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Watch Out! These Neighborhood Features Can Drag Down Your Home's Value

While there are certain home improvements you can add to your home to boost its resale value, there are also many external factors that can devalue your greatest investment. This is why the real estate cliché saying “location, location, location” will never be debunked or even grow old. Many of the things that can dampen your home’s value can actually be found in your neighborhood.

These factors are already outside the homeowner’s control and what appraisers refer to as external obsolescence. Understanding how these external factors can influence the long-term value of your home is paramount because decreasing property value can pose a challenge when it’s time to sell your home. In the worst-case scenario, you may have to sell it for less than what you purchased it for, causing you to lose money on the table.

Bad Schools

Proximity to good quality schools is one of the most desirable factors for most home buyers. It is because neighborhoods near top-quality school districts almost always benefit when it comes to property values. However, the disastrous opposite of this is living in a bad school where there is a slim graduation rate.

Neighborhoods near low-ranking schools are less attractive to many buyers and have lower property values. According to realtor.com, the median home price of areas with schools that received a 1 to 3GreatSchools.org Summary Rating is only $155,000. Repeatedly, there will always be a better demand for homes in good school districts.

Disruptive Neighbors

Don’t be surprised if noisy and disruptive neighbors can significantly reduce nearby home values. According to The Appraisal Institute, the nation’s largest professional association of real estate appraisers, a home’s proximity to a bad neighbor can impact the rate of potential decline in property value. Those “bad neighbors” include homeowners with unkempt yards, homes with unpleasant odors and poorly maintained exteriors, or own annoying dogs that are barking at night. Living near a troublesome neighbor can devalue your home by as much as 5-10%. If you’re a home buyer, it’s important to learn what is going on in the neighborhood before you sign the dotted line.

Excessive noise pollution—especially if your home is near an airport, train tracks, or highway

Ah, noise pollution. While you can learn to live with it, it is not a desirable factor for most buyers. If you live near an airport, train tracks, a highway, a loud factory, or near an industrial area where there is constant noise and you need to endure it every day, it can be a negative factor when it’s time for you to sell your property. The louder the noise and the more inconvenient it is, the more negative its impact could be on your home’s resale value.

If your home is located next to train tracks, it can deter buyers from purchasing it because they have to deal with the noise at various hours of the day. You will have the same scenario if your property is located on top of a freeway. While it is ideal to live near commuting routes, homes located adjacent to major highways have lower values compared to identical homes far from freeways. Ask your local real estate agent how much of an impact those nearby transportation facilities have on reducing your home’s market value.

Proximity to power lines and power plants

Having a power plant in the neighborhood is generally associated with lower property prices because of safety concerns. Likewise, having power lines near your home is also not a good thing. They are vital, yes, because they bring much-needed electricity that helps us live our modern life. But they are also unattractive and imposing. The perceived negative health effects of living near power lines can also make people worry so they may not purchase a home near one.

However, if you’re still planning on buying a home near power lines, it’s best to consult with your local real estate agent to know how much impact it will have on your home’s market value. There may be a reason for the low price so think carefully if it will be a good bargain.

Proximity to a cemetery

A graveyard next door can make many people uncomfortable. Some may even find the prospect of living near a cemetery downright terrifying. It isn’t surprising since cemeteries represent mortality so living next to one may not be ideal to many. And while there are certain pros and cons of living in proximity to those graves (just think how quiet your neighbors are), not all people can accept that. Research by realtor.com that used a list of federal and state cemeteries operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs, they found out that the median home price in ZIP codes with a cemetery is about 12% lower than similar homes in other neighboring areas without a graveyard. Many people also find it disturbing to witness a handful of funerals each year and see the road being lined up with cars of mourners.

Near a shooting range

While having a gun range nearby can be beneficial to some people because they can take part in such a hobby, a shooting range right next door can actually drag down your home’s value by 3.7%. If you’re looking to buy a home, think twice about purchasing one near shooting ranges. The noise of gunfire, especially from outdoor gun ranges, can be loud and disturbing. There are also environmental and safety concerns since the lead that leached out of spent shells might poison the soil and water. If you’re considering a home near a gun range, research the shooting schedule of the place and figure out whether you can tolerate hearing gunshots now and then.

Billboard/s near the home

Studies have shown that billboards also impact real estate prices. In urban areas where billboards stood near residential homes, the closer the billboard is to your home, the more it can lower its value. This is why many communities are implementing a no-billboard policy or enforcing strict billboard controls to protect home values and promote higher median incomes and lower home-vacancy rates.

Multiple foreclosures in the area

Multiple foreclosures in your neighborhood can also affect the resale value of your home. Foreclosures imply that something is wrong with the area, so they can be eyesores that can easily drag down the average home values. And since a bank-owned home is less likely to be properly maintained, they can also translate to unsightly yards with stubborn weeds taking over the lawn and poorly maintained exteriors prone to vandalism and deterioration.

According to studies have shown that living within a quarter-mile radius of a foreclosed home can cause a 4% decline in property values. A report by The Alliance for a Just Society also found that aside from a significant decline in the value of surrounding properties, areas with foreclosures also experienced an increase in property taxes.

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by Michael Lau