When I lived in the Marina neighborhood of San Francisco, I could walk to endless bars and restaurants within 10 minutes. It was the perfect place for twenty- and thirty-somethings to live, socialize, and indulge in city life.<\/p>\n
Back in 2005, at age 28, I had just bought my first single-family home\u2014a handsome three-bedroom house built in 1924. It had charm, but it also needed work. I poured my heart into remodeling, adding a second full bathroom and upgrading an old half-bath. At the time, I appreciated the process of building sweat equity. Now, as someone in his mid-40s, I dread the thought of remodeling<\/a> ever again.<\/p>\n Wanting to beautify my home\u2019s exterior, I placed two large clay planters with flowers outside my front gate. It felt like a small way to make my block a little nicer. But just a month later, at 1 a.m., I was jolted awake by a loud crash. When I went outside, I found my planters smashed to pieces\u2014probably by some drunk passerby.<\/p>\n That moment marked the beginning of my realization: living in a home within walking distance of everything might not be all it\u2019s cracked up to be. I ended up owning the home for 13 years before selling it.<\/p>\n I know most people think it’s great to be within walking distance of shops, restaurants, and entertainment for convenience, but hear me out\u2014there\u2019s a strong counterargument to consider. I didn’t realize these things until I got older. <\/p>\n If you’re planning on buying a home, please take my feedback seriously. If you make the wrong purchase, it\u2019s costly to sell a home<\/a> if you change your mind. Before any home purchase, you must think how your life and tastes will change 5-10+ years in the future. <\/p>\n If you can easily walk to bars and restaurants, that means crowds from those places can also easily walk past your home. And with more foot traffic comes more noise, mess, and occasional mayhem.<\/p>\n You might wake up to people smoking or peeing near your garage. You might hear rowdy groups singing at 2 a.m. while you\u2019re trying to sleep. Worse, your home becomes an easy target for vandalism or property damage.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a reason wealthy homeowners prefer living in the hills or gated communities\u2014they value peace, safety, and quiet. Think Beacon Hill in Boston, Pacific Heights in San Francisco, Malibu in Los Angeles, Denny Blaine in Seattle, Hawaii Loa Ridge in Honolulu, and so forth.<\/p>\n The closer you live to a high-traffic area, the greater your chances of experiencing crime in or around your home. Just take a look at any city’s crime map\u2014denser and more popular areas tend to have higher crime rates. If even one out of every 10,000 people passing through commits a crime, your risk increases simply by living in a location with constant foot traffic.<\/p>\n Criminals seek easy access, whether by walking, taking public transit, or driving to their targets. Sure, living a short walk from a MUNI station is convenient for commuting\u2014but it also means anyone from across the city can easily reach your neighborhood. The more accessible your home, the more exposed it is to break-ins or vandalism. In contrast, homes in less densely populated areas tend to be naturally more secure.<\/p>\n If you live in the hills, most criminals won\u2019t bother hiking up steep, winding roads to scope out targets. That alone filters out many potential threats who rely on foot traffic, bikes, or scooters. What\u2019s left are those using cars or motorbikes, but even they prefer easy access. A secluded home with fewer entry points is simply less attractive to criminals.<\/p>\n Now, compare a cozy home nestled in the hills<\/a> to one just three blocks from a bustling strip of restaurants and bars. The latter is far easier to surveil and attack. Criminals go where the crowds are because that\u2019s where the opportunity lies.<\/p>\n If you have children, living in a safe neighborhood becomes the top priority<\/em>. Fewer people milling around generally means a quieter, more secure environment. The thing is, you won\u2019t realize your intense need for safety until after you have children.<\/p>\n Living near restaurants, bars, shops, and salons makes it far too easy to spend more money when you should be saving<\/a>. If your favorite restaurants are just a few blocks away, why bother cooking?<\/p>\n When everything is close by, the convenience makes you ease up on long-term financial goals. It\u2019s easier to justify an expensive meal when it\u2019s just down the street, and the next thing you know, you\u2019ve spent hundreds of dollars more a month on food and drinks alone. These sneaky expenses<\/a> add up over time.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re focused on building wealth, living farther from these temptations can be a blessing. Convenience is great, but it often leads to excessive spending that keeps you working longer than necessary.<\/p>\n Most commercial hubs are built on flat land for accessibility. But that means if you live nearby, you likely have no view. Instead of looking out at water, trees, or hills, you\u2019re staring at your neighbors\u2019 windows or a row of storefronts.<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve lived in a home with a view<\/a>, it\u2019s hard to go back. A great view is more than just aesthetically pleasing\u2014it\u2019s therapeutic. It improves mental well-being and adds intrinsic value to your home.<\/p>\n I remember the first time I moved into a house with a sweeping view of the ocean. Every morning, I\u2019d wake up, sip my beverage, and go onto my deck and stretch. It was a stark contrast to my days in the Marina, where my view consisted of an apartment building and a corner convenience store that used to attract interesting characters. Oh, and then there were the incessant parties across the street.<\/p>\n I remember getting mocked for moving to the west side of San Francisco<\/a> in 2014. An ex-colleague implied I was moving to the boonies, saying he\u2019d never move west because he worked downtown (east side of the city). But I saw opportunity\u2014I was buying single-family, ocean-view homes at great prices. And it was so peaceful out there.<\/p>\n I just shrugged and thought,\u00a0You want to live closer to work so you can sit in an office for 8+ hours a day under fluorescent lights? No thank you.<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0At that point, I was two years into early retirement and had no intention of going back to work.<\/p>\n In one version of the world, living close to work is ideal\u2014nobody enjoys a long commute. But in another version, proximity to work doesn\u2019t matter, either because you can work from anywhere or because you\u2019re wealthy enough not to work at all.<\/p>\n If anything, living close to work or a MUNI stop sends a certain signal<\/a>. Maybe you don\u2019t want to be viewed as a workaholic, grinding away in an office just to climb the corporate ladder. Being seen as a wage slave isn\u2019t exactly flattering. If that\u2019s the case, then choosing a home near a bus stop, a MUNI station, or walking distance to the office might not be the best move. Then again, who gives a damn what anybody else thinks.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll always remember a night in 7th grade when I was living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A black Mercedes Benz 280 SEL with tinted windows and fur rear seats pulled up to take me to a party high up in Kenny Hills. In contrast, my family lived on the flatlands near the American Embassy in Ampang. My parents had already headed straight to the party from work and the host, a beverage entrepreneur, had kindly sent a car to bring me there.<\/p>\n I stretched my legs as far as I could in the backseat and they still couldn\u2019t reach the back of the front passenger seat. The 25-minute drive felt like luxury. The moment we entered the Hills, I couldn\u2019t stop rubbernecking at all the massive mansions with towering gates.\u00a0So this is how the top 1% lives<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0I thought, mesmerized.<\/p>\n Nothing was within walking distance of this home, but it didn\u2019t matter\u2014the owner had a chauffeur. Today, it matters even less, given that almost anything can be delivered at the tap of a button. The older you get, the more you appreciate the tranquility of living away from dense urban chaos.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t want to party every week anymore<\/a>. My gut is not interested in bar hopping or eating out constantly. If I need something urgent, I\u2019ll order it off Amazon Prime. The only thing I truly care about being near is my children\u2019s school.<\/p>\n Beyond delivery services, we have Uber and Lyft, making it easy to get around without owning a car. And by 2030, driverless cars will take us anywhere, even beyond city limits, thanks to highway access.<\/p>\n With the rise of remote work and delivery technology, living in a peaceful home with a view isn\u2019t just a luxury\u2014it\u2019s becoming the preferred choice. But if you don\u2019t buy such a home now, it might indeed turn into an unobtainable luxury in the future as prices rise at a more rapid rate.<\/p>\n Before buying a home within walking distance of everything, think twice. The convenience may seem appealing at first, but over time, the constant noise and activity can wear on you. The one thing that never gets old is tranquility.<\/p>\n Would you rather live in a home within walking distance of all the action and work<\/em>? Or would you prefer a home far from the hustle and bustle for more peace and safety? With technology making everything more accessible and the rise of hybrid work, shouldn’t homes with more space and scenic views start commanding higher premiums?<\/em><\/p>\n Can you name some cities where the most expensive homes are located in the heart of the action rather than in the hills? It\u2019s an interesting debate\u2014convenience versus tranquility.<\/em><\/p>\n If you’re looking to invest in real estate without the hassle of remodeling, check out\u00a0Fundrise<\/a><\/strong>\u2014my favorite private real estate platform. Fundrise focuses on high-quality residential and industrial properties in the Sunbelt, where valuations are lower and yields are higher.<\/p>\n Some commercial real estate valuations have dropped to levels near the 2008 financial crisis lows, despite today\u2019s stronger economy and healthier household balance sheets. Seeing this as an opportunity, I\u2019m dollar-cost averaging into the sector while prices remain attractive. Fundrise is a long-time sponsor of\u00a0<\/strong>Financial Samurai and I’ve invested $300,000+ with them so far. <\/p>\nThink Twice Before Buying a Home in a Bustling Area<\/h2>\n
1) Heavy Foot Traffic = More Disturbances<\/h3>\n
2) Higher Crime Risk<\/h3>\n
![\"NYC](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/financialsamurai.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NYC-crime-map.png\")
<\/a>3) Increased Temptation to Spend<\/h3>\n
4) No View, Just Of Your Neighbor Across The Street<\/h3>\n
5) Might Make You Work More At A Job You Dislike<\/h3>\n
The Home In The Hills Away From The Madding Crowd<\/h2>\n
Lifestyle Changed As I Got Older<\/h3>\n
Reader Questions <\/h2>\n
Invest In Commercial Real Estate<\/h2>\n
![\"Commercial](\"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/financialsamurai.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/IMG_6745.jpeg\")
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