Ensure the property isnt the low point of the neighborhood. Where will the water go. For example, the community may face any number of challenges, including, but not limited to the following: Below I have posted several documented examples of ponds and wetlands that have become unsightly, unpleasant, and expensive maintenance liabilities. Privacy Policy, 2023 Brotherhood Mutual Insurance Company. It has a chain link fence around it. Who pays if it floods? Sign up for your free subscription by email. Search They tend to lack construction knowledge, engineering expertise, environmental education, and financial resources to do whats necessaary, OR they simply choose to spend money on other things. That said..we do not live next to themand given all of the bizarre climate change we have had, as well as the extraordinary amount of record breaking rainfall in Central NJ this summer, IMO, chances are some day they will overflow..and the homes next to them will be adversely affected. Fish, ducks, and water-loving animals thrive. Is it likely that there will be water in the pond (even a little bit) when it is mosquito season. This variety of SWM pond is a whole lot more attractive, and can possibly increase your value - for the right person. I love the house and everything else fits the criteria, but now this retention pond is giving me pause. I have a bit of a strange question. However, we are in a townhouse development (so kids aren't usually in the backyard) and there is no other open space in the back near the pond, so it isn't like they would be playing near it and fall in. I would like to post a few pictures of the detention pond, but don't know how to do that on this website? Safety first. landlords By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. Now that my kids are older I think Id be fine with it. Continue reading for more information about your ability to buy a home in New Jersey after declaring bankruptcy and how the New Jersey bankruptcy lawyers from Young Marr & Associates can provide assistance. Blog author: Elizabeth Hiser, Natural Resources Coordinator. Either way, the problem for homeowners is that they have no control over how or IF the lands adjacent to their properties are mantained/managed. First-time buyers accounted for 31% of sales in June, also even with May but down from 35% in June 2020." it would be a major hit on resale, I think. So, several decades ago, home builders and savvy real estate professionals decided to sell housing consumers on the notion that these small lakes and ponds are attractive water features. The retention ponds are engineered for stormwater runoff. Neverever did we see water raise up and come back to the property like this morning.. Unfortunately, little to no maintenance was done, and then things have overgrown. The basic design includes a forebay and a main pond. financing In Arkansas, we have coordinated robust efforts in Little Rock to combat homelessness, but over 250 veterans still experience homelessness on any given day. Government regulations, potential flooding, safety issues and added costs are among the concerns that need to be addressed by a prospective buyer. . Also, it's a newer subdivision built in 2020 by DR Horton. Usually, a pond of 12.5 acre-feet capacity is required to collect stormwater from one quarter of land. if there's a fence, and the retention pond was built right, not a problem, however if that pond fills up, and is in the hot sun for a week or more it's going to stink, and mosquitos will be awful. Determine if the land you intend to purchase has wetlands or had wetlands before deciding whether or not to purchase. Maybe we should go back and look at the three prime rules of buying real estate: Location, location, and location. Two I pass on the way to work every day are only about 5 feet below the houses nearby, and have filled completely and overflowed back towards the houses (they were also flowing over the road about 6 inches deep at that point. Wildlife management and pest control can become a huge headache for HOAs. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this sites author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Subject: Would you buy a house that backs up to a retention pond? But I'm sure this varies where you are. The pond is dry and used for storm water run-off. The medical examiner today confirmed that the body found in a car that had sunk in a pond off Matanzas Woods . Tips for selling/buying & money transfer & useful websites? . 1). It is designed to prevent flooding, prevent erosion, and improve water quality. I wonder if they would be just as bad if you bought a house a few homes lots away or if the bugs mostly stay near the homes right along the pond. Easements can grant the right for utilities and their maintenance, like water lines or cable. Homes are 5 yrs or newer. If you're in the market for a house with a pond, you've got a lot of homework to do before making an offer to purchase. The ponds drain into preserves and ultimately streams. Its primary purpose is to collect stormwater runoff for environmental purposes or flood control, although it may sometimes also provide a manmade habitat for birds, fish, and wildlife. It sounds like this one will be dry most of the time, and wet only during periods of runoff. Buyers with kids? But will DR Hortons design and construction ensure that neighboring properties remain dry when it rains? foreclosures Homeowners insurance is generally a prerequisite to obtain a mortgage for affected properties. Would this deter people from buying this home? Nevertheless, maintaining a healthy environment for aquatic life is an ongoing expensive challenge for HOAs. https://brunswick.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Wetland-and-Pond-Maintenance-2006.pdf?fwd=no, https://www3.epa.gov/npdes/pubs/pondmgmtguide.pdf. I've also never noticed any extra mosquitos near one and there is no spraying. Also, ask yourself if they can fill up and flood. Just make sure you go into a property purchase with your eyes open to the potential for future issues related to land cover and location. Oftentimes the water is not moving and the pond is just a large pit of standing water. Many new developments build over existing wetlands and mitigate by creating new wetlands somewhere offsite. I never considered either lot to be undesirable because of them. We have for more than 100 years. . Easy to construct and maintain if adequate space is available or provided. The latter one was also caught in the real estate meltdown, so I don't know that the work was ever completed as intended. We live in an older 1070s neighborhood in a semi-rural area. foreclosure How big is "huge"? There usually won't be standing water in the pond, but after thunderstorms, water could stay in the pond for a few days until it drains completely. I love the house and everything else fits the criteria, but now this . The tonier the market, the better the job they will have done with the ponds and with any common area spaces. Where boomers are going and what it might look like, Putting the brakes on stormwater runoff is the first step in sustainable water design, You can make an outdoor fish paradise of your own, for less than you might think. These ponds can be a hazard and expensive - wait until the HOA is required to maintain them to state standard/inspection, and they bill you through your dues, you'll be sorry to find out the potential liability. 1) Youve found your perfect dream home and you love the yard. By Connor DelPrete, Updated Tuesday, April 24th 2018, 6:24 pm EDT. Contact us today to receive a free quote and see why our customers love us so much. We have found a great neighborhood with a nice, 2 story house on a private cul-de-sac. My first post here sorry! Buying a house next to a retention pond. Houzz Pro: One simple solution for contractors and design pros, Plant Canadian anemone along pond, lake or stream edges for a splash of white flowers in late spring, Mimic a mermaid in a secret grotto, wade near a waterfall or pose by a pond. In response to a storm, the ponds water level fluctuates, reducing risk and saving the community from potential flood damage and costly repairs. Some developments also incorporate a natural or manmade wetland (marshy or swampy preserve) to collect stormwater and to serve as a habitat for wildlife. Spectrum Association Management can help! A retention pond is a man-made pond created by digging out or building an earthen dam to hold back stormwater runoff collected from a drainage area. We looked at a few homes with retention ponds next door and decided against them. How do I upload the photos? We don't know enough here. For example, there is a constant danger of drowning for families with young children. They don't really bother me. While there are some advantages to living near a retention pondpeace and quiet, green space, fewer neighbors nearby, and a decreased risk of floodingpotential buyers have other factors to consider. If storm water drainage from the surrounding properties makes its way to the pond (by gravity)- that tells you the pond is much lower. Around here in nice areas, they are either called ponds usually with a fountain and nicely landscaped or they are completely blocked with evergreen vegetation. The HOA transfer for the old pond went through, but residents said they were concerned they would be forced to pay for any problems. Fish kills are a common occurrence in retention ponds. The only issue is that the house is right next to a huge detention pond. If the local government does not own it, it becomes the associations responsibility to keep the pond in working order, and they are also responsible for any expenses incurred. Beautification to the landscape. That was followed by a 50 yr storm in 2011. Unless youre viewing a home near a recreational lake a real lake used for boating, fishing, swimming and other water sports that ornamental lake is nothing more than a retention pond. You already asked this .stop starting new threads. Get the best funding for your strategy. That's what they are there for. mortgages I'm sure it will affect resale somewhat but I'm not worrying about that as we plan to be there for quite awhile. The company has since removed the dead fish and has offered to re-stock the pond with new fish, the station reported. Eighty-nine percent of homes sold in June 2021 were on the market for less than a month. Home buyers or condo tenants rave about their view of a natural setting. It is easy to overlook many of these issues when falling in love with a house. Here is a link that might be useful: Detention Pond. In the back of the one we are looking at is a small natural pond that seems well maintained. You can access an interactive map on the FEMA website to determine if a property is in a floodplain. it is weedy and scruffy inside. The pond is dry and used for storm water run-off. ALL comments will be much appreciated. Make sure land slopes away from the house to prevent basement flooding. Soils maps can also be used to identify if hydric (seasonally saturated) soils are on site which would indicate the potential for wetlands. Privacy Policy Consider the potential for a small creek to widen and meander before purchasing a property with a stream. These things are pretty common (universal around here) nowadays. By posting proper warnings and practicing routine maintenance, you can keep them safe and attractive. I would love to see it and make a comment because we bought a lot with an undesirable factor but I was willing to overlook it because it was in the right neighborhood. I have seen lots of them and never seen an attractive one ;). Find out if the town sprays or not (mine does, although I believe you can opt your property out). The dead fish were first noticed Sunday morning. Plus like you said, you have no neighbors there. I checked out your pictures and I wouldn't buy a house next to the pond . We kept it mowed and had a split rail fence around it people wondered if it was a riding ring it was about 150 feet by 80 feet. The future owners of homes in this North Carolina DR Horton community will eventually inherit a stormwater system which will most likely include retention ponds. Because of the high cost of the initial installation, monthly maintenance and periodic removal of sediment buildup, it is recommended that associations set aside 12% of their yearly budget for a small retention pond, and up to 35% for a larger pond. However, similar problems are likely to recur in another decade or so. POLL: Long-term homeowners: What would you tell your younger self? You might be wondering: what are retention ponds used for? A fenced and posted cement 'tank' is something else, and I'd call it an irremedial defect. Detention ponds are traditionally dry except during flooding weather to help control and manage the movement and settling of water. Hottest Topics. and our . homebuying . It would be a no go for me . Diminish the threat of flooding. Dry detention ponds generally use a very small slope to divert water. Sorry about thatI have made the album private. The solution lies in preventing mosquitoes from breeding, either by breaking up the surface of the water or eliminating mosquito larvae. Recent Topics As such, it's recommended that HOAs set aside as much as 12 percent of their yearly budget to maintain small retention ponds and up to 35 percent for larger ponds. The system filters stormwater at the existing wetland before it enters Lacamas Lake using a system of French drains known as bubblers, filters and herbaceous grasses that collect any remaining toxins. I have installed these as well, and the ones I install look very good. Read more (Video): Private owners, be they HOAs or other corporations, in general, are poor stewards of wetlands and retention ponds, and infrastructure in general. OK, *I* wouldn't buy there. The increased mosquitoes also were a turn off, although you can treat your yard to help with that issue. lending 1. The lots are quarter acre, so the pond is close . A company hired by a neighborhood homeowners association to remove algae in the pond did so, but in the process dropped the oxygen levels in the water precipitously as to cause the fish to die, KVUE reported. Does anyone have any experience in the area? We are thinking of putting a play structure in that spot - if and when it fills (we typically only get winter rains here) it wouldn't be a time for out boy to be out playing anyway. For example, there is a constant danger of drowning for families with young children. Otherwise let him buy the house with the pond and you can buy a different house in a neighborhood you prefer. POSTED 11:22 AM, MAY 22, 2018, BY KFOR-TV and K. Querry. One kind is just a grassy depression (usually fairly dry), and the other kind is a vegetation-filled, cat-o-nine-tails swamp. We live next door to this house while we are building our new house and have become friends with the new owners they still love the place and the "yard" is still just as well kept.Of course this all could depend on whether the area is unsightly or has potential or has regulations governing what you can do with it. Until a stream reaches a new equilibrium it will continue to erode and widen. Is it fenced? I have graded my lot to have several "natural" low spots and used these as small rain gardens that are actually very attractive (and low maintenance compared to turf grass, which was my overarching goal, having a landscape architect helps here though). borrowing Any concerns about that? Would you Buy House Next to a Water Easement/Detention Pond? Retention ponds, otherwise known as retention basins and wet ponds, are artificial structures used to retain and treat contaminated stormwater runoff. Who will pay when the pond overflows and causes you damage? As long as the pond was designed to those standards, and the city/county engineer verified that the contractor actually built it to those standards, you have nothing to worry about as far as flooding goes. Easements can be given for drainage (underground and above). A home inspection should include any notes about water in the basement and crawl space which would also indicate poor drainage. Buying a Home Near a Retention Pond? Ours does, so yes. In addition, while the rest of the area has a lot of flooding in severe rains., we have had none. This is a new construction area, so the other homes backing the pond have not all been built out yet. Here are some of the things that might be needed when buying a house in New Jersey, using a mortgage loan. We have twotownship ownedone on either side at the end of our development. A pond that's clean and clear of unsightly brown-yellow algae mats on the surface can also increase the value of nearby homes. You cant see the pond from the listing pics, but it is right next to the house behind the trees. I don't live next to one but our small neighborhood has 2 and one you have to really search for and the other is visible only because the greenway runs right next to it. We found a house that we love but it is next to a water retention pond. Remember, whatever it is now or will becomeyou have no say-so about it. sinkholes, and mysteriously drain themselves dry, BMP #: Constructed Wetlands (Pennsylvania Stormwater Management Manual Section 5 Structural BMPs, HOA Community Association Disputes & Legal Matters, https://brunswick.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/Wetland-and-Pond-Maintenance-2006.pdf?fwd=no, HOA Community Association Disputes & Legal Matters(935), Constitutional and Civil Rights and your HOA(354), New research busts myth that HOAs protect property values, 4 risks for homeowners in developer-controlled HOA communities. The chances of a SWM pond overflowing and then flooding any surrounding property is extremely slim. If its this house. The system works by allowing a large collection area, or basin, for the water. I would consider the house, but I would expect the price to be lower than if the drainage pond was not there. The answer is yes, though they should be aware that there are some considerations that need to be made. Ultimately it is up to you to decide if you would enjoy living there. Were just kind of concerned because we see what this pond is doing and then the new pond has steep sides also, Kathy Fetters told News 4. There usually won't be standing water in the pond, but after thunderstorms, water could stay in the pond for a few days until it drains completely. Im op of other thread. The stated goal of retention ponds also known as wet basins or detention basins, is to reduce the downstream flow of polluted stormwater, preventing erosion and contamination of watershed areas or private property. Restocking fish is an added expense for many HOAs, unless the association can hold the lake maintenance company responsible for replacing dead fish, as in Cedar Park. Even if it was situated where I would have to look at it from my property, I still wouldn't want it. We have found a great neighborhood with a nice, 2 story house on a private cul-de-sac. The inlet needs to be not more than 15% higher than the outlet to ensure the correct amount of water flow through the system. They said they were concerned that the new pond could bring on old problems. That would hold true even if the pond did overflow due to poor design. Scan this QR code to download the app now. I liked the house but the only problem is there is a detention pond next to the house. They are dry unless there is a very heavy rainand only one fills to some degree as the other drains into itand it empties quickly. Lease Purchase, Lease Options, Tax Liens, Notes, Paper, and Cash Flow Discussions, Private Lending & Conventional Mortgage Advice, Real Estate Guru, Book & Course Reviews & Discussions. In our case the streams then drain into the Myakka river. My concern about houses next to retention ponds is Mosquitos. It was listed for less than 24 hours and the first people to look at it stayed for 6 hours and bought it that evening and we closed in thirty days for 5000$ less than asking. Since this magnitude of a storm is a rarity, ponds should never come close to filling up. I am just wondering whether this would be something I should be worried about and back off on this deal or if i should get certain specific information before I should proceed. They protect the entire community from flooding, even those homes not on the ponds. Finally did you buy home next to detention pond as i am in simialir situation in community. Conservation easements may also be given to preserve a natural landscape feature like a wetland. YOUR insurance pays, providing you have flood insurance to begin with. [Advice] buying a home next to a retention pond. After the fence startedto look shabby we took it down and it looked like lawn with a dip in it. And when they do occur, the stench is terrible. If the pond is not cleaned regularly, your lovely view can easily become a weed-choked cesspool. According to sources, you can find one-bedroom places going for about $880/month in Camden, $1,024/month in Newark, $2,590/month in Jersey City, $1,024/month in Trenton . 8 Advantages and Benefits of Retention Ponds. I would say it's about 25 feet long, deep in the sense that it's lower than the surrounding homes and land near it. Quickly match with an investor-friendly agent who can help you find, analyze, and close your next deal. We found a house that we love but it is next to a water retention pond. Living near a pond is most definitely a safety issue for families with young children or families who may have . I'd imagine anywhere with reasonable housing values would find it worth planting some tree/large bushes to make them invisible. Ugly weeds and scrub brush will grow all over the place, and it seems like all the neighborhood litter ends up there too. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. See the following publications for guidelines: A median New Jersey home is worth $327,500, so buyers can expect closing costs in the range of $6,550 to $16,375. Growing communities are at increased risk of flooding and erosion damage from excess stormwater runoff. Dry => no mosquitos. The developers squeezed every last house they could into the plats. How deep is it? Find and compare investor-friendly lenders. Homeowners in The Farm at Brunswick say the battle with developer DR Horton hit a breaking point when they found the majority of their yards submerged. Properties typically remained on the market for 17 days in June, unchanged from May and down from 24 days in June 2020. Many churches use retention ponds to control storm water runoff on their property. Many of the landowner assistance calls that we receive at Cuyahoga SWCD are related to drainage, streams, soils, easements, and storm water controls, all relating back to property location and land cover. "The chances of a SWM pond overflowing and then flooding any surrounding property is extremely slim.". I think the old real estate adage of location, location, location is appropriate and would look for another lot . I may be in the minority here but I wouldn't buy a house next to one . Dave Meyer and J Scott make "running the numbers" approachable in this complete reference guide to simple, powerful deal analysis. Did not do this one. My question is this: Would a large detention pond/water easement be bad for re-sale value?