Search results for: “stormwater”
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Climate Change Hits Home: Q&A on the New Stormwater Fees
Climate disruption has caused more extreme weather. As we’ve noted before, the impacts of out-of-whack weather systems are making their mark on real estate. Results of these extremes include intensified stormwater management challenges all over the continent, as unusually heavy storms inundate buildings. Of course, engineers design stormwater systems to handle and redirect the water. These systems,…
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The Resilient Deed: What Property Buyers Should Know About Climate, Weather, and Insurance
We all live somewhere on Earth. Today, that means we all deal with some measure of climate-related risk. The “new normal” involves highly abnormal weather patterns, stronger storms, hotter heat. Florida, California, and Texas are frequently in the news for this reason. But even “climate havens” now deal with tornadoes and major floods. All this…
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Hey, Back Off! When an Encroaching Neighbor Wants a Piece of Your Property
So, the folks next door did some landscaping. And you’re pretty sure it crossed your property line. Maybe they built a shed over the boundary. Maybe they’re using a part of your land to park equipment, or to drive over. In some cases, the encroachment isn’t obvious. Then the deed holder wants to build a…
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The Water Log: A Deed Holder’s Intro to Storm Runoff
Storms aren’t exactly getting milder out there. And did you know that rainstorms can implicate a property owner’s rights? Severe or recurrent storms can create significant challenges for a deed holder. Flooding is the costliest risk for homes. Here, we cover just the basics of stormwater and deeds.
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Live and Learn! What I Wish I Knew as a Real Estate Buyer
It’s always nice to learn from others’ mistakes and revelations, before we’re in the position to deal with similar situations ourselves. In this spirit, here are a few things first-time deed holders say they wish they knew before buying.
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Trees Don’t Respect Property Lines. Who’s Liable for Accidents or Hazards?
Trees are beautiful. They cool our Earth, buffer noise, and drink up stormwater. They offer habitat to birds, and so much more. Trees can make beautiful, natural borders between properties. But, from time to time, they do play a role in tensions between deed holders. Today we explore a few common conflicts related to trees…
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As Asheville Recovers, Home Buyers Rethink the Whole “Climate Haven” Idea
Asheville, a quaint and popular North Carolina town, has long been known for its welcoming atmosphere and a mild, inviting climate. Indeed, a public radio station once showcased Asheville as winning the real estate stakes of an unsettled climate. It’s now well understood that tropical storms get supercharged by human-driven effects on the atmosphere’s temperatures.…
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Wait—Did Alabama Put Restrictions on Flooded Home Deeds So Owners Can’t Sue?
Homeowners in Shiloh, situated in Coffee County in southern Alabama, have questions. According to an exposé by Inside Climate News, officials put deed restrictions on their home titles, preventing them from suing the state. These covenants run with the land, binding the deed holders — and anyone who might ever receive their deeds, far into…
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Epic Heat? New Study Links Racial Deed Restrictions to Temperature Risk
What impact do racial covenants in property deeds have on heat-related health risks? You might be surprised. In a first-of-its-kind effort to answer this question, researchers looked at greater Minneapolis. They mapped out the places where homes have a history of white ownership, maintained by racial deed language. These historically exclusive neighborhoods are cooler, with…
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Deed Records Go Digital: Getting Up to Speed in Delaware County, PA
Delaware County (“Delco” to the locals) is home to more than a half-million residents, making it Pennsylvania’s 5th most populated county. It borders the southwest edge of Philadelphia. It’s a little bit country, a little bit urban. It includes scenic Ridley Creek State Park. Several universities stand at least partly within it: Cheyney, Villanova, and…
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Condo Shopping: Does My Agent Warn Me About HOA Red Flags?
Many of today’s buyers want condos. They’re compact and low-maintenance. Condos are cheaper, typically, than standalone homes. Still, it’s entirely possible to make a costly mistake by missing condo warning signs. Sometimes, a real estate agent notices things the buyer won’t. A good agent becomes that extra pair of eyes, extra ears and nose… Alert…
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Safe or Sorry? The Evolving Law of Disclosing Flood Risk (and How to Look Up Your Own Home’s Risk of Flooding)
How many of us ask about flood risk before buying a house or renting an apartment? In many areas of the country, whether we rent or buy, no one mentions flood risk. And yet, for millions of homes, flood risks keep increasing. Knowing whether a home has flooded, or is at high risk of flooding,…
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“Unlicensed Appraisal” and Other Stories: How Scam Artists Chase Disaster Victims
After Tropical Storm Hilary blasted the Baja and San Diego regions in mid-August, the Federal Trade Commission urged people to watch for a surge in rip-offs. Opportunists may say they’re performing appraisals, but unless they are licensed appraisers, they lack professional accountability. If they’re improperly doing the work of adjusters, they might be violating state…
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Building an Addition, Shed, or Cottage? Know Your Home’s Setback Requirements
If you’re buying a home, your real estate agent can help you locate the setback requirements. These requirements control the distance any structure on the property must be from the road, or from a natural feature, or from the boundaries between owners’ properties. Setbacks can also restrict the height of structures on a given property.…
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Can Zoning Boards Be Climate Heroes?
How City Planning Models Are Changing The single-family home is losing its cool. Some homebuyers now see multi-unit properties the way they see electric bikes or solar roofs — as part of a climate-aware lifestyle. We already know single-unit residential zoning limits supply in a time of tremendous housing demand and overpriced real estate. We…
