When Shamea Dickinson, sales assistant for Dan Ryan Builders, greets prospective buyers at the Market Square community in Frederick, Md., she’s not just meeting a potential customer. She’s introducing herself to a possible neighbor.
That’s because Dickinson purchased a townhome down the row from the company’s sales model earlier this year.
Market Square’s promise of walkability—the mixed-use development boasts proximity to restaurants, groceries, and other lifestyle amenities—is novel for the surrounding Frederick County. But with that activity comes noise, which typically is a main concern for potential buyers.
“They want to know about the noise,” Dickinson says. “They ask, ‘Can you hear the neighbors? Can your neighbors hear you? Can you hear the construction?’ My answer is always this: Once you are in your house and the doors and windows are closed, you don’t hear the outside, and your neighbors don’t hear you. Sometimes I get a look, but I let them know I am family of six.”
The reason Dickinson can confidently predict that buyers won’t hear their neighbors partying or the construction happening outside? Dan Ryan Builders’ Washington Metro and Washington West divisions use 2×6 studs on all exterior walls, allowing for significantly more insulation. Within the party walls, added R-11 Sound Batt insulation dampens noise transfer further.
Whether the concern in about noise, privacy, schools, or spaces for families to play and hang out, Dickinson is grateful for the value proposition offered in Market Square. “When you buy a home in this neighborhood, you’re going to be my neighborhood. There is a level of honestly I have to maintain.”
