All I can offer is sympathy. I am very sensitive to noise and wish I’d considered traffic when I bought this place. I have a fan running 24x7 and a noise maker, but when it rains the sound of vehicles going past drives me nuts. If I ever move again, it will be out into the middle of nowhere. I actually did consider a place like that, but it’s in a county with absurd taxes and this one has 1/2 acre fenced back yard which is good for dogs. I had two boxers at the time - both have passed now, but rescued another a few weeks ago.
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Thanks. I think it’s the discussion that helped me make the decision that it’s time to leave. That and the reaction of those who have the power to help but choose not to.
So it’s time to close this chapter and open another.
I appreciate all the input!
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I am also very sensitive to noise and I completely get this. My husband listens to EDM in the basement and I’m always asking him to wear headphones because the repetitive vibration from the bass drives me insane. Thankfully he loves me. I’m a light sleeper, can’t stand chewing noises, and the sound of utensils scraping on a plate sets my nerves on edge. The reality is that you’re not going to get any help on this because other people aren’t perceiving the sound in the same way. You might as well be complaining about seeing ghosts. I’m glad you’re going to look into moving (although if the soundproofing is otherwise great, here’s hoping the AC dies before you have a chance) - sometimes you just have to recognize that if you’re the only one perceiving a problem, you may be the only one who can create a solution for yourself. Sucks, but it’s the way things are.
Hope you’re able to find the perfect place.
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Yeah, though it’s nice that I have found others who are as sensitive. It just happens that those who can make a difference chose not to in this case. My office manager listened to the recording I made of the noise and said she would last about ten seconds so she is maybe even a little more sensitive than I am.
Moving will happen as soon as I can make it. I don’t think the offending AC will die before I am out of here, especially as the cooling demand will start to decrease.
The best part will be a stand-alone structure. No one else banging on the walls, no garage door openers, or angry neighbors tromping up and down the stairwell. The rest of neighborhood noise I can deal with. And more space! Even if I have to wait a year or two, I am really going to enjoy having enough space for my hobby areas. 800 sq ft isn’t enough when I have as many hobby projects as I do!
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I was going to say that people with sound sensitivities should pick detached living wherever possible, but I do recognize that this isn’t feasible for everyone. Glad you think you’re able to make it work. Such a huge difference!
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I got divorced, bought a house, and started a new job all within a couple of weeks in 2016. Talk about piling all major life events on at once.
I have no regrets, and my ex and I are still great friends. Just couldn’t live with her.
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Good idea, I’m going to recommend this to a friend who suddenly has uninvited extended family doing the looooooooong visit.
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We got married in October of 2004, bought a house in November (while I was in Australia for work), moved into the house in December, and were pregnant with our first in January. We stretched it out a bit more than you, but it was definitely a shock to the system since we were both in our 30s and were used to being totally independent adults.
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This is a good idea, but depending on your local housing market, getting a real estate agent is also smart. They sometimes have access to new listings before Zillow does.
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I’ve got one of those too. The only thing he can get us faster are “no show until” listings, which some agents are using instead of “coming soon” because it doesn’t start the “time on market” timer ticking for that property. For 99% of listings, Zillow/Redfin get the listings as soon as any agent with MLS does.
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My house is not for sale but there is a zillow listing for it, along with every house along my street. No idea how that works.
I get letters with offers all the time. Even the agent I used to buy it.
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yes put it on a timer great idea
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They use the last known listing data and the estimated sale price. It’s helpful when you are looking for comps in an area.
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Maybe we just had a really well-connected agent because we definitely knew of things before they were listed. Then again, that was awhile ago.
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I used it to find this place and look at it every now and then. Definitely more up-to-date than regular agent/listing sites.
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Agents definitely talk among themselves in an area before listings go to MLS - especially in the upper $$ brackets.
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I contacted a couple of realtors today and have a callback scheduled for tomorrow.
My plan is to sleep in the living room until I can move since that seems to make a difference, even though hauling the mattress out every night sucks.
The rest of the plan is:
- Update and paint the bathroom. My girlfriend says it is an eyesore.
- Replace the garbage disposal.
- Declutter and clean the rest of the place.
- List and hope for a fast sale, even if I have to do a few concessions. I don’t plan to replace the water heater or dishwasher or install a microwave.
- Live with my girlfriend for a couple of weeks until the sale completes and I get paid.
- Pay off the last of my debt.
- Get a rental for a year while the market settles down. Prices are already dropping and I hope that I can take advantage of that and get a decent place.
- Cross my fingers for a raise.
- Keep an eye out for a place that I think will fit my needs.
This weekend the decluttering starts.
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Way to move quickly and be proactive. I…on the way other hand…have a long-range plan to be able to move out of our house next April or May. We have 50 years worth of stuff to clean out of here…and it’s rather slow-moving, as am I these days.
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I’m just wondering how often he runs his AC unit? Is it a central air and it’s run all year round? Or is this something that will go away in a couple months as it starts to freeze? Just thinking that you may have a bit more time to settle into a move if it will go away in the winter.
Because you likened it to the vibration of a car window being open, all I could think of is drill a hole in the wall to even out the pressure. But that is definitely not the solution you’re looking for…plus it sounds like he’s got a lot of holes in his walls already. 
I get physically ill when I hear the same sound over and over again. Maybe you can find an audiobook with a very boring, deep-voiced reader and play that for him on repeat during the day.
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Central air, in Arizona, and it’s an old, inefficient system so it runs pretty much continuously from 9AM until midnight and then off and on until about 4AM. Our cooling season is May through November and heating is January and February. Since the air handler runs during both cooling and heating, December will be the only relief and since his condo is south facing I might not even get that.
But the real reason to get out fast is because prices are starting to fall and if I am going to sell I need to get the most I can so I can roll that into a new place in a year or so once the market settles.
He works during the day. When he is home I am usually home, so anything I do affects me as well. Plus, in order to be loud enough for him to hear it will be deafening in my condo.
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