Do houses with high voltage powerlines in the backyard have lower value?

yes, people percieve this to have a negative affect on ones health, although no real scientific evedince supports this.

Location is everything in real estate. If you backed onto water front or let say a scenic ravine lot then there is a premium for the view and quaintness. For some Buyers “high voltage power lines” offer a fear of the unknown and in some cases they can be an eye soar – Other Buyer will appreciate the fact that usually in the case of “power lines” there are no rear neighbours and this will offer you privacy. In my experience there is never an ugly power line – there is just an ugly price. Contact a local REALTOR and find out what the competitive price point is for your location and style of home. You can also obtain some powerful SELLER TIPS on our web site at http://www.weknowottawa.com/ForSellers.php

Warm regards from Ottawa.

Some topics are more common issues than others. High Voltage Power lines might be seen as a safety concerns, especially to families with young children. Whether High Voltage Power Lines affect your value is only up to the next buyer of your home.

The truth is that it all depends on the market and the demographics are in the area. I have an investment property in Kitchener Waterloo and there are power lines behind us. It has not hindered us at all in terms of getting rent and sales in the area. When you look at KW...most homes back onto power lines.

The public fears that the power lines can cause cancer in the long-term. So can a cell phone to your head. However, you may want to contact your local hydro company and ask them to provide you with a reading of the electronic waves coming from those power lines.

They can. The current perception is that the magnetic field created by the transmission lines can cause cancer over a long period of time. This is a hotly contested issue, depending on who you speak to you may get differing opinions.

As most home buyers are parents, and would never put their children in harms way. If there is a similar property with a comparable asking price without power lines, then the temptation is to purchase that property.

Yes it can reduce the value of a home, as the number of potential buyers maybe reduced. Those that are not concerned may want consideration on the grounds that if this does become a bigger fear, the future value maybe affected.

there is a stigma that perhaps power lines cause health problems; however this has not been proven as scientific fact. However, this stigma sometimes causes properties near power lines to be cheaper. This may be advantageous , depending on how u look at it.

With all other things being equal then the property that backs onto the power lines will have less value. Buyers will always have options and some may choose another feature of any property as being more or less desirable fore their particular circumstances.

Stigma or not, please also investigate the possibility of buried power, natural gas, sewer and/or water lines on a property before purchasing. Not every seller knows of their existence, but most municipalities have these records if you ask for them.

I would say yes,it has a lower value; not everyone wants to live in the nearest distance from the power lines, so obviously there are less clients interested, what makes it less attractive and has an influence on the price.

I would have to say yes. Unfortunately people do not like living in the near vicinity of them due to potential health risks (unfounded or not) it does affect the sale of a home and the market value.
Think of yourself as a buyer - would you want a home with them in your backyard or would you prefer a ravine?
They in my opinion do affect value.

The same rules apply to any Real Estate property. Price fluctuates based on location and condition of the property. The exact same house would sell for $20,000 to $40,000 more if it was on a cul de sace vs a main street. So, the postioning of a property near anything that is deemed as sub par - hydro lines, near a garbage dump, busy street, shady part of town...etc etc. would warrant a price adjustment accordingly.

Location is important.
There are somethings such as Power Lines that do keep buyers away, and because of that price could be less. Yet, we also have to look at what else is in the area to determined value.

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Most definitely this has a negative affect on the sale of the property. Buyers are far more educated now than ever before and the simple reality is that the vast majority of buyers view this as very negative. If there is a real shortage of listings in your area or the market is over-heated the impact may not be so severe,but don't count on it.

Yes every positve or negative about a property has an influence on its value. Power lines are generally unattractive and the more significant the visual impact the greater the affect on value. In addition the more valuable the home the greater the influence of power lines on value since luxury home buyers will have much higher standards than others about such matter. Affect on value can be relatively minimal on a starter hoem with other advantages and huge on a custom built larger home where buyers can simply afford other options.

Yes, they do. There is a perception among many people that power lines are hazardous for health and it reduces the appeal of these properties. Location is always important in Real Estate.

Generally, yes. Just like backing on to a busy road. I tend to steer my buyers away from these properties as they are tough to sell. If they insist on buying the home, I tell them a good deal on the buy side has to be a good deal on the sell side for their eventual sale of the property.