Real Estate Investor · Southern CA · Member since 2013 · 86 posts · 41 votes
Well, my partner and I just got word that our buyer backed out of our flip property today because they found out that there is a powerline near the house and they have a newborn on the way. They did research and found out that it isn't safe to raise children around a powerline. Guess it's back to the drawing board. Has anyone experienced this?
Without wanting to get off Denises topic it is fascinating that this issue, whilst not conclusively "proven" are decades of studies is still something almost every government in the world warns people about. I guess they are all avoiding getting sued if the hammer ever falls.
Given the obesity problem in this country (U.S.), it's difficult to believe that most people really care about their health very much...they won't live near power lines, but give no second thought to the bacon double cheeseburgers...
Sorry to continue taking this thread off-topic... :)
My wife and I have heard similar things. Here in Florida, (maybe everywhere), you can hear the power lines crackle sometimes. We have opted not to buy homes because of power lines in the back yard.
In New Zealand the government retains all land under lines it is impossible to build under them. The health issues are many and "proven". In fact you can walk under high voltage lines with a flourescent tube in your hands and it will glow. Imagine what its doing inside your body :-)
Most studies attempting to link power lines to cancer clusters or other increased rates of disease show little to no causation. That being said, there is nothing you can say/do to avoid or assuage fears. Get the house back on the market and move on. You got a contract once (hopefully quickly), there is a good chance you'll get another one (hopefully quickly also).
Don't worry........these same people refuse to have granite because it's radioactive.
We have new homes going in against a large power line right of way & they are selling quickly.
The funny thing is one home had what looks like Al foil on the windows facing the wires. We assumed it's the same stuff they use in vehicles to protect against the direct sunlight until they installed curtains :)
Whether well founded or not, there is a significant segment of the population that will choose not to live near high-voltage lines. Your job is to determine how big of a segment that is in your area (will depend on lots of factors), and then determine if you're comfortable trying to sell a house where the buyer segment is that much smaller than the total buyer pool.
@Erik Hitzelberger Did not get the house in contract quickly. It sat for a while =( That's why it was such a bummer when they backed out. It's a beautiful home in a nice area.
@J Scott I will keep that in mind when searching for our next deal, thanks =)
Unfortunayely this is one of those "defects" you can't fix. It will affect the value of the house. From your "it sat for a while" comment it seems like you may not have accounted for the effect on the value when you started this deal. I've been there with a house on a busy street. Not much you can do at this point but to price it right, take your lumps and move on to the next deal.
I notice that when I drive under the power lines while listening to a radio station from far away, it gets very fuzzy and scrambled. Makes me wonder what it does to your brain if you live right near it........
@Jon Holdman Being our first flip, we did not account power lines to be an issue, now we know =) It's a lesson learned! We have lowered the price and hope it sells quickly, ready to move on to the next deal =)
I notice that when I drive under the power lines while listening to a radio station from far away, it gets very fuzzy and scrambled. Makes me wonder what it does to your brain if you live right near it........
It's called electromagnetic wave interference. Imagine a wave moving through a pool hitting another wave moving through the pool -- once they collide they both look and act differently than they each did before they collided. Same when a radio wave passes near a high-voltage line -- the radio signal gets changed, and the receiver in the car doesn't know how to parse the changed signal...hence the static.
Btw, if you put your cell phone near your car's radio receiver (antenna) and get a phone call, that will temporarily scramble your radio signal as well.
Without wanting to get off Denises topic it is fascinating that this issue, whilst not conclusively "proven" are decades of studies is still something almost every government in the world warns people about. I guess they are all avoiding getting sued if the hammer ever falls.
Without wanting to get off Denises topic it is fascinating that this issue, whilst not conclusively "proven" are decades of studies is still something almost every government in the world warns people about. I guess they are all avoiding getting sued if the hammer ever falls.
Given the obesity problem in this country (U.S.), it's difficult to believe that most people really care about their health very much...they won't live near power lines, but give no second thought to the bacon double cheeseburgers...
Sorry to continue taking this thread off-topic... :)
Given the obesity problem in this country (U.S.), it's difficult to believe that most people really care about their health very much...they won't live near power lines, but give no second thought to the bacon double cheeseburgers...
Sorry to continue taking this thread off-topic... :)
.... not to mention the concentrated EMR from cell phones irradiating the temporal lobes of most :)
That is unfortunate Denise. I too have had this happen to me and it's annoying. Everyone has their own thoughts and views so you just have to roll with the punches and keep going! Lower the price (like you said), sell it, and move on!
go hold a florescent 48" light bulb high up vertically under the power lines :)
There's a big difference between voltage and current. Florescent lights require very little current to glow. When your other electronic devices start to work under the lines, then you should be worried.
I'm in camp of those who say "despite a lot of research, there is not much real science that links power lines to health effects". That said, when it comes to selling your house, @Denise Madrid , it doesn't really matter what anyone thinks about it, other than the potential buyer. On the upside for you, this seems to be a topic that many people worry less about now than they used to 20 years ago. Kind of similar to other situations, like microwave ovens. I know tons of folks who refused to use microwave ovens back in the 70-ies or 80-ies because they were convinced that the radiation will poison your food and give everyone cancer.
Incidentally, Government recommendations in health matters have an extremely spotty record, in my opinion. While no doubt well intended, they are certainly not always reliable/accurate.