When making a major purchase such as a car, computer, or appliance, we more often than not do our homework so to speak. We ask friends and relatives, some may even compare prices and models, and compare features of the products we are looking to purchase. However, most buy based on “personal instinct.” We sometimes choose major purchases, by brand name, color, size, and warranties. Although these are major purchases, they are small in comparison to the most important purchase most of us will ever make, which is buying our homes. Now, most of you are probably saying that you do the same thing when it comes to the purchase of your homes, but do you really shop around? Sure, you search for the perfect house, the best mortgage rate, and the ideal location. However, did you ever stop to think of the environmental credentials a house should have before you purchase it? By environmental, I do not mean how far down does the basement go into the foundation, or how many trees the property has, or can you put a pool in the back yard? I’m going to give you a few pointers and show you some things that you should take into consideration for an environmentally perfect house. This is an important issue to me, because not only did I use to be a mortgage broker, but because I just purchased my own home and didn’t inspect the property and take the environmental factors into consideration. Not only is my home not environmentally perfect, it’s not environmentally safe either, for my family, or my home.

Looking at the Land

One of the first things you should look at when purchasing a home is not only the home, but also the actual land itself. While a cute house nestled near a babbling brook may seem like heaven to some, April showers may well bring you closer to the water than most you like. Dry creek beds that may be fun for the children to romp in during the dry months could potentially turn into raging rapids when the spring rains come, often over-flooding their banks and causing considerable damage. Not to mention if you happen to cross over that dry bed after it floods is another dangerous hazard to consider. One quick and easy way to verify if your home is in a floodplain is by contacting the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is a government sponsored agency which publishes FIRM’s, (Flood Insurance Rate Maps). You can also check your local library, as well as local and county offices to see if they have the maps readily available. Most mortgage companies require flood insurance when your home is in a flood plain, and a general rule of thumb would be not to buy a house if it is in the 100 to 500 year floodplain.

Wetland areas are regulated in development by federal and state governments, and often covered in red tape, can be time consuming, and very expensive to even obtain approval for construction. However, the most considerable cause of flooding, and basement flooding, is not from wetlands or streambeds, but more so from inadequately drained runoff or high water. Determining factors of runoff include setting, incline, flora, and soils and if not managed correctly can cause momentous troubles and damage. When checking out the land for a potential home buy, it is better to be on the top of the hill rather than at the bottom of a hill, and it’s better to inspect the land while it’s raining in order to check out the drainage and flood plains. Draining problems can be solved by sometimes simple measures such as cleaning the gutters, or more complex measures such as recon touring the land. However, a high water table, which is water that flows underground, can be raised by spring and thawing temperatures. Steep slopes also need to be considered when purchasing a home. Soil around the house can erode with any water drainage downhill, and often results in mud and rockslides. If the area of your potential home purchase is in a mountainous area, sometimes avalanches and landslides can occur often destroying your home. Terracing can be more expensive than stilts on concrete footers, yet terracing provides the best support.

Can it be Poisonous?

Radon, an odorless, colorless, radioactive gas, which is a natural decay product or uranium in the soil, can cause lung cancer. Radon will eventually seep through drain openings, sump wells, cracks in your foundation or cinder block walls, but that can be remedied with low-cost techniques such as crack sealing and radon ventilation on low-level radon; but higher levels can be more expensive to fix.

Pests or Pets

One last thing to check on outdoor levels, are the insects and pests that you will be cohabitating with on your land. Mosquitoes, ants, spiders, wasps, and moths, have a habit of invading homes. However, these insects wouldn’t have quite the impact that carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and termites have when they see your wooden house as just another tree. Check for wood shavings and inspect parts near soft or rotted wood in the exposed areas of the home.

Are you safe indoors?

Now, let’s look at indoor safety. Asbestos was once a common insulation for attics, pipes, and even used in ceiling tiles, floor tiles and roof shingles. Look for asbestos around furnaces and stoves, door gaskets, pipes and attic insulations, siding, and appliances. Asbestos removal requires a specialized contractor who has been trained and licensed and is costly and requires quite extensive preparation.

Depending on the year the home was built, the paint used might contain lead, which can be determined by testing. Lead paint can be painted over, but only if in good condition. However, improper removal of lead paint can make a person sick. In addition, lead might be present in the solder that connects the copper water pipes, which can be resolved by filtering your drinking water, or replacing all of the pipes with not leaded soldered joined, which is very expensive.

If your home is near a power plant, or a power line grid, you could be exposed to an electromagnetic field. Scientific studies have linked electromagnetic fields with certain types of cancer, and there seems to be no agreement of safe exposure to these fields. Underground hazards such as sinkholes, abandoned wells, mines, or oil tanks are another hazard and offer hidden pollution. While some may be easily remedies, others are often more expensive to fix.

Other Outside Hazards

While sinkholes are atypical, they are most often found in areas where the soil is uncovered to a high water table, and any house that sits on an are where a sinkhole has been previously documented, should be avoided, as another may occur at any time. Abandoned mines and wells pose yet another threat. Mines can fall apart causing your home to sink in, whereas wells can often trap children and animals.

Oil tanks are even more hazardous as they can rust and leak, causing not only environmental hazards with your land, but can also affect your health especially with your drinking water. Pesticides and other chemicals used to control pests and weeds especially in large doses such as farmers use, can pose a serious threat with potential contamination. Another aspect to check into when purchasing your own home is whether it is on a central sewer system or has an onsite system such as a septic tank, seepage pit or cesspool. While a central sewer system doesn’t generally present a problem, onsite systems may be more challenging and costly. Water supplies themselves should be considered, whether your water comes from a wastewater treatment plant or onsite wells. Water Treatment plants regularly test the water for pollutants and chemicals while wells could be polluted and should be tested before you even consider buying the house.

Not only should you inspect the house and grounds you are considering, but talk to local officials, check local records, talk to neighbors, real estate agents, building inspectors, and know what you are buying. Most people look at how many rooms a house has, the size of the house, the school district, and only part of their surroundings. These concerns are all aspects that we don’t generally give much thought t, and sometimes it’s the things you don’t see that actually hurt you. Stop and consider all the aspects of what you are buying. Most people don’t consider these just a few things but considering you might spend the rest of your life, aren’t they at least worth looking into.