Most homebuyers keep their eyes peeled when house hunting and are quick to spot visible problems.

But many forget to also listen carefully, says Harcourts Africa CEO Martin Schultheiss. “While it is vital to pay close attention to potential structural problems and signs of neglect in any property you plan to buy, keeping your ears tuned to noise levels should play an equally important part in your decision-making.

“Noise nuisance can severely limit one’s enjoyment of the biggest investment most people are likely to make, and may even lead to medical problems such as stress,” he explains.

And sometimes just listening during a home viewing may not be enough. “Viewing a property on a quiet weekend day may not prepare you for the constant – and potentially very irritating – traffic noise coming from a nearby main route on a weekday.

“Equally, nature lovers may enjoy the sight of a nearby body of water and look forward to watching the sun set over the water after a hard day’s work – but be totally unprepared for the noise when hundreds of raucous hadedas fly in to their roosts or loud boats with outboard engines shatter the peace early on a weekend morning.”

He says tolerance to noise will obviously vary and that potential buyers should consider what different members of their own families will find acceptable. “For instance, babies and young toddlers may very well find sleep difficult if a nearby restaurant plays loud music, while teenagers may be completely oblivious to the competition to their own sound systems.

“Equally, people working nightshift may encounter sleeping problems if they buy in areas where noise levels escalate during the day, for example near a school where bells ring or there are sporting activities all afternoon.

“It is thus important for your future peace of mind to scout the surrounds of any home you are interested in for neighbours, roads or public venues that may generate unacceptable noise levels,” Schultheiss says.

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Nice article, but it would have helped if I had the advice 4 years ago when I bought my property. I have the Ben Schoeman 100 meters behind my property, no noise on the Sunday that I put in the offer to purchase.

Another factor is whether the properties around you are owner occupied, or occupied by tenants. I have had a steady flow of exceptionally noisy neighbors over the past two years. And not much recourse to address the problem.

I will be selling in the next year or so, and noise levels will be a major factor (amongst others) in choosing another property. – Andy

Good article, but the challenge is when you buy off-plan and you are all new with your neighbours from hell (who like loud music and parties). Renting neighbours are also noisy because they are not investing in the area and do not care about the image of the suburb. – TM

Very very good advice but not always practical. I have been living quite happily in my apartment for nearly 10 years. A few months ago a restaurant/pub opened up almost on top of us. The result is shocking - no peace at all. Constant traffic, people talking, people drunk, people totally unaware of the fact that they are in a residential area and that there is more to life than their own satisfaction i.e. getting drunk and the consequences of that. – Harold