Buying a House Very Close to a Power Line. Would You Do It?

Absolutely not. Both from a health and a resale standpoint. I don't know how bad it is for my family's health, but I'd rather not take the chance. As far as resale, it would cut out a whole market of buyers who'll take one look at the powerlines/plant and walk away, even if it's the best house they've ever seen. There are so many homes out there for sale right now, I'd have to be pretty desperate to buy one with such a large "con" even with so many "pros". Good luck!

I would not. My main reason would be for resale and my second reason would be for fears of health issues.

I just read this on my local newspaper:
http://www.pnwlocalnews.com/east_king/kir/news/85914592.html
I hope it helps...

Electro magnetic fields created by power lines/plants cause cancerous cells to multiply 3 times faster than normal cells not exposed to EMFs. They don't cause cancer, but they cause cancerous cells to multiply faster. I did a college research paper on this. In areas with heavy EMFs, people have a higher rate of cancer. I remember seeing data showing a group of school teachers whose rooms were closest to power lines all got cancer. While those further from the lines did not.

We recently bought a house and took a little meter with us to one house because we really liked it, but the power lines were very close and very large. It measured high EMFs and we did not buy the house for that reason alone.

I would not do it. I had a neighbor who worked for an electric company they had a much higher than average history of cancers.The company finally did a study about it. There are sooo many houses for sale today I 'm sure you can find another one. Good Luck

We almost bought a wonderful home 8 years ago but it was very near power lines. Besides the unknown health risks, there is also resale value to be considered. This area was saturated with many lovely homes for sale. We weren't comforable with it. If you have doubt, don't do it. Another home will come along that will feel right.

Yes, it can negatively affect your health. I personally wouldn't do it. It has the same general effect that fluorescent lights have. The insurance companies have actually named this disorder...go to http://public-healthcare-issues.suite101.com/article.cfm/...

Hope I helped!

M.

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I personally wouldn't do it, because I'm highly sensitive to the energy fields that major power sources give off. I can't drive past a large power plant near my house without my eyes buzzing. Just thinking about it makes my eyes water! I would worry that your children or future children might be sensitive like I am and always uncomfortable at home. Good luck!

Nope. Wouldn't even consider it.

I know a girl who bought a house near some major powerlines (the ones where you can here the zapping sound), and before they bought it, they had to sign a bunch of waivers that said the builders were not responsible for any health problems and they were told not to stand by the microwave while using it! That along scares me! If it was me, I would not do it! (especially if you have small children)

no, sorry I would not risk it. There are studies that show illnesses and others say no but unless you did your own study I would not do it but just our opinion, we too went though this.
J.

Hello Everyone,

This is a very common question that I get from concerned parents so I thought I would weigh in with my electrical engineering background and over 10 years of experience in measuring the fields from high voltage powerlines as a professional EMF inspector.

First, you can never tell by looking what the electric or magnetic fields are from either the lines you see, or the ones you don't including a lot of newer suburbs which have underground lines or homes that have wiring errors in them. Just because you don't see a high voltage tower or other imposing electrical structure does not mean the property does not have a strong or intense pervasive fields.

Several other factors count with regard to the magnetic field generated by a feeder such as the number of conductors, phasing, amperage and physical geometry of the towers. The variance can be more than 2 orders of magnitude; for instance I have measured as little as 2 milliGauss (mG) below some very large 265 kV (kilovolt) lines and over 250 mG beneath others.

For relative comparison, the average home that does not have lines right next to the structure and has wiring within code is typically below 1 mG, but I have inspected some homes with serious wiring faults and measured 3 - 10 mG + even with no visible power lines in sight.

Also, how close is "close"?

For some prospective home buyers, even seeing the power lines a quarter mile away is disturbing while other people will purchase the home with the lines within arms length of the structure. My biggest concern with lines that are only a few feet away is as a fire hazard, not from the EMF. This is borne out by my personal experience in my home as I live in a heavily wooded neighborhood and twice a power line has come down in my yard and landed on the metal fence. The last time this happened, it actually caught the grass on fire, but fortunately I had just gotten home from work.

As for skeptics that do not believe in the health effects of EMF, I am not here to be a fearmonger or to convince anyone that they are wrong in their belief. There are a LOT of risk factors to consider with any home purchase from fire/flood hazard to nearby traffic density, air quality and crime.

For more answers to these and other questions, feel free to stop by my website at http://scantech7.com/EMF_Survey_FAQ.htm.

Good health to you and your families!

J. G.
ScanTech EMF Inspections
"The Unusual Problem Specialist"
www.scantech7.com
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I wouldn't do it. Minimally, because of the resale value....Mostly, because....."what if"!!???

I've heard about increased risks of cancer from living near power lines. I'm not one to risk those kinds of things, so I would definitely not do it. Have you done any research online to find info about it? I would do that first and then make your decision. Usually these houses are a bit cheaper, which makes you wonder...

T.

We grew up in a house with many power lines in the back yard(Golf and Milwaukee Niles Il) My parents built the home in 1960 and are there 45 years later. We ahve not had any health problems. Because of all the power lines and the elecrtric sub station we get to enjoy a large open field in our back yard.

When I worked as a Realtor, I know many people did not want to look at homes near power lines(Kenosha WI) You may talk with your Realtor about making your offer based onthe idea many people do not want to live there.

I would not do it. I don't know about the health issues, but I would assume it's not the healthiest thing to be living by. But, somewhere down the road, when you want to sell that house it is going to be the one thing that will slow down your sale. When we were looking for our house we looked at one that was by a power line - you could hear the thing "snapping" and it was the biggest turnoff as a buyer. I looked at the house just to see the floorplan, but didn't have any intention on purchasing it due to the fact that those power lines were in the backyard. In this housing market, you should be able to find the "perfect" house somewhere.

I would worry about cancer or something else.
I would not do it!
Why risk your health?

There is apparently little statistically clear evidence for or against. But it is still an open question. Being a person who knows firsthand what a huge impact health has on quality of life, I would be inclined not to live there myself, especially if children would be living in the home.

But my acupuncturist, who is very health-conscious, has stayed in his long-time home even after high-tension lines were constructed nearby. Go with your gut, but I hope you won't let a "bargain" be the determining factor.

My husband grew up in a house that sat under two major power lines and he turned out just fine. He has no health problems. I don't know if there is new research that says its bad, but he turned out ok :)

Good luck!

Like Katie said, there have been many studies done about power lines vs health and everything they found scared me to NEVER live by any.
Not only do residents living under or near power lines have increased rates of cancer, but also increased brain issues such as Alzheimers.
Not worth the risk! :)

Nope. Health concerns. It's ugly. And I wouldn't want to be stuck trying to resell the house. Just as I wouldn't want a house near a pond, swampy forest or highway.

Personally we took a long time to find a great home. I want my home to be a refuge. I want to feel relaxed and serene when I come home.

I think if you are having any doubts now, then it's not the right house for you. If it was something aesthetic about the house that you could change, like the color, the landscaping, etc. then it's still worthwhile, assuming that you will have the time and money to change it. Something like the powerlines tho, you just have to live with.

The real big/loud ones definitely do emit some radiation. They're a little noisy too - you can hear them buzzing. This was definitely a concern of ours when we were looking and we did avoid buying a place we liked because of the nearness to these. Even if some people tell you its no big deal, that it wouldn't bother them, think of the others that are disturbed by this and how it could affect your resale someday if you did live there and then wanted to move.

Just riding my bike by the power lines near here gives me a headache from the vibration and hum.... I could never do it for that reason.

No problems with it. However, the power companies have easements near their lines. My house has a 75 foot easement that I can't plant anything that will grow over 15 feet on it. That takes up over 1/4 acre. I am in the process of trying to sue my title company over not notifiying us of this. It is a big mess. All of our neighbors are healthy as horses so don't worry about that. You need to worry only if there is "stray voltage" in your land.

I wouldn't. Think about quality of life, do research on the risks. I live on a cut-through street and it will be the last! Noise pollution is so annoying!!!

I wouldn't do it because I would worry about health and safety issues... if it ended up being safe, I wouldn't do it because it's ugly... LOL Good luck to you!