Transmission Lines, Electric and Magnetic Fields & How They Affect Real Estate Prices in Sunnyvale & Los Altos

I wrote this article some 20 years ago and recently updated it.  I hope you find it informative!

Over the years I have had the pleasure of selling homes in what many buyers have described as less than favorable locations.  Homes that front or back up to busy roads, train tracks, or high voltage transmission towers.  The concern isn’t necessarily freeway noise (although that is a concern) but rather the high voltage transmission line towers.

It is difficult to quantify the effect that high voltage transmission lines/towers have on a buyer’s purchasing decision.  I am most familiar with a two mile stretch of high voltage transmission lines that run parallel to highway 85 between highway 280 (to the south) and the El Camino Real exit in Mountain View (to the north).  On the south side of highway 85, these transmission lines effect the desirability of homes in the Cherry Chase neighborhood.  To the north side of highway 85, these transmission lines effect the value of the homes in south Los Altos along Fallen Leaf Lane as well as the Belleville/Bedford neighborhood of Sunnyvale.  Below is a map showing the approximate location of the high voltage transmission lines along highway 85.  The blue line is the approximate location of these transmission lines. View Map.  

Buyers are attracted to these neighborhoods because of the their proximity to well paying job opportunities,  great schools, larger lot sizes and convenient shopping.  The potential downside has to do with the power transmission lines/towers that move electric and magnetic current through a wire (EMF).

I am not an EMF specialist but I have done a fair amount of research.  Here is what I found:

Electric and magnetic fields together are referred to as electromagnetic fields, or EMFs. The electric and magnetic forces in EMFs are caused by electromagnetic radiation.     For a detailed analysis about EMF’s and their potential health risks, read the National Cancer Institute’s Electromagnetic fields fact sheet.  Notice where “Power Lines” fall on the electromagnetic spectrum below (very low at. 50-60 Hz).

There are several websites that discuss EMF’s. The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) discusses EMF’s in great detail.  Their 64 page booklet has some great, although somewhat dated (2002), information on the subject.  PG&E also has a good discussion about EMF’s.   According to P G & E’s website: 

“The California Public Utilities Commission and the California Department of Health Services have not concluded that exposure to magnetic fields from utility electric facilities is a health hazard. Pacific Gas and Electric Company, like other utilities, relies on information from the federal and state health agencies which conduct EMF research and monitor this issue to help evaluate potential risks.”

If it appears that EMF’s aren’t as harmful as once thought, why are buyers hesitant about buying homes near power lines/towers?  Here are some pro’s and con’s!

Pros:

1. The lot sizes of properties that either have transmission lines running through the property or have a tower on the property are usually quite larger than other neighboring properties (15-25% larger).
2. Prices for these properties are sold at a discount relative to neighboring properties.  The discount depends on the current market conditions.  In a buyer’s market, the discount is amplified.

Cons:

1. Perceive negative health effects – data suggests otherwise.
2. Visual effect – can be lessened somewhat with screening, but it is always there.
3. Typically can’t build under these power lines (ie pool or home addition).  Check with Los Altos or Sunnyvale building departments before purchasing to verify what can be built near or under power lines.

So what’s a seller to do when selling their home near a high voltage transmission line?

1. Price the home accordingly.  When you bought your home, you bought it at a discount.  You should understand that you will likely need to sell it at a discount.
2. Disclose that the home is near or under a high voltage transmission line.
3. Suggest that the buyer research the issue and contact professionals knowledgeable in the field (pun intended – field…force field…electric field…get it!).  Understand that buyers will need time to do their research.
4. Possibly have an EMF study conducted on the property and include it in any disclosure information about the property.
5. Never make statements about the property that could lead a buyer to conclude that the transmission lines are safe or not safe.  As a seller, you’re not a EMF specialist.  Don’t increase your liability by thinking that since you haven’t had any problems that the new buyer won’t.
6. Hire a Realtor familiar with EMF’s

If you are thinking of selling your home and want to know how to strategically maximize the value of your home given our current market conditions, please reach out to me at 650 465-0755 for a private, no nonsense consultation. I’m here to personally take care of all your real estate concerns.