How much do above-ground telephone poles/wires reduce property values?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

So if you are the type who only thinks new builds are good and loves cookie-cutter McMansions in a new subdevelopment, then you may actually care about those things.

And this. This issue has never occurred to me and I have bought four houses.

Weird. I guess in the land of the blind the one eyed man is king.

Wha? I'm pretty sure people choose suburbs by proximity to work, often to DC. My guess would be that developments with buried lines would be much further out and newer. So don't pity the sad people with overhead power lines because they probably have shorter commutes and houses that hold their value.

[Anonymous]

We have above grown lines in Old Town Alexandria.

In the derecho a few years ago, when nearly everyone lost power for at least some period (hours at least or several days), we didn't lose power for even a minute. Not even 10 seconds. Though they maybe flickered a couple of times during that storm.

Maybe some people don't like the aesthetic of above ground lines, but from experience, they're a non issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well none of them are buried in any of the areas in my close-in suburb, so you would have to rule out entire regions.

This.

+1

I absolutely hate them and would pay to get ours buried. Don't think our neighbors would go for it though. We are in a close-in, high-demand neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Most people would prefer the newer technology. However people who like older homes are typically not going to buy a new home simply because of the power lines. And that's why I don't think they lower property values.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Small deal.

Really? I'd consider it a big factor in choosing a home.

+1

This, plus no sidewalks are a deal breaker - mostly because the no sidewalks areas are too expensive NOT to have sidewalks. Ridiculous.

Yeah. No sidewalks is a bigger deal. I'm not a fan of visible power lines though.

Um, no one is. But that is how we get electricity in lots of places, so you take it or leave it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Small deal.

Really? I'd consider it a big factor in choosing a home.

+1

This, plus no sidewalks are a deal breaker - mostly because the no sidewalks areas are too expensive NOT to have sidewalks. Ridiculous.

Yeah. No sidewalks is a bigger deal. I'm not a fan of visible power lines though.

I disagree completely. I'd much rather have buried power lines than sidewalks.

[Anonymous]

Some of the most expensive neighborhoods in the city (Chevy Chase) have above-ground wires.

[Anonymous]

The rich areas close in are pretty ugly with power lines and no sidewalks, peppered with shit shacks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Small deal.

Really? I'd consider it a big factor in choosing a home.

+1

This, plus no sidewalks are a deal breaker - mostly because the no sidewalks areas are too expensive NOT to have sidewalks. Ridiculous.

Yeah. No sidewalks is a bigger deal. I'm not a fan of visible power lines though.

Um, no one is. But that is how we get electricity in lots of places, so you take it or leave it.

Yup , same with the slums of third world countries


My Asian relatives were shocked by the ugly rich areas in north arlington, bethesda and mclean. They conceded and tore down , but as a first world country it was expected to look like planned neighborhoods further out.

[Anonymous]

Shouldn't a commitment to bury more power lines in DC have been part of the "concessions" package that Mayor Bowser trumpets to justify her reversal on the Pepco-Excelon merger? Burying lines improves power reliability and enhances the tree canopy which is environmentally positive

[Anonymous]

We've lost power more in Burke with buried lines then we ever did in Springfield with above ground lines. I mean, the below ground ones have to come up at some point. Aesthetically I guess it's nice, but it's honestly not something I ever think about.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't matter one bit in the prime areas in the region. I mean, it may matter is some crappy Loudoun exurb where people are expecting to have buried utilities.

But honestly, location, lot, and house size are much stronger controlling factors of price. Vast majority of older neighborhoods will have above-ground utilities. It doesn't seem to be slowing down prices at all, especially if you're closer to the DC core.

[Anonymous]

our neighborhood is half and half and it doesn't seem to change the house price at all.

We unfortunately live in the above ground part with a fairly large line that runs right over our back yard, but we've just learned to live with it.

[Anonymous]

I don't expect it to change the price but it does affect the overall aesthetics of the area. It took me about a year before I realized I was subconsciously reacting to it when I saw a neighborhood.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Well none of them are buried in any of the areas in my close-in suburb, so you would have to rule out entire regions.

This.

Zero. Inside the beltway Bethesda.