I live directly on a major road, but our house does not face the road. My house and driveway both face the side street. The major road is 5 lanes, the speed limit is 30 mph, our house is 200 feet away from the road, and we have a wooden fence and some trees as a buffer to the road. I knew exactly what I was getting myself into before I bought the house, and my house costs approx. 20% less than the other houses down the street.
We've lived here almost 5 years and have really liked it. While in the house, you can't even hear a peep from the major road. Obviously a loud motorcycle or semi can be heard throughout the entire neighborhood. I am really glad that our driveway faces our side street because that just makes it a lot easier on us. When our dog gets loose, she runs away from the major road and towards the neighborhood (thankfully). We don't have any kids yet but I don't think we'll be raising them this close to a major road. As they are learning to ride a bike or playing with other kids, I would be constantly worried about them ending up in traffic. When I was trying to decide whether or not to buy the house, I knew that my future potential buyers would not include families with small children. That's part of the reason my house is worth less than the rest of the houses on the block. When I'm doing yardwork or sitting on my deck having a drink, there is a decent amount of traffic noise but I think I've learned to ignore it. When I go to my parents' house in a small town and sit out on their deck, I can't believe how quiet it is. The quiet is very nice.
Anyway, I tried to give you a full picture of how it works for me. We are planning to start a family soon so we'll also be looking to move soon. For as much as I like this house and have been fine living near traffic, I can guarantee we will not buy a house this close to a major road. Let me know if you have any specific questions!
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