Geology Matters - Realtors
Potential Geologic Issues for the Realtor
As a Real Estate professional, being informed about an area is important. Real Estate professionals need to be familiar with the area schools, neighborhood locations, shopping areas, recreation amenities and a host of other topics. Being prepared or at least knowing where to find more information to questions of a prospective buyer is important. Understanding how the geology affects a home or building is not a common topic but is very important in some cases.
Potential geologic issues and/or hazards encountered in North Carolina can include the following:
Ground collapse: old mines and prospects and sinkholes
Slope movements and landslides
Rippable vs non-rippable earth material
Expansive soils (shrink swell clays)
Groundwater – quantity and quality with respect to geology
Radon in air and groundwater – The Geologic Link
Arsenic - Naturally occurring Arsenic in groundwater
When the Ground Moves – A Citizen’s Guide to Geologic Hazards in North Carolina - NC Geological Survey Informational Circular 32 provides a simple review of some of the geologic hazards that can be encountered in North Carolina.
A paper titled - Geoscience Education for Realtors, Appraisers, Home Inspectors, and Homeowners, provides an overview of geologic hazards in the Colorado Front Range area and their potential to impact property values. These same concepts can be applied to geologic hazards and possible impact on home sites in North Carolina. Link to abstract of paper: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.5408/1089-9995-52.5.453