big problem for people living in Park Ridge, Norridge, Harwood Heights, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Bensenville, Itasca, Wooddale, Elmhurst, Addison, Franklin Park, Schiller Park and parts of Chicago.

If you live in close proximity to an airport there is no way to avoid airport noise, its just typical for the area, but if you can avoid it don't buy a home that is directly under the flight path.

Now its easy not to buy a home backing to railroad tracks, but how do you avoid buying one under a flight path. Now you can stand in front of a home you are interested in and watch the sky and look for aircraft. This would be ok except they use different runways depending on the winds. So one day no airplanes and its quiet, and three days later 100 flights per hour.

If you are planning to purchase a home in any of the communities in close proximity to the airport this is what I recommend. Most maps show the airport runways. If you extend a straight line out from the runways to the community you are interested it will give you the flight path of the aircraft. Most of the takeoffs and all of the landings will be on a straight line. If that line intersects with your potential purchase, its on a flight path.

A good web site to track aircraft is Flight Aware

Proximity to Rapid Transit

Not a good location for a residential property
These are some two flats in Chicago's Archer Heights neighborhood that were built along the tracks for the CTA Orange Line. When they built the tracks there was space left over so they sold the lots and built apartments. Who knows some of these may be condo's.

What a poor location this is. Think about the noise of passing trains 18 hours a day, no early to bed and definitely its early to rise.


With this type of external obsolescence rents will be lower, the landlord will have trouble keeping tenants for a long term and the apartment will stay vacant longer than a building with a normal location. When it comes to selling these turkeys, expect much longer marketing times & lower prices, all the effect of a bad location.