ResalesEnvironmental Concerns For The Homebuyer
Most consumers do comparative research before making a major purchase -- a new car, refrigerator, home entertainment center or certainly, a house. But how many consider the environmental factors surrounding a home or land sale?
When making what, for many, is the most serious purchasing decision in their
life, buyers should leave nothing to chance, according to Barry Chalofsky, the
author of "The Home and Land Buyer"s Guide to the Environment," just published
by Rutgers" Center for Urban Policy Research (CUPR) Press. "A house represents
freedom from rent payments; an opportunity to have your own piece of land; to
have privacy, security and stability," writes Chalofsky, a licensed professional
planner, an adjunct professor at Rutgers, and specialist in environmental and
land use issues.
"Yet because a house usually represents a significant portion of an individual"s
or family"s income and savings, the expenditure creates tremendous anxiety. We
are concerned about making the "right" decision. Unlike most consumer goods,
you cannot return a house, even if you keep the receipt!" Chalofsky observes
that finances are usually a home buyer"s biggest worry -- whether the house and
mortgage are affordable. "Too often we don"t uncover the environmental concerns
until after the house or land is purchased," he writes. "We are apt to get
swept away by our emotional attachment to a house or piece of property."
Natural factors that Chalofsky discusses include flood plains, steep slopes,
wetlands, high water tables, orientation, sunlight and the likelihood of a
disaster occurring. Among man-made factors are the presence of asbestos, lead,
electromagnetic fields, noise, odor, underground hazards, Superfund/hazardous
waste sites, abandoned landfills and air quality.
Buyers also should inquire about municipal services and utilities, as well as
development considerations such as zoning, rights-of-way, easements, deed
restrictions, eminent domain and property changes. "Problems with any one, or a
combination of these factors, may prove disastrous over the long run," Chalofsky
says. "What"s more, the results can be equally devastating to individual
landowners, whether disaster strikes on a large scale or small."
Chalofsky reminds buyers not to rely exclusively on real estate agents for
answers to their environmental questions. "Their primary role is to sell a
house or property," he says. "These individuals all are trained in various
aspects of sales, but usually their knowledge of environmental concerns is
limited." He adds that while real estate agents are supposed to disclose
environmental problems that they are aware of, they are not required to know all
the problems. "Most of their information comes from the seller, and if the
seller does not disclose the information, the agent can"t pass it on."