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, known
contaminated properties in the neighborhood, or property owners who have been fined
by the government for failing to meet environmental safety standards.
Before, it took a costly
site investigation to acquire this type of 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 list 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.