"Now that I know where my house will be swallowed by the earth..."

The East Valley Tribune published a map sourced from the Arizona Geological Survey showing major fissures in the Chandler Heights neighborhood on the border between Pinal and Maricopa Counties. The fissures have been widened by groundwater runoff and cause a major threat to home owners and home buyers. The maps are quite accurate, down to the street level, and provide excellent information on the location and extent of the fissures. What is doesn't provide is an appreciation on how home values might be affected. A cursory look at the same area on Zillow, indicates the obvious surface geology (if you know what to look for - fortunately I don't play a geologist on TV; I am one in real life) but I don't think the home values necessarily reflect the potential property damage that could result if one of the fissures should be extended further or bifurcate into your neighborhood. Let the buyer beware.

Comments

toshi said…
There has been a drop in some of the appraised values for homes in some of the mapped areas. When we made these maps, we knew that some people will have a loss of value, but our hopes are that we could protect future development and inform the public in order to protect themselves.
Todd Shipman, AZGS
August 26, 2008 at 12:48 PM
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