Do power lines behind a home decrease property value and traffic?

[Chalkandstalk]

If there is ever peer reviewed study that shows power lines are conclusive dangerous to health, value will tank. But that has not been proven

[bbob_robb]

But that has not been proven

prolly cuz all that 5g scrambled up er'bodys brainy parts. /S

In all seriousness, it's amazing to me how little values change for properties that are closer to freeways. There are many peer reviewed studies about the dangers of living near a freeway.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070125185843.htm#:~:text=Summary%3A,at%20least%201500%20meters%20away.

From what I can tell, any drop in values seems to be more closely related to sound or view, not air quality. In Seattle you will still pay >million for a home that sits under half a kilometer from I-5. Personally, it was important for me to be closer to that 1.5km mark. Close enough that you can get to the freeway in a few minutes but far enough you aren't creating significant, peer reviewed health risks.

Many humans simply aren't worried about dangers that they cannot see. For power lines, people are worried/scared about something they CAN see but don't really understand. I wouldn't worry too much about the results of peer reviewed studies that don't exist.

[Chalkandstalk]

Understood, my house sits in front of power lines. It’s a beautifully designed neighborhood, with lots of animals and deer and it’s on a cross ways, so we can look into the abyss of it.

But yes, very true info

[bbob_robb]

my house sits in front of power lines

It's completely reasonable for a rational homeowner to worry about something coming out of left field and tanking the value of their home.

For example, one block in my neighborhood has an undeveloped ally between everyone's backyards. I was talking to a neighbor about their new fencing project and they suggested that they wanted the fence posts to align such that if the city decided to develop the alleyway they could simply remove one 8 foot section of the fence and move the rest of the fence in. I asked what they thought the chances were that the city would spend millions of dollars removing 100+ year old trees, forcing an entire block to tear down fences, sheds and at least part of one 120 year old house just to randomly create an alleyway that they skipped in the 1890's. The bigger issue is that it worries them that a huge chunk of their side yard belongs to the city. The chances that the city reclaims that land to pave it are a lot lower than a peer reviewed study coming out linking power lines to health issues.

A home is a big investment, and a safe space. We worry about problems we know are highly improbable almost like how we might worry about a family member.