S1 is going to buy his first home, it will be a starter home. The prospective home (Not offered yet) has 3b/2ba so he could potentially stay there a while. The neighborhood is older and the home is inexpensive. It is located a few streets over from a National Guard Armory in NJ. Is an armory something that is undesirable to have nearby? The parking lots around it appear rather empty, so I don’t know how much it is used at this time. I have read that sometimes tanks, trucks etc are stored at armories. I do know this one has a Family Assistance Center.
I wonder if the proximity to the Armory means that there would be a demand for rentals should he decide to rent it out in a few years.
I don’t know about the area your son is considering, but my neighborhood has an armory. It’s mostly used on weekends for National Guard training, but is also used for some ceremonies such as NG troop send-offs and returns. When not in use by the military it is sometimes rented out to community groups. For instance there used to be a puppy kindergarten held there. There are sometimes military vehicles stored at the armory but they don’t ever spill out onto the streets. This particular neighborhood is very pricey so I don’t think the armory increases the demand for rentals. It’s just considered a part of the community the way a senior center, food pantry or church might be.
Armories are often rented out for various and assorted types of trade shows/ antique shows/ exhibits/ fairs/ etc. So the parking lots may not be empty all the time. I doubt that having an armory a few blocks away is going to be a problem.
sheepster…are you in South Jersey? I wonder if I could call someone and ask if this Armory is used as a shelter. It is the county seat, a very small city, so it is possible…
No, I’m in Southern California. This has been going here on for some years. While of course property values have declined, the “quality of life” issues are really the most troubling.
If the armory near you is an active National Guard unit, it should be storing arms. A National Guard aviation battalion near us has 8 Black Hawk helicopters and a transport plane based at little airport next to the local armory building.
What is the neighborhood like aside from the Armory? Asking this question is like asking “is it OK to buy a home near______” fill in with anything you want! You really want to look at the whole picture, not just one thing that is in that picture!
^Exactly. My neighborhood has an armory, subsidized housing, and a food pantry, yet it’s one of the most coveted neighborhoods in town and the average home goes for well over a million dollars. My home backs up to subsidized housing but it’s also within three blocks of a beautiful park with a playground, a wonderful book store, a couple of cute coffee houses, gourmet restaurants, an elementary school, an arts center, a library, a specialty wine and cheese shop and a plethora of cute stores. I searched for a house in this neighborhood for years. I love this location.
The old armory in West Tampa is now used as a Jewish Community Center. The armory was originally an FDR New Deal project built in the middle of the then thriving West Tampa neighborhood. I’d suspect there are lots of old armories scattered throughout America that are functionally obsolete to use as armories anymore and have been simply abandoned, torn down, or converted to other uses. A big new armory was built in Tampa Bay area that replaced some local outdated National Guard armories.
If you want to know more about the armory then call and ask somebody what unit(s) train at the armory and if there are any major events during the year that draw enormous crowds.
I rented on the same street as our local armory and for a brief time trained monthly at the armory. Our unit worked with advanced weaponry, and I later transferred to a Civil Affairs unit in another city. The armory closed for awhile and is now being used by local public agencies.
I doubt that having an armory a few blocks away is going to be a problem.