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.
