Secrets about the influence of water on real estate disclosed.

Water is important to life. We usually see the importance of something or someone when the person or thing is gone. I see the importance of water every time its gone during municipality rationing programs. When water is gone its irreplaceable because it has no substitute! The fact that water is critical to life makes it one of the determinants of property value. Here is how.

Fresh water

History tells us that there is no meaningful human settlement that can be established and thrive without a reliable supply of drinking water. During the days of the Roman empire there were aqua-ducts which were underground pipes that carried water from far away sources to major cities. In less advanced places people had to dig wells. So in a sense the influence of water on real estate is merely a natural progression from history.

Sewer

It will be a case of gross irresponsibility for a planning authority not to ensure that before occupation of any settlement arrangements for handling human waste are in place and are of the required standard. Precious human life is at risk if oversight is poor in this area and the cases of cholera that ravaged the country in recent times are testimony to this. Fresh water is at the centre of a healthy settlement and successful waste management for at least two reasons as follows;

i. After flushing water becomes a scrubbing brush that removes the residue in the toilet chamber.

ii. It then becomes the carrier that transport the residue through the pipes to the designated management facility or sceptic tank.

Property value

In light of the explanations given above water and sewer are major selling points in the property market whilst the opposite is true. This means a property without these two elements will lose value and the  loss in value will be due to at least two major reasons.

Firstly, home seekers will never be attracted by a place that guarantee a life of struggle due to the absence of sewer and fresh water.

 Secondly, investors are not happy with real estate investments without title deeds. According to relevant laws local planning authorities do not give approval for a development that fail to meet the minimum requirements like successful installation of water reticulation and without this approval the deeds office cant facilitate title deeds.