When purchasing a piece of property, it is
important to be aware of any environmental liabilities associated with it. For
example, you should find out if there are any registered underground tanks
within several miles of the property, any known contaminated properties in the
neighborhood, or any property owners who have been fined by the government for
failing to meet environmental safety standards.
Before, it took a costly
site investigation for the information, but now there are online environmental
databases available at a fraction of the cost. Anyone can access reports on
otherwise hard to detect environmental issues. With these databases, it is
possible to obtain a listing of hazards near a property, or spills and
violations attributed to businesses nearby.
Some reputable databases
include VISTA Information Systems, located in San Diego, California, which
allows you to register and search the data bank for free, and E Data Resources,
which is located in Southport, Connecticut. These services are all relatively
inexpensive, but can provide you with priceless information that is useful
before you make a purchase.