Time was when it was, “In the Spring a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” Nowadays, young and old, male and female seem pretty focused on the subject year-round, although Valentine’s Day may well trigger many to seek out their perfect partner through an online dating site. But at what cost?

How not to get dates

When I was on the dating scene, in the days before the web, I had a tried and tested five-step process for attracting new partners:

1. Meet friends at appropriate bar/club
2. Pick from a distance the person/people I wanted to chat with
3. Drink bladder-bursting quantities of beer in order to build up Dutch courage
4. Eventually, stagger across to the object of my desire, and slur–in a haze of foul alcohol fumes–some corny chat-up line
5. Receive a withering put-down/slap/false phone number

Yes, it was tried and tested, and it almost invariably failed.

How to get dates

If I were in the market for a new lover now, I’d save a fortune in bar tabs, and do my liver an enormous favor. Because I’d almost certainly try online dating. And why not? It sure can work: the last two weddings I’ve attended have both been the result of Internet encounters through matchmaking websites, and one 2010 study suggested that 17 percent of new marriages over the previous year had come about this way.

But what I would save in beer, I could easily spend on dating site fees. Because online dating can be quite expensive.

Putting a price on love

It’s not easy to be completely accurate about how much different sites charge, because rates can vary, promotions may come and go, and optional add-on services could add to basic costs. However, last year, ConsumerSearch estimated likely charges for some of the biggest players:

• True.com–$50 a month
• eHarmony–$50 a month
• Match.com–$35 a month
• SpeedDate.com–$30 a month
• Zoosk.com–$25 a month

The problem with these numbers is that they’re not really comparing like with like. True.com, for example, may is one of the most expensive sites listed here, but it carries out background checks on members to make sure they don’t have criminal records, and are honest about their marital status.

By many measures, Match.com is the leading paid-for dating web site with more and longer visits by members than others. And it also keeps winning awards. Meanwhile, SpeedDate.com offers something different: series of three-minute webcam/voice/instant messaging encounters. And Zoosk has a huge membership base, largely thanks to its Facebook tie-in.

Going for a big site clearly has its advantages, but the sheer haystack weight of numbers can make finding the needle who is your true love a problem. You do, however, need to avoid going to the other extreme. Internet research company Experian Hitwise found that there are 1,400 significantly active matchmaking websites in the U.S., but another 2,000+ that are “seldom used.” Being alone on a lonely hearts site must make you feel really, really lonely.

Free love

Of course, you don’t have to pay anything to find dates. PlentyOfFish, for example, is free, and claims not only to be the world’s largest dating website, but also that it receives more than twice as many average monthly visits than any other dating site.

But not all free sites are completely trustworthy, and, assuming you don’t want your personal details to be sold on to third-party companies, you should probably at least check the organization’s privacy policy before you sign up. It could also be revealing to do an Internet search with the site’s name plus the word Complaints.

Having said that, don’t be put off by general complaints. It’s likely that just about every dating site–whether paid-for or free–is going to have plenty of people who’ve had bad experiences with members lying about their age, interests, attributes, earnings, education, looks, weight and pretty much everything else. C’est la vie, as the French say. You just have to come to terms with the fact that in cyberspace just as in the real world you have to kiss a whole lot of frogs before you find your prince/princess/drag queen/whatever.

Love’s labors lost

Good luck with your online dating search. If you don’t find what you’re looking for, you could always try my five-step process. You’re unlikely to end up with the person of your dreams, but at least you’ll be too drunk to care.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

Peter Andrew has been writing about–and for–business for more than two decades. For the last couple of years, he has found himself increasingly specializing in the U.S. financial sector.

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Source URL: Logging on for love: What’s the catch with online dating sites?

Copyright Protected © 2011 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Here’s my annual Valentine’s Day dilemma: If I go with the traditional gifts – chocolates and roses or dinner at a fancy restaurant – will my wife think I’m unimaginative? She loves roses and fine chocolate, but won’t she be somewhat offended that I didn’t put more thought into it?

And then there’s the expense: Roses aren’t cheap, and my wife, who’s watching our household dollar pretty closely these days, may not be able to enjoy their beauty knowing what they cost.

So this year my plan is to do things a little differently. Not only am I going easy on my savings account, but I’m also going to blow her away with how thoughtful and creative I am.

That said, here are some of the options I’m weighing:

• Miniature potted roses: Long-stem roses are pretty ostentatious, but these quarter-sized flowers will not only last longer and continue blooming well past Valentine’s Day, but my wife will be able to plant them in her garden this spring and think of me every time she walks past them.
• A picture of the two of us: I’ve got a few images from a summer camping trip we took, so I’m thinking about having one of those printed in a large 11-by-17 format that I can slip into an inexpensive prebuilt frame. I noticed at Christmas time that the craft shops were putting a lot of their frames on sale, so I’ll probably grab one of those.
• A homemade card: This might the biggest bang for my buck. It will take some time and some thought, but my time – and more than a few of my thoughts – are pretty cheap. I might use Photoshop to paste together images from the past year, or I may make a collage from past snapshots. Either way, the surprise and delight of seeing a homemade card will warm my sweetie’s heart.
• Homemade coupon books: Use your imagination. What does your honey desire, yet might be too embarrassed to come right out and ask for? Well, if you give them a coupon for that thing, they won’t have to ask for it. Get it? I can’t spell it out for you but you can certainly spell it out for them.
• A home-cooked meal: The jury is still out on this one. Some people think cooking dinner for your baby on Valentine’s Day reeks of cheapness. What she’d prefer is dinner at a nice restaurant. But what if the meal you prepared was really, really nice? Like shrimp cocktail, a nice wine, prime rib or poached salmon and berries and fresh cream for dessert? Won’t your baby just melt in your arms over your thoughtfulness and hard work?
• A series of small surprises: Decorate a bunch of empty match boxes or old jewelry boxes with leftover wrapping paper and stick little treats in them. Then hide the boxes around the house in places you know he or she will find them in the days leading up to Valentine’s Day. Mix it up – an exotic chocolate one day, an earring then next, the second earring the following day and so on – and make the final gift something a little more special – such as a necklace that matches the earrings or a gift card for dinner that night.

Let us know what you are doing for Valentine’s Day this year, and remember that keeping your sweetie and your savings account happy can both be priorities this Valentine’s Day.

Jim Sloan is a freelance writer in Reno, Nev.

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Source URL: Frugal ways to be sexy on Valentine’s Day

Copyright Protected © 2011 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Dating is like walking on a minefield: You never know what your next step will bring. Now to make it even harder, dating experts are adding a new twist.

It used to be as easy as intuition, dinner and a movie, but now experts say that financial compatibility is an important factor in finding the right person. If turns out that if the man or woman you are dating is a financial mess, they can take you down with them.

If you survived the dating battlefield like me and are now married, you probably have some of your own war stories. But if you are still out there in dating never-never land, you may need a little help. I can give you a few tips on how to figure out if your date is a financial dud.

You just have to read the signs:

1. Overspends like crazy

If your date keeps trying to impress you with how much everything they own costs, you might think twice about your future with them. Wild spending can lead to all kinds of financial problems as witnessed by the record number of mortgage defaults and credit card delinquencies seen in the last couple of years. If your date seems overly impressed by their own spending, it may be that they are forgetting an important fact: Eventually they have to pay for it all.

2. Leases to impress

Although it is not a set rule, in most cases buying a car is a much better financial option than leasing a car. As long as you don’t plan on changing cars often, it’s better to build a little equity as you make your monthly payments. But even worse than leasing, is leasing solely to impress.

If your date is driving a leased the car that seems to be way beyond what they can afford, you are not dating a financial wizard. Chances are pretty good that they are being taken to the cleaners on their lease deal and those costly lease provisions.

3. Loves get-rich schemes

It may not the most exciting thing in the world to hear your date discuss their dollar-cost-averaging approach to retirement savings, but at least your date has a financial vision. Wouldn’t you rather have your date bore you with details about their 401K than hear about how they have figured out how to make a million dollars from online poker?

If your date’s retirement plans seems to be wrapped up in a multi-level marketing or other pyramid scheme designed to double your money in two weeks, then run for the hills.

4. Pays only with prepaid cards

You might think that if your date uses a prepaid credit card that they are showing a certain amount of financial responsibility. After all, they are only spending what has been loaded on the card and they are not building up debt. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. The problem is that using prepaid credit cards can be a huge warning sign that your date has bad credit and can’t qualify for a normal credit card.

5. Doesn’t believe in saving for a rainy day

Let’s be honest. There is nothing sexy about investing in a certificate of deposit or opening a savings account at a bank. But a little advance planning can go a long way when trying to pay for a wedding, a vacation or your first house. It takes a little discipline and an ability to go against the crowd. If your date thinks keeping a savings account at a bank is uncool, you know they may not be very adept at long term financial planning.

6. Tips too much or too little

You can tell a lot about a person by how they tip. In some ways it can be a microcosm for their overall financial intelligence. A person savvy with money will tip based on the level of service. They don’t stick by hard-and-fast rules, but will adjust on the fly. They don’t tip on the tax and will always check to see if the tip has already been included on the bill.

The financial dud is easy to spot when it comes to tipping. Either they will tip way too much because the waiter or waitress was slightly flirty or they refuse to pay a premium tip of over 15 percent even if the service was excellent. You will also get a bad feeling about your date if he or she asks to borrow pennies and nickels to get the tip just right. Go with your gut. If they can’t handle tipping, they may struggle mightily with the bigger financial decisions coming down the road.

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Source URL: 6 signs your date is a financial dud

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Source URL: Investing tips for today: Q&A with money expert Saly Glassman

Copyright Protected © 2010 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Back in the early to mid-1990s I made my living by sitting in front of computer monitor with green and red glowing pixels that flashed stock and commodity prices. I was an off-the-floor stock and commodity trader, and in my world, green and red meant everything. Green meant I was making money, and red meant I would be drawing out of my savings to pay for monthly expenses.

Fortunately for me, I was given some sage advice from a wealthy mentor of mine who was about 25 years my senior and knew of an obstacle that I was likely to encounter. I still remember his wise words: “Kid, make sure you put money into an account you can draw from when times are lean–and expect some lean times. It’s part of the game.”

Even though I heeded his advice, there was one thing I didn’t account for: the feeling I’d have when trekking to the bank to withdraw those savings. While I had been diligently depositing money in my high yield savings account specifically to be drawn on when needed, the mental anguish of seeing my balance decrease–sometimes month after month–was one of the biggest challenges I had to overcome as a trader.

From Retirement Saving to Retirement Spending: Getting Past the Anxiety

Fast-forward 16 years: now I manage other people’s money for a living. I’m on the phone with a client in his mid-60s who recently retired. He asks me if taking $10,000 out of one of his accounts to purchase a timeshare is going to throw his retirement savings into a flat spin.

I remark that he could buy ten such timeshares without making much of a dent in his financial resources. But thinking back to those down months from my trader days, I quickly add, “I think I understand where your mind is and what you may be feeling. The retirement transition is a little bit like buying an umbrella and then worrying it will get wet when it rains.”

Learning how to develop the retirement spending mindset is a major challenge for many retirees. There’s already a lot of change when you retire: a shift in routine, of people you spend time with on a daily basis, maybe even a new home in a new city.

Add to the mix a wrenching shift in habit from saving for 35 or 40 years (or more) to actually spending down the funds carefully grown in that retirement account–no wonder it’s a jolt. Seeing that balance drop month after month, even if you’ve planned for it, is profoundly unsettling.

Another issue is that many people who enter retirement now have access to the most money in a lump sum that they’ve ever had in their lives. This alone can bring a suite of emotions, from fear and paralysis to greed.

You may have gone over financial variables in retirement planning over and over through the years–average lifespan, rates of return, annual income needs, and so on–but nobody prepared you for these particular mental adjustments.

How to Combat Retirement Spending Anxiety

The upshot is that these feelings are normal, and there are strategies you can use to ease yourself into retired life:

• Set up a “retirement bucket.” This strategy simulates the consistency of earning a steady income. With your “retirement bucket,” you spill some money into a separate deposit account that you access for regular expenses. You might accomplish this with a scheduled transfer on the first of each month from a high-interest online savings account to a linked checking account, for instance. The retirement bucket method provides stability, creates a natural budgeting mechanism, and shields you from the dread of treating your retirement funds as an ATM.
• Test-drive retirement. You may have long imagined what life you’ll lead in retirement, but the truth is, you won’t know until you get there. You might find yourself drawn to different activities than you expected and budgeted for. This is the “human factor” of retirement planning that no computer model can simulate. For example, I have clients who eat out more frequently now that they are retired because they have more free time to socialize. By all means, estimate your fixed expenses before retirement, but get into the swing of retired life for a few months before locking into a budget.
• Set a deadline. That said, don’t let fear of handling a large sum of money (especially in uncertain economic times) lead you put off budgeting forever. If making big decisions about retirement spending frightens you, let yourself have a few months to just get used to your new life. But set a precise date in the future to revisit decisions, or several milestones spaced out if you prefer–something to make sure that you take some thoughtful action in a timely manner.
• Blow your money–but just a little. Some new retirees have the opposite reaction to financial anxiety–they convince themselves that they deserve new cars, designer shopping sprees, and luxury vacations. Deserved they may be, but these large purchases come at a great cost if done on an impulse. If you’re worried you may be the type to come back from the Porsche dealership with a big case of buyer’s remorse, try this: take a very small percentage of your retirement money and go blow it on something frivolous. It could be that you just needed to get that impulse purchasing out of your system, and this way you can satisfy that impulse without doing yourself some major financial damage.

Above all, I encourage new retirees to view money as a tool. When we make financial decisions out of emotion, we often satiate an emotional need at the expense of good financial judgment. Unless you can identify the emotion driving that financial judgment and adjust accordingly, all that careful number crunching, planning, and forecasting from your working years can become meaningless.

Marc Pearlman is the author of the Positive Money Mindset and host of the popular radio show Your Money Matters! For more about Marc, visit marcpearlman.com or www.Yourmoneymattersradio.com.

Securities offered through Securities America, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services offered through Securities America Advisors, Inc. Marc Pearlman, Representative. Your Money Matters! radio show and the Securities America companies are unaffiliated.

Source URL: Overcoming Spending Anxiety: When Financial Planning for Retirement Isn’t Enough

Copyright Protected © 2010 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

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Some of you may live within a short drive or even within walking distance of your neighborhood post office. But unfortunately in my case, my local post office is a bit of a distance away situated within the city center, and getting there frequently requires that I fight through road rage inducing traffic jams and suffer through depressingly long lines once I’ve arrived. While I’m sure the folks at the U.S. postal service (USPS) do the best they can under the circumstances, I pretty much avoid visiting the post office as best as I can – turning to the free USPS website to manage the bulk of my postal decisions whenever possible.

Put Your Mail On Hold For Free By Requesting USPS Hold Mail Service Online

Unless you have someone at home to receive your mail for you, those of you planning to be away for an extended period of time (3 days or more) on vacation or for a business trip may want to notify your local post office to put your mail on hold while you’re gone. While you can always visit your local post office, wade through the customer service lines, and fill out one of those Hold Mail paper card forms – the easiest way to put your mail on hold is via the Internet through the USPS homepage. Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year, the website is certainly the easiest way to process all of your mail routing submissions. Your hold mail request can even go into effect the same business day if you submit the request by 3:00 am EST.

Currently, the USPS offers consumers the ability to temporarily put home and business mail on hold for a minimum of 3 days, up to a maximum of 30 days. During the length of the hold period, the home resident or business owner’s letters and packages are held at the Post Office, with normal delivery not resuming in bulk until the date specified.

At the present time, the USPS hold mail feature is free, regardless of whether the request is submitted in person or online. But with the way the postal service is hemorrhaging money and now trying to cut costs and save money by closing out branches and cutting back on staff, I wouldn’t be too surprised if they started imposing a USPS hold mail surcharge of $1.00 or more for each request one of these days. But for now:

• To submit a hold mail request online, visit the USPS Hold Mail Service web page. At the present time, you cannot put your mail on hold by phoning in your request.
• On the Hold Mail page, enter your 5 digit zip code number in the Create a Request box and click on Go. Bear in mind, while the online hold mail service is available in most areas of the country, not all Zip codes will qualify.
• Next, follow the displayed instructions by providing your name, mailing address, phone number, hold mail start date, as well as the date you would like your normal mail service to resume.
• Remember to record your Confirmation Number. This number is important because you will need it to make any future changes to your online request – such as if you decide to cancel the order or you later decide that you will need your mail held for a longer period of time than initially requested.

If you anticipate being away for longer than 30 days, you may need to consider having your mail forwarded to another temporary address. While the online USPS Hold Mail service is free, requesting temporary mail forwarding or any other service that requires a formal address change requires the payment of a $1.00 online service fee. The USPS requires this $1.00 fee be charged to a valid credit card for identity confirmation purposes. While some people may find this small charge rather annoying and somewhat of a deterrent to using this web convenience, I find the tiny fee to be worth the benefit of not having to deal with the time and hassle of personally visiting my local post office branch. Don’t you agree this online service is still worth the nominal cost?

Alternatively for the super frugal cheapskates, you can always print out the paper Authorization to Hold Mail (PS Form 8076) manually and give it to your letter carrier or mail it to the post office that delivers your mail for free (minus the obligatory cost of postage).

Source URL: How To Request USPS Hold Mail Service Online

Copyright Protected © 2009 Money Blue Book: Personal Finance Blog. All Rights Reserved.

From the various articles available online, you’ll frequently read comments and posts from individuals claiming that their personal cancers and miscarriages were the direct results of living too close to nearby power lines. Though when subjected to scientific scrutiny, this does not necessarily indicate a definitive connection between the two, it’s easy to see how the passionate and emotional voices could come to such conclusions. In my case, both of my parents are survivors of lymphoma cancer. Both of them successfully completed their chemotherapy treatments and both were able to cure themselves of the cancers that plagued their bodies for months. However, as far as I know – they and I have never lived in close proximity to power lines of any sort. However, if we hypothetically had, I’m sure I would have immediately jumped to such emotional conclusions as well and pointed to power lines as the leading cause of the cancers. As I examine this controversial issue, it’s important to bear in mind that when it comes to such ubiquitous and misunderstood issues as the effects of electromagnetic fields from power lines, people’s reactions may frequently be driven more by emotion and passion than by reason and true evidence.

I’m Buying A Dream House: But It’s Located Near Electrical Power Lines

After years of renting, I’m finally in the process of buying my first home. At the conclusion of months of tireless searching and countless weekdays and weekends of visiting open houses and housing prospects, I’ve finally found the perfect starter home in the perfect location. It’s a beautiful single family house -  a brand spanking new construction home in a very desirable location near major transportation routes with excellent accessibility to stores and close proximity to places I need to be on a regular basis. But there’s a problem, and a big problem at that depending on how you look at it. The prospective new construction lot I’m looking at is located somewhat near a string of power lines and within viewing proximity of several gigantic power line towers. To be precise, the constructed home would be located approximately 350 yards (1050 feet or 320 meters) from the nearest high voltage powerline.

The first time I drove through the newly minted housing development – I instantly fell in love. But after I saw the looming power lines in the distance, I began to have second doubts. Aside from the unsightly nature of the looming eye sores, I had mild qualms about the safety and health hazards of living in such relative close proximity to the gargantuan steel structures and high tension wires. After all, I was brought up by my parents and shaped by the mainstream media and social norms to naturally believe in certain things – such assorted health based beliefs like – microwave ovens emanate hazardous radiation waves, smoking causes cancer, Tylenol damages your liver, immunizing your child may lead to him or her developing autism, diet coke causes cancer, red meat is unhealthy, eating too much fish can lead to mercury poisoning, too much egg yolk will kill you, and finally – prolonged exposure to high tension powerlines can cause leukemia in children and lead to other cancers and Alzheimer type afflictions in adults.

But instead of taking such beliefs at face value this time around, and probably because the home and the neighborhood otherwise satisfied almost every other factor on my check list, I decided to investigate the power line health issue in greater depth. What I discovered was rather troubling – but not for the reasons you might think. After hours and days of research and pouring over numerous governmental issued reports on powerlines and research articles on the alleged connection between power line generated radiation and cancer in humans, I’ve come to the overwhelming conclusion that there is simply insufficient evidence at this time to establish a causal link between the two. Despite my own hard conclusions based on existing data, concrete facts, and actual measurements conducted by invited powerline company personnel of the suspected area, I don’t think a consensus on this controversial issue will ever fully be reached by all people. It seems that for every scientific study which appears to conclusively link power lines to various health issues, there’s another prominent health study which conclusively refutes it. Despite the fact that the “scientific research reports” that allege a real causal link between power line electro-magnetic field radiation and cancer afflictions only comprise about 10-20% of the total research, and a dominant 80% or so (based on my very rough fuzzy math estimates) refute a definitive link between the two, the “yes it causes cancer” crowd seems to win out in most debates, drowning out the rest – presumably through their ability to sway opinions through the use of emotional rhetoric and scare tactics.

Is It Safe To Live Near Power Lines? Does EMF Radiation From PowerLines Cause Cancer?

Power lines frequently generate intense opposition and heated protest – from homeowners to environmentalists – from power company authorities to even bloggers like yours truly. The responses are frequently conflicting and emotionally heated. The debate stems from the powerful but invisible electro-magnetic fields (EMF) generated by power lines as electricity is transmitted through them. Some say the magnetic waves corrupt DNA structures and contribute to the development of various cancers. Although these electrical magnetic fields are also generated by common house hold appliances such as TV’s, alarm clocks, cell phones, hair blow dryers, computers, can openers, and electric blankets, much of this debate tends to focus exclusively on high tension power lines and the gigantic pylon towers that support them in certain neighborhoods.

While it’s nearly impossible for me to discuss the entire scientific bases for the various conclusions out there, suffice it is to say – once you are able to discard the hype and hysteria, the general consensus by the most reputable sources do strongly suggest that currently, there is insufficient evidence to make the quantum leap that magnetic fields from power lines have the capacity to cause childhood leukemia, childhood brain tumors, or other cancers in children – and that presently, there is totally inadequate and inconsistent evidence to establish a relationship between power line fields and breast cancer or other forms of brain tumors in adults. This is not to suggest there is absolutely no possibility of a casual link between the two, but that the realm of verifiable data and research can not yet scientifically link the two as cause and effect.

Extensive research has been performed on the issue and major health organizations such as the National Cancer Institute, the National Research Council, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) -  have all performed studies and looked at the available research – and opined that there is not conclusive evidence that EMF exposure poses a cancerous risk or that  residence near high voltage lines increases health risks. Authorities such as the NIH have noted that the available research, despite all of the inflammatory passions involved, fail to demonstrate that the levels of risk represent a real increase in cancer occurrences. Furthermore, such public health authorities have criticized the inflammatory research out there that report a causation link between powerline exposure and cancer, citing possible pervasive study biases stemming from the faulty selection of study subjects and failures to take into consideration other contributing factors such as poverty, nutrition, obesity, pure chance, and sample sizes based on volunteered opinions alone. Despite these authoritative findings, public hysteria will likely always remain – it’s just the infallibility of human nature.

New conflicting reports and absolutely contradicting updates by the media and various vested interests on both sides of the divide are constantly being disseminated every year on the supposed dangers of power lines, perpetually shaping the public’s emotional perception of the issue. However, if you really want to listen to the most authoritative voices on cancer research regarding EMF radiation fields, powerlines, and their effects on human children and adults, try reading the following online articles. Please let me know if there are any more authoritative sources on the matter:

1. Electric and Magnetic Fields: National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences
2. Health Risks Associated With Living Near High Voltage Power Lines: Health Physics Society (July 2008)
3. Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF): Health Concerns: Connecticut Department of Public Health (April 2008)
4. Electric and Magnetic Fields (EMF) Radiation From Power Lines: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (May 2006)
5. Electromagnetic Fields and Public Health: World Health Organization (May 2006)
6. Magnetic Fields Exposure and Cancer: Questions and Answers: National Cancer Institute, U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) (April 2005)
7. Electromagnetic Fields Explained: Arizona Association of Realtors (2003)
8. Power Line Fields and Public Health: American Physical Society (1995)

Effect Of Home’s Proximity To Power Lines On Future Resale Value

Admittedly, regardless of the scientific research, people will always be scared of power lines. No matter what the government or health authorities tell the masses, and no matter what little concrete correlation there is with power lines and EMF induced cancers, it’s a virtual given that a vocal segment of the population will never be swayed and will forever regard power lines as instant cancer-causing implementations of electrical doom (laced with extra helpings of government cover ups). For property owners and real estate agents, this is what we call an unfortunate, but irremediable defect – something objectionable about a property that cannot be readily changed. Similar unchangeable defects would be living near railroad tracks, living near an expressway, or living within smelling distance of a waste treatment plant.

While it’s true that location in somewhat close proximity to power lines will diminish the overall buyer pool of individuals who would consider your home as a viable purchase (possibly turning off families with very small children perhaps), its desirably is also greatly influenced by other location factors as well. While there may not be a significant drop in property value in certain otherwise very desirable neighborhoods, there may be fewer buyers who will be willing to buy the house when you decide to resell it. Some may be paranoid of the potential health hazards, while others simply won’t be able to live with the prospect of having ugly power line towers as permanent ornaments of their neighborhood landscape. While obviously there will always remain an active market for these types of homes, some have suggested that the houses and condos located in close proximity to power lines and power line towers should expect a 1-2% price hit, while others have suggested higher discounts up to 5% or more. However, in my personal research of price comparables in various housing neighborhoods located near powerlines that I’ve sought out, I haven’t found that to be the case.

Remember, everyone has a price. While off the cusp, I’m sure everyone will say that they would never purchase a home near a power line – if they were offered the opportunity to purchase a sprawling mansion for half the price of other comparable homes in the area, I’m sure they would feel differently. The fact that there are homes located near graveyards, cemeteries, nuclear power plants, prisons, and heavily trafficked highways show that everyone has a price. It just depends on how accurately a property’s price reflects all of the variables.

Would I Personally Buy A House Located Near Power Lines?

Yes, I would – assuming the home was properly priced, not located directly underneath the power lines, was not directly within view from the front or back of the home, and was sufficiently far enough to satisfy my own whims of prudent avoidance. In fact, I am currently faced with that decision right now, and I believe the answer is a resounding – yes. In the spirit of prudent avoidance, it also depends on how far the home is in relation to the nearest powerline pylon tower and proximately to the powerlines themselves. If my property or backyard directly touched the power line towers or if they ominously loomed over my property like hulking giants, that in of itself would probably be a deal killer for me.

While I personally believe the EMF health dangers of powerlines to be overblown and vastly exaggerated, I think it’s still wise to exercise a reasonable dose of paranoid caution. While I believe the direct connection between powerline EMF waves are extremely tenuous and not proven by available science, I still think it’s best to limit the distance between powerlines and one’s home – just in case. Once again, this is simply prudent avoidance – as the possible dangers, no matter how miniscule or conceivably great, are so potentially devastating if ever found to be true. Besides, from a purely aesthetic point of view, who wants to stare at one of those ugly power line towers from either the front or back yard anyway? I think if the lines are only mere steps from you home or literally sitting in your backyard, this may be a concern. But if they are sufficiently far away in the distance, I think any potential health concerns would be greatly diminished.

So how close is it too close to be living near high tension power lines? Many power line researchers have pointed out that there is generally no serious cause for concern for homes located at least 300 feet away (roughly the length of a football field) from the nearest power line as EMF levels decrease rapidly and exponentially with distance from the lines. At this distance, the EMF levels from the lines are no different from the typical background levels found in most homes. If you are not certain about the EMF levels in or around your home, it’s best to contact your local power company and request an EMF reading. Many power companies will perform an EMF measurement for free, particularly if you are a prospective home buyer interested in a new housing development.

Just to get the opinion of readers, what do you think of the photographer’s proximity to the nearest power lines based on the photograph provided directly above? This is the approximate location of the housing lot I am currently considering as a prospective home buyer. The nearest power lines are about 350 yards away (more than 3 football lengths). In the photo provided, they perhaps appear larger than they ought to primarily because they are located on the top of a hill on a higher elevation, and there are no trees yet planted to obscure them as is usually the case in established old communities with power lines. Far enough to be objectively safe or still close enough to cause fear? What do you think?

Source URL: Buying A House Near PowerLines: Do Power Lines Cause Cancer?

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