The impact of cell phone towers on house prices in residential neighborhoods

Bond, Sandy

The impact of cell phone towers on house prices in residential neighborhoods - 2005 - The Appraisal Journal 73(3) Summer 2005, 256-277(22) .

This article examines whether nearness to Cellular Phone Base Stations (CPBSs) has an impact on residential property values and the extent of any such impact. A survey of residents' perceptions towards living near CPBSs in ten suburbs of Christchurch, New Zealand, revealed that, overall, the respondents would pay from 10% to over 20% less for a property situated in close proximity to a CPBS. These results were confirmed by actual market sales analysis, which showed that property prices declined by 21% after a CPBS was erected in the area. This is despite the fact that no conclusive scientific evidence exists that emissions from CPBSs have harmful effects. Contains maps and statistical tables.