Apartment

This is probably one of the easier things to neglect when you buy/rent property because it doesn't directly have much to do with the property itself.

Check all the areas around you for potential noise problems. You probably won't always spot them right away when you're just looking at the property. Schools, new development, factories, playgrounds, malls, stadiums, celebrities, police or fire stations, train tracks, train stations, bus station, airport, church. Just being on a corner with a stoplight or stop sign can be terrible. People make screeching turns, starts and stops. There are so many potential sound issues you can run into and you should really think long and hard about which ones you can deal with.