<prompt> Human: My husband and I went with our realtor today, and we narrowed our choices down to two. Were split between which house is the better choice financially. House 1 Husbands choice - We can purchase the house in cash. Its a two story traditional home. It has a nice layout and nice features. Its a couple of blocks from the RR tracks, but the train doesnt blow its horn at crossings here. Its in a developing area but outside what is considered the ideal area. Theres older tear-down houses nearby. House 2 my choice - Its about 150K higher than House 1, and we will need to take out a mortgage. Its a 4-story free-standing town house built a few years older than House 1. Its considered within the ideal area in this part of town and not near RR tracks. It has more natural lighting, and husband agrees that its more impressive overall. The area around it is all developed.Both houses are zoned to the same schools. I wouldnt mind House 1 if it werent so close to the RR tracks and being in a more developed area. I think House 2 will be easier to resell if we wanted to and will always hold a strong property value. We both have full-time jobs and can fit a 150K mortgage in the budget.  <response>: Unless the trains are very frequent, railway tracks are probably not going to be that much of an issue. Itll be less bothersome than living next to a busy road with constant traffic noise.Other than that, it depends on what you mean by better area. If its in a crime-riddled run-down area then definitely avoid. You can have a really nice house but its no good if you dont feel safe walking the streets or fear youll come home to a break-in. 