Does a cell phone tower on the berm directly outside a property affect the property value? In the bottom left of the photo, there is a cell phone tower directly outside the property with a boat in front of the house. Would that affect your decision whether or not to buy?

https://trademe.tmcdn.co.nz/photoserver/full/1472085956.jpg

rpvr - 2021-01-20 12:42:00

I don't know what the statistics are, but IMO you will always get some people who truly believe the tower can affect their health, but conversely there will be others who really don't care. I think every property has its pros and cons, and that there will be a diverse group of people who will make their judgements - some for and some against. If someone truly loves the house and hasn't any strong opinions about cell phone towers I don't see it will make any difference. All it will possibly do is reduce the 'pool' of potential buyers and therefore affect any multiple offer situations.

kitty179 - 2021-01-20 12:44:00

Yes, I think it will. There are quite a growing number of people that believe transmissions from cell phone towers are harmful - I'm not fully convinced of that myself personally, but I still wouldn't risk living right next to one. Aside from that, I don't like them aesthetically, so that alone would be enough to put me off.

rhys12 - 2021-01-20 13:42:00

Yes it does adversely effect property values

Aesthetics
Close proximity can invoke some building restrictions (domestic & commercial)
Concentration of localised cell signals has been well documented to effect some ppl

mrfxit - 2021-01-20 14:45:00

Thanks for the comments. I wasn't aware of the possibility of building restrictions.

rpvr - 2021-01-20 15:17:00

Yes it does if the persons are worried about said tower.

msigg - 2021-01-20 15:19:00

Yes, it improves the value of a property to anyone with at least half a clue. More reliable mobile phones and faster mobile broadband.

Theoretical health issues have been done to death and the radiation does not cause harm. I suppose there is a slight risk of the tower falling and injuring someone.

tony9 - 2021-01-20 15:56:00

mrfxit wrote:

Concentration of localised cell signals has been well documented to effect some ppl

Well researched and verified source for that statement?

I thought not.

tony9 - 2021-01-20 15:57:00

tony9 wrote:

Yes, it improves the value of a property to anyone with at least half a clue. More reliable mobile phones and faster mobile broadband.

Theoretical health issues have been done to death and the radiation does not cause harm. I suppose there is a slight risk of the tower falling and injuring someone.

I agree with your view on the health risk, but this not mean the presence of the tower does not affect the property value, as the above posts illustrate. It seems to be about perception, and also practical effect, like having public toilets on your boundary, or even having a large tree on the berm, which may be a public amenity but which may block your view or crack your driveway with its roots, etc.

rpvr - 2021-01-21 08:08:00

tony9 wrote:

Well researched and verified source for that statement?

I thought not.

Yep there are no health risks from cell signals and I have owned a cellphone since the mid 90s

Edited by andrewcg53 at 9:43 am, Thu 21 Jan

andrewcg53 - 2021-01-21 09:42:00

For sure it affects the value of the property. If there are two near identical properties on the same street for sale - but one has a cell tower in front of it - which one do you think will have more interest? Even if you disregard some peoples fears for health etc - it's all about kerb appeal.

sooperdoopa - 2021-01-21 10:10:00

Makes your house more easy to find for visitors..."you can not miss it, it has a bloody big cell tower right in front of it"!!

onl_148 - 2021-01-21 10:49:00

rhys12 wrote:

Yes, I think it will. There are quite a growing number of people that believe transmissions from cell phone towers are harmful - I'm not fully convinced of that myself personally, but I still wouldn't risk living right next to one. Aside from that, I don't like them aesthetically, so that alone would be enough to put me off.

There is a belief that with the new 5G towers the radiation is greater than 4G. 6G when it comes out will have even greater radiation.

cassina1 - 2021-01-21 18:15:00

Three doors away there is a massive power transformer occupying a corner of their section.The property still sold for a reasonable price.

axelvonduisberg - 2021-01-21 18:33:00

The member deleted this message.

axelvonduisberg - 2021-01-21 18:34:00

cassina1 wrote:

There is a belief that with the new 5G towers the radiation is greater than 4G. 6G when it comes out will have even greater radiation.

You need Ionizing radiation to have adverse health effects which 4,5,6G don't have.

andrewcg53 - 2021-01-21 18:49:00

Bit of an eye sore...

fruitbat - 2021-01-21 19:53:00

fruitbat wrote:

Bit of an eye sore...

And that's just the house.

sparkychap - 2021-01-21 20:06:00

That's a 4G 2-Degrees tower. Lower power booster from what I can see. With any tower the majority of the signals are horizontal so being close under the tower means you're not actually being hit with the full power anyway.

sparkychap - 2021-01-21 20:12:00

andrewcg53 wrote:

You need Ionizing radiation to have adverse health effects which 4,5,6G don't have.

Unless you stick your head in a microwave

sooperdoopa - 2021-01-22 09:46:00

I'll avoid it. Cell phone towers do emit radiation. Harmful or not, there is no risk if its not there.

aklreels - 2021-01-22 09:59:00

It's true - cell phones, breast implants and vaccines are as safe as houses.

"The World Health Organisation in 2011 would classify mobile phone radiation as a 'possible' human carcinogen and the governments of the United Kingdom, France and Israel issued warnings against mobile phone use by children. Nevertheless, the industry’s propaganda campaign would defuse concern sufficiently that today three out of four adults worldwide have mobile phones, making the wireless industry among the biggest on Earth.The key strategic insight animating corporate propaganda campaigns is that a given industry doesn’t have to win the scientific argument about safety to prevail – it only has to keep the argument going. Keeping the argument going amounts to a win for industry, because the apparent lack of certainty helps to reassure customers, fend off government regulations and deter lawsuits that might pinch profits."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/14/mobile-ph
ones-cancer-inconvenient-truths

committed - 2021-01-22 14:08:00

It's probably more of a liability in a quiet market.

soundsgood - 2021-01-23 09:38:00

aklreels wrote:

I'll avoid it. Cell phone towers do emit radiation. Harmful or not, there is no risk if its not there.

Much like:
Power lines low and high voltage
Internal wiring
Portable Cellular telephones
WIFI devices.

and the list goes on.

kenw1 - 2021-01-23 09:39:00

sooperdoopa wrote:

Unless you stick your head in a microwave

Microwaves are Non-ionizing radiation and will not cause cancer

andrewcg53 - 2021-01-23 22:22:00

committed wrote:

It's true - cell phones, breast implants and vaccines are as safe as houses.

"The World Health Organisation in 2011 would classify mobile phone radiation as a 'possible' human carcinogen and the governments of the United Kingdom, France and Israel issued warnings against mobile phone use by children. Nevertheless, the industry’s propaganda campaign would defuse concern sufficiently that today three out of four adults worldwide have mobile phones, making the wireless industry among the biggest on Earth.The key strategic insight animating corporate propaganda campaigns is that a given industry doesn’t have to win the scientific argument about safety to prevail – it only has to keep the argument going. Keeping the argument going amounts to a win for industry, because the apparent lack of certainty helps to reassure customers, fend off government regulations and deter lawsuits that might pinch profits."

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/14/mobile-ph
ones-cancer-inconvenient-truths

Alcoholic beverages is a human carcinogen yet you are worried about a cell tower that is a 'possible' human carcinogen where Alcohol is a human carcinogen

andrewcg53 - 2021-01-23 22:33:00

andrewcg53 wrote:

Alcoholic beverages is a human carcinogen yet you are worried about a cell tower that is a 'possible' human carcinogen where Alcohol is a human carcinogen

I’m sorry that you’re a teetotaller. But if you read the article, the science is clear. Some buyers are aware of the science and aren’t interested in exposing themselves or their kids to unnecessary risk. Others won’t care or won’t be aware of the risk.

Edited by committed at 8:34 am, Sun 24 Jan

committed - 2021-01-24 08:33:00

The central question is why would the mobile phone industry need to pay for dodgy studies if phone use was safe?

“When Henry Lai, a professor of bioengineering at the University of Washington, analysed 326 safety-related studies completed between 1990 and 2006, he discovered that 44% of them found no biological effect from mobile phone radiation and 56% did; scientists apparently were split. But when Lai recategorised the studies according to their funding sources, a different picture emerged: 67% of the independently funded studies found a biological effect, while a mere 28% of the industry-funded studies did. Lai’s findings were replicated by a 2007 analysis in Environmental Health Perspectives, which concluded that industry-funded studies were two and a half times less likely than independent studies to find health effects.“

committed - 2021-01-24 08:38:00

Non-ionizing radiation is not going to cause any health issues that is a fact

andrewcg53 - 2021-01-24 09:38:00

andrewcg53 wrote:

Non-ionizing-
radiation is not going to cause any health issues that is a fact

Unfortunately, that is not true.

"We are exposed to low levels of non-ionizing radiation every day. Exposure to intense, direct amounts of non-ionizing radiation may result in damage to tissue due to heat. This is not common and mainly of concern in the workplace for those who work on large sources of non-ionizing radiation devices and instruments."
https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/radiation/nonionizing_radiation.htm
l

soundsgood - 2021-01-24 10:11:00

andrewcg53 wrote:

Non-ionizing-
radiation is not going to cause any health issues that is a fact

Stick your head in a microwave and turn it on, then.

sparkychap - 2021-01-24 10:13:00

sparkychap wrote:

Stick your head in a microwave and turn it on, then.

Remember when every fridge had a butter conditioner? But then scientists said butter is bad, use margarine instead. Now butter is OK and margarine is bad. Take everything with a pinch of salt I guess. Although I've read conflicting studies about salt in our diet too......

apollo11 - 2021-01-24 10:46:00

The question was whether the presence of the cell phone tower might deter buyers. It shouldn't deter anyone who owns a cellphone, but of course there are some people who might think the tower is a health problem and whether or not their fears have any foundation in reality doesn't change the fact that those people probably wouldn't buy a property with a tower next to it. Betcha most of them have cellphones though.

raewyn2 - 2021-01-24 10:57:00

sparkychap wrote:

Stick your head in a microwave and turn it on, then.

Do you know how a microwave works

andrewcg53 - 2021-01-24 12:40:00

raewyn2 wrote:

The question was whether the presence of the cell phone tower might deter buyers. It shouldn't deter anyone who owns a cellphone, but of course there are some people who might think the tower is a health problem and whether or not their fears have any foundation in reality doesn't change the fact that those people probably wouldn't buy a property with a tower next to it. Betcha most of them have cellphones though.

I use electricity.

I wouldn't buy next to a sub station or under High Voltage lines.

soundsgood - 2021-01-24 12:41:00

andrewcg53 wrote:

Do you know how a microwave works

Yes. I put raw meat in, select 2 mins and cooked meat comes out.

Wouldn't risk doing the same with my head.

sparkychap - 2021-01-24 12:42:00

sparkychap wrote:

Yes. I put raw meat in, select 2 mins and cooked meat comes out.

Wouldn't risk doing the same with my head.

Meat cooked in the microwave? Surely you jest.

apollo11 - 2021-01-24 12:57:00

apollo11 wrote:

Meat cooked in the microwave? Surely you jest.

My mum cooked a whole chicken in one when they first came out. Tasted awful. But at least it was cooked.

sparkychap - 2021-01-24 13:02:00

sparkychap wrote:

My mum cooked a whole chicken in one when they first came out. Tasted awful. But at least it was cooked.

And someone got the idea of the 'rubber chicken' shortly afterward. Salami is fun to watch in the microwave, you end up with tiny 'wooden' buttons.

apollo11 - 2021-01-24 13:17:00

how far can you be from the tower nowadays? There are several types of them, some are uglier than others, but there is always one in sight it seems. Location is probably still the most significant point of sale, tower or no tower... this thread seems to have been hijacked by rubber chickens, are silicone rabbits to follow? LOL

Edited by evoalg at 1:29 pm, Sun 24 Jan

evoalg - 2021-01-24 13:28:00

A lot of properties in Welly have to be reached via stairs. I saw a property advertised, '100 steps to heaven' was the header. Needless to say there were only around 70 steps, but at the time we were the only people interested (Most people don't want to have to climb stairs). We got it cheap and got a daily leg workout. I guess cell phone towers would be like that too, they will put a lot of buyers off, so someone willing to put up with it gets the property a bit cheaper.

apollo11 - 2021-01-24 14:40:00

The member deleted this message.

kittycatkin - 2021-01-24 18:42:00

This message was deleted.

kittycatkin - 2021-01-24 18:44:00

sparkychap wrote:

Yes. I put raw meat in, select 2 mins and cooked meat comes out.

Wouldn't risk doing the same with my head.

LOL the microwave is not cooking the meat as you believe a microwave excites water molecules but needs the steel sides of the microwave to do this, with out it you would struggle to make chocolate soft

andrewcg53 - 2021-01-24 19:35:00

committed wrote:

I’m sorry that you’re a teetotaller.

Why are you sorry?

seaqueen - 2021-01-24 20:17:00

andrewcg53 wrote:

LOL the microwave is not cooking the meat as you believe a microwave excites water molecules but needs the steel sides of the microwave to do this, with out it you would struggle to make chocolate soft

Sounds pretty dangerous to me.

sparkychap - 2021-01-24 21:08:00

seaqueen wrote:

Why are you sorry?

Because he normally drives others to drink?

sparkychap - 2021-01-24 21:08:00

sparkychap wrote:

Sounds pretty dangerous to me.

I think andrew has found google.

apollo11 - 2021-01-24 22:46:00

kittycatkin wrote:

I use power but I don't want a pylon in the garden.

Exactly. Nuclear power might be great but there wouldn't be many takers to buy a house next to Chernobyl.

committed - 2021-01-25 11:53:00

seaqueen wrote:

Why are you sorry?

It was sarcasm, sorry you missed it.

committed - 2021-01-25 11:56:00