Anyone who is looking to buy high-quality properties for sale needs to understand the dangers of soil contamination. This problem can make a piece of property worth almost nothing on the market. Soil remediation can help a person avoid a serious mistake when buying property.

Why Contaminated Soil Drives Down Prices

When soil is contaminated with oil, it is impossible to use it for most purposes. For example, building a home on contaminated soil is likely to cause its water source to get contaminated. This will result in the owners of the home being unable to drink the water. Even worse, it could cause severe sickness that could impact many people in the home.

Commercial properties are also likely to get contaminated and can end up suffering from severe problems. That's why it is important for people to take tests on the soil to determine if it is contaminated. While this may take a little extra time, it is something that anyone seriously debating property should do.

Gauging If Soil Is Contaminated

The first step in this process is to understand the history of the property and what types of items were built on it. For example, a commercial property that once hosted a gas station is likely to have an underground gas tank. This gas tank may have leaked and caused oil to get into the ground. Even properties as simple as a farm can be contaminated with a variety of items.

The frightening thing about this situation is that you won't be able to tell, at a glance, whether a property has been contaminated. Most of the evidence of this problem will lie underground. Ask the property owner to show you a soil sample test to ensure that it is not contaminated. If they refuse or make excuses, there is a good chance they know it is contaminated and are trying to hide it from you. Walk away from this deal, no matter how enticing it may seem.

Options If The Property Has Been Purchased

If you have already purchased a piece of property and are worried it is contaminated, you have a few options. Pay for a soil sample test and gauge the level of contamination in the soil. If the results come back positive, it is necessary to treat the soil with remediation methods. Otherwise, it is too dangerous to use the property in a safe manner.

Soil remediation will remove contaminated soil and replace it with soil that is not contaminated. In this way, it is possible to avoid owning a piece of property that has little to no value. Even if you have to pay the expected $15,000-20,000 necessary for this process, it is one that you simply have to make. Otherwise, your property will be impossible to sell later.