Home arrow Resources arrow AJC Articles arrow High Tension Power Lines Shown to Have No Effect on Home Values - 2009-08-16

Your Cart

Show Cart
Your Cart is currently empty.

Login

High Tension Power Lines Shown to Have No Effect on Home Values - 2009-08-16
Last week the summer issue of the prestigious Appraisal Journal came out, and it contained a lengthy story on the widely believed negative effect that high voltage power lines have on the value of a house located near them. Amazingly, these experts studied houses in Connecticut located under or near high voltage power lines every which way but loose, and they came up with the conclusion that proximity to power lines has no impact on home values. None.

Sorry, but I just don't believe it.

Don't get me wrong. I am not suggesting that living under a big electric line will do anything bad to you. In fact, for all I know, you might wake up feeling more energized every morning.

But I simply don't believe that there is no impact on value.

In 1978, I passed the real estate exam. Then my buddy Van Johnson and I interviewed several brokers to find just the right one. I should say that Van has gone on the be last year's president of the Georgia Association of Realtors, while I have just faded away.

Anyway, we chose Barton & Ludwig, metro Atlanta's largest broker at the time. And the first thing I learned from my first broker was that certain things make a house less desirable in the eyes of buyers:

* any house that backs up to a railroad - the whistle will keep you awake all hours.

* any house that is in the "fall zone" of a cell tower or other tall antenna - who wants a big pole falling through the roof?

* any house that is located directly on an extremely busy street - how can you play kickball when you are constantly dodging cars?

* any house located near a sewer treatment plant - the odor is enough to curl your toes.

and of course:

* any house located near or (heaven forbid) under high voltage power lines.  Not having any technical ability, I always assumed it was the "hum" of alternating current that caused the problem, but apparently I was wrong.

Forget the fact that you can stand under these lines holding a florescent light bulb and it will light up on it's own at night. (I'm not kidding.)

And forget the fact that I have personally witnessed homeowners transported into alien spacecraft near these poles. (Yes, I am kidding.) The proximity of these poles and lines to a house has now been shown to have no effect on prices.

By the way, you may be interested to know that this study was funded by Northeast Utilities, parent of Connecticut Power & Light, the utility proposing "significant expansion of the 345-kV transmission grid over the next decade."

I feel confident that buyers everywhere will rest easier now that they know they won't be concerned over these wires or their poles in the future.

Questions or comments? This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

 
< Prev   Next >

Upcoming Events

John Adams Presents


LANDLORD SURVIVAL TRAINING

with John Adams
Tuesday, February 28th

Being a landlord can be a rewarding experience. It can also be a difficult one if you don't have the knowledge and understanding of what the process requires.

Few schools offer degrees in property management, so most landlords learn "on-the-job" through acquired knowledge and on-the-job experience, essentially re-inventing the wheel. This is an expensive and depressing way to learn anything.

Whether you're a full-time landlord or just getting ready to purchase your first rental property, whether you are a licensed Georgia real estate professional or an accidental landlord, this seminar will help you improve your property's value, increase your cash flow and decrease your expenses, from attracting (and retaining) good tenants to maintaining your property to understanding your rights and obligations under the law.

For more details and to register click HERE

PROPERTY TAX REDUCTION WORKSHOP
with John Adams
Tuesday, March 27th

One of the significant annual expenses faced by any Georgia property owner is ad valorem property tax. Depending on where you live, it can be as high as three percent of the property's fair market value, and it must be paid year after year after year.

As a result, efforts to minimize this expense are not only worthwhile, they are encouraged by Georgia law. The phrase "ad valorem" means that each property is taxed based only on its value, and no one is required to pay a penny more than the minimum the law demands.

At the Property Tax Reduction Workshop, real estate expert John Adams will review the system he has used for over thirty years to reduce valuations and assessments in Georgia counties and municipalities, saving himself literally hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years.

In this 3 hour information packed seminar, John will teach you how to:

1. Understand the legal process of Property Tax Assessment
2. Meet the newly uniform Tax Deadlines
3. File your own Property Tax Return with a realistic valuation
4. Document your PT-50R with facts to support your case
5. Proactively meet with your Appraiser to reach an agreement
6. Protest your Notice of Assessment in an Intelligent manner
7. Give the Assessor an Opportunity to Save Face
8. Appeal to your Board of Equalization, in person or by mail
9. Make Your Case to the BOE
10. Take Your Case to Superior Court if necessary

If you are not doing all these steps now, you are likely costing yourself hundreds or thousands of dollars a year. If you own just one house, you could easily save over a thousand dollars over the next three years. If you own properties valued collectively over a million dollars, you are literally throwing away your profits year after year.

For more details and to register click HERE