New Zillow and Thumbtack analysis identifies the additional costs home buyers can expect, including utilities, insurance, maintenance and property tax

• Homeowners can expect to pay $14,155 a year, or $1,180 a month, in hidden costs related to owning a home.
• These annual costs can be as high as $22,791 in the San Francisco metro area and as low as $9,886 in Las Vegas.
• Affordability is the No. 1 challenge for first-time home buyers. Zillow’s affordability calculator and new search by monthly cost tool, along with Thumbtack’s personalized maintenance guides, can help buyers incorporate these costs into their budget.

SEATTLE and SAN FRANCISCO, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The everyday expenses of owning a home are higher than ever, according to a new analysis from Zillow® and Thumbtack. Utility bills, property taxes, insurance and essential home maintenance can add up to $14,155 a year for the average U.S. homeowner. That’s an additional $1,180 per month on top of a typical mortgage payment. First-time home buyers facing affordability challenges in today’s market need to understand and budget for these less obvious expenses when calculating how much home they can afford. 

These costs can be surprisingly high in already pricey metro areas, topping $22,000 annually in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. Of the 39 metro areas analyzed, hidden homeownership costs are the lowest in Las Vegas ($9,886); Asheville, North Carolina ($11,318); and St. Louis ($11,824).

Zillow and Thumbtack’s research looked at three unavoidable expenses for single-family homeowners — property taxes, homeowners insurance and utility payments (energy, water, natural gas and internet) — and found they averaged $7,742 in total nationally. New Yorkers pay the highest property taxes, topping $9,000 per year, while utilities cost the most in Hartford, Connecticut, averaging $4,443 a year. Costs for homeowners insurance vary based on home value, so homeowners in the most affordable metro areas, such as Pittsburgh and Cleveland, have the added benefit of lower insurance bills. 

The analysis also considered Thumbtack’s 17 essential home maintenance projects, based on data from millions of home projects completed across the country. These projects average a combined $6,413 annually. The average cost of upkeep is highest in Los Angeles and Chicago, totaling $8,639 and $7,722 respectively. Meanwhile, homeowners in Las Vegas can expect to pay just $3,467 per year to maintain their homes. 

“Just like you would visit a mechanic for regular tune-ups to help keep your car in good condition and avoid big bills, your home needs the same routine maintenance to ensure that everything is running smoothly,” said David Steckel, Thumbtack’s home expert. “Staying on top of annual home maintenance will not only increase the value of your home, but will also help prevent emergency repairs that can wreck a homeowner’s budget.” 

First-time buyers make up nearly half of all home shoppers (45%), and they may be caught off guard by these costs and fail to account for them when budgeting for a home. By starting with the Home Loans tab on Zillow’s homepage, shoppers can use an affordability calculator to figure out how much they can afford and then connect with a loan officer to establish not only what mortgage they qualify for, but what they’re comfortable paying, given these additional costs. With that budget in hand, buyers can then use a new app filter on Zillow to shop for homes by monthly cost, instead of by purchase price. 

“Understanding all the costs that come with homeownership can not only impact a buyer’s budget, but the type of home they shop for, too,” said Zillow home trends expert Amanda Pendleton. “While a big backyard or a larger home may be appealing, it’s important to consider how much maintaining those spaces could cost. Buyers may want to consider affordable alternatives to single-family homes, or spend more upfront on a new-construction home that could need less maintenance in the near term.”

Once buyers have closed the deal, Thumbtack is the go-to partner to help care for your new home. By entering their home’s location and features on Thumbtack, homeowners can receive personalized guidance on what projects to complete, when to complete them and who to hire to get the job done. This will help homeowners create prioritized maintenance plans that are within their budget to cover everything from the move-in house cleaning to tree trimming and roof maintenance. 

Methodology

In this analysis, property taxes were calculated using the median effective tax rate in each metro area multiplied by the area’s median home value as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

In estimating insurance costs, this analysis assumed homeowners pay 0.5% of their home’s value every year, which was calculated as 0.005 multiplied by the area’s median home value as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

Utility costs were calculated using the unweighted average across all states, excluding streaming and phone bill costs, as reported by Forbes.

The annual costs of home maintenance consist of Thumbtack categories that are deemed essential annual tasks for home maintenance: appliance maintenance, carpet cleaning, central air conditioning maintenance, deck staining and sealing, duct and vent cleaning, fireplace and chimney cleaning, full-service lawn care, gutter cleaning and maintenance, heating system maintenance, house cleaning, pressure washing, roof maintenance, sprinkler and irrigation system maintenance, tile and grout cleaning, tree trimming and removal, water heater maintenance and window cleaning.

Pricing data is based on projects requested on Thumbtack reported directly by the independent service professional or individual customer. The cost is an unweighted index of all yearly home maintenance projects and is calculated on a quarterly basis using a moving average.

About Zillow Group

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: Z) (NASDAQ: ZG) is reimagining real estate to make it easier to unlock life’s next chapter. As the most visited real estate website in the United States, Zillow® and its affiliates offer customers an on-demand experience for selling, buying, renting, or financing with transparency and ease. 

Zillow Group’s affiliates, brands and subsidiaries include Zillow®; Zillow Premier Agent®; Zillow Home Loans; Zillow Closing Services; Trulia®; Out East®; StreetEasy®; HotPads®; and ShowingTime+℠ , which houses ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive®, and dotloop® and interactive floor plans. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).

About Thumbtack

Thumbtack is a technology leader building the modern home management platform. Through the Thumbtack app, homeowners can effortlessly manage their homes — confidently knowing what to do, when to do it, and who to hire. Bringing the $600 billion home services industry online, Thumbtack empowers millions of homeowners to fix, maintain, and improve their most valuable asset. Hundreds of thousands of local service professionals, from painters and plumbers to photographers and electricians, use the Thumbtack platform to grow their business each year.

SOURCE Zillow Group, Inc.

For further information: Amanda Pendleton, Zillow, press@zillow.com; or Gina Balistreri, Thumbtack, press@thumbtack.com

The post Hidden prices of homeownership can add as much as almost $15,000 yearly appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

If there’s a spring in Greg McQuaid’s step as he gathers the latest band of day-trippers for his renowned San Francisco walking tour it’s probably because steps are his bread and butter.

In fact, before his famed Hidden Stairways walking tour is over, he will have inveigled, coaxed and enthused an eclectic group of visitors to climb hundreds of steps in the City by the Bay. 

Of course, only a loquacious Irishman — as much a showman and steps dancer as a tour guide — could make a walking tour up steep stairways a top tourist attraction. In fact, Airbnb rate it their number one walking tour in San Fran.

5

LOOKING UP: The stunning hidden stairways of San Francisco

But then McQuaid is a performer with pedigree – before departing Ireland, he played drums with Dublin band Peach and for a decade and more hosted his own radio show in his adopted city. It was when the radio gig folded, that he found his very own stairway to heaven.

“Every day is different,” he told this volunteer flaneur for his unique and bracing walking tour. “Indeed, that’s the fun of it. It also pays the bills though I’m hardly going to get rich at it.”

Gift certificates now available for the Hidden Stairways of San Francisco, the top rated Airbnb experience in the Bay Area. The perfect present for the outdoorsy people in your life! $25 a head (25% discount) now through Xmas. Shoot me a DM to get yours! #SmallBusinessSaturday pic.twitter.com/YtapRvuJtd

— Greg McQuaid (@IrishGreg) November 27, 2021

Bouncing back from the collapse of his radio role, McQuaid was intrigued by the story of the five stairways in San Francisco’s Inner Sunset area which had been transformed into elaborate tiled mosaics by artists Aileen Barr (a native of Donegal) and Colette Crutcher. Journalist Katy Atchison tells how the pair met when they submitted competing proposals to the 16th Avenue neighbours who wanted to transform the dull concrete stairways into a community treasure. The community body suggested they work together on the project – thus launching an enduring friendship and a joint career. 

5

MOSAIC: Can you spot the salamander?

Barr told Atchison: “The 16th Ave Tiled steps has a Sea to Sky theme. Beginning at the bottom steps you see an underwater scene with fish and sea creatures in swirls of blue representing the ocean. As you move up the stairways, the colors gradually change and the design transforms from the sea to a river. The riverbank teems with birds and small creatures. Climbing upwards the river becomes narrower as it flows from the mountains. Above the mountains, the sky appears and then fades darker to the moon with its contrasting mirror. At the very top flight of the steps, the sun shines with a yellow, orange, and red tile mosaic. The project was mainly funded by the local community through donor tiles. You can see the names of the donors on the handmade tile depicting fish, shell, bird and animals, each one unique.”

Hidden Stairways of San Francisco tour with (former KFOG) @IrishGreg FTW! https://t.co/0fnouFuKqi via @WeekendSherpa pic.twitter.com/82h9ot2HUt

— Rich Schwerin (he/him/his) (@Greencognito) August 25, 2022

For McQuaid, the stairways led to a new career.

“I did my research into the stairways and really loved the community element. The costs of the artworks were largely covered by the local community who continue to maintain the steps and the adjoining gardens. I had been told that tourists love the idea of visiting something which sounds like it is off-the-beaten-track; a real discovery. So I called the tour the Hidden Stairways of San Francisco and that really struck a chord. Of course, they’re not hidden at all and a visitor could do this walk on their own but I provide historical context and a running commentary.”

5

HIGH TIMES: Breathtaking views of San Francisco from atop the hidden stairways

In fact, McQuaid does more than that – he has props to hand, including maps of San Franciso of yesteryear and iPad videos, to enliven his account of the city’s history on (welcome) stops at the top of each flight of stairs. He is full-on, moving between taking snaps of his trusty group at his favourite stairway spot, doling out sunscreen on the rare days, including when the author signed up, that the sun breaks through the San Francisco fog and demonstrating a magician’s ability to produce endless bottles of water from his backpack. 

Míle buíochas. Big thnx to Dub Greg McQuaid – based in these parts since ‘94 – for astounding tour of hidden stairs of San Fransisco – marvels of art & community created by Irish artist Aileen Barr & her colleague Colette Crutcher. #hiddenstairssf pic.twitter.com/svTK96CfZk

— Máirtín Ó Muilleoir (@newbelfast) August 20, 2023

McQuaid’s Californian chapter opened in 1994 when he went west seeking work. Though raised in Dublin, he had been born in Philadelphia and possessed that most valuable aid to the emigrant Irish – a US passport. “I arrived in Los Angeles the day of the O.J. Simpson police chase,” he recalls. “The place was locked down and my brother couldn’t get to the airport to pick me up. I thought, ‘wow, welcome to the USA’. About 18 months later, I made my way up to San Francisco where I got an introduction to the world of radio which ended up in a producer’s job. That was something I could never have done in Ireland. Things just happened easily here in a way which wasn’t true in Ireland. I was all-in on the American dream. I know I’m speaking with the perspective of a privileged white person but at a time when Dublin was depressed, dysfunctional and grey, there was an everything is possible spirit here.”

15 “crazy” years with K-FOG, where he got to meet Joe Strummer, Paul McCartney and other music legends, came to an abrupt end in 2016 when the station “fell apart”. 

The idea for McQuaid’s new career came, of course, when he was out for a dander. “I live in the Inner Sunset and was out walking the dog when I came on the reimagined stairways,” he explains. “I had heard about Airbnb experiences and thought this could be a new opening for me. Luckily, on one of my first-ever tours, a senior executive from Airbnb came along (the company is headquartered in the city) and he gave the tour a real boost internally”

Now a 25-year-resident of San Francisco, McQuaid truly has left his heart there. “San Francisco takes a beating nationally and internationally for its many problems, including homelessness, and those criticisms are not without merit,” he says. “But I’m immensely proud of this city. It’s beautiful and I love that I get to show it off.”

He plans to continue his walking tours as long as the paying public turns up — and he’s doing his bit to ensure the stairways continue to prosper by making an annual contribution to their upkeep. “I respect the community who created and maintain the stairways and, at a time when art is so often priced out by commerce, I’m delighted to have found a job which allows me to showcase these astounding artworks.”

Belfast Media readers who find themselves in the Bay Area can book the Hidden Stairways tours via Airbnb. 

5

FINISH LINE: The tour ends on one of the highest hills in the city.

Do you have something to say on this issue? If so, submit a letter for publication to Conor McParland at c.mcparland@belfastmedia.com or write to Editor Anthony Neeson at Andersonstown News/North Belfast News, Teach Basil, 2 Hannahstown Hill, Belfast BT17 0LT

The post Dubliner Greg talks the stroll seeking San Francisco’s hidden stairways appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Average cost: “The global average cost of a roof replacement, likewise anchored to my experience, is roughly $7,500, with many consumers spending between $4,000 and $10,000,” Hone says. But he admits that your roof type—as well as the type of asphalt shingles you pick—can make a difference. A slate roof, for instance, costs around $20 per square foot, which can be $40,000 on average. To determine what your home might need, check a roofing calculator.

“A typical chimney maintenance fee ranges from $800 to $2,500, with higher chimneys of 10 feet or over costing more than $4,500—which is worth every coin, since we are talking about house security, which no individual would want to compromise,” Hone says. You’ll also want to call in a chimney sweep to clean out the fireplace before you start using it again, which can range between $100 to $200. 

5. Waterproofing the basement

You may be accustomed to housing problems starting at the top, but they can also originate from the bottom. Water in your basement can result in mold and also damage the home’s foundation. During the home inspection, Green recommends paying special attention to any water damage or cracks, noting that these issues need to be fixed ASAP to avoid additional damage. “You can also check landscaping for water pockets and sloped land, both of which can indicate excess water,” he adds.  

The basement’s sump pump is the first line of defense since it prevents excess water from building up in the home, and Green says it should be inspected for any type of damage such as broken float switches and faulty check valves. “Be sure to also install a backup in case of a power outage and monitor your sump pump’s system to make sure everything is working properly,” he says. “Schedule annual maintenance or checkups of your sump pump to catch problems before they cause major damage and floods.”  

Another thing to consider: Former owners may not know (or have kept up with) the last time sump pumps or septic systems were serviced. “It’s best to always err on the side of caution and proactively check things out after getting the keys to the home,” Green says. “If that older home doesn’t have window-well covers, consider having one installed to protect basement windows and stop leaks before they start.”  

Average cost: It’s almost impossible to project how much waterproofing will cost, as it varies greatly per project. According to research data on Angi, basement waterproofing can range between $2,300 and $7,576, costing $4,920 on average. Something more extensive, like installing a new drainage system, can cost upward of $14,000. 

6. Updating or restoring windows

Windows are an essential way to keep your home protected from the outside, and when you have an old home with single-pane windows, it can quickly lead to heat and cold transference. This transfer allows heat to escape during the winter and cool air to leak during the summer, ultimately making your HVAC system, if you have one, work harder to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. By repairing windows right away, you can help to decrease your utility bills and the strain on your HVAC system.

The post Shopping for an Previous Home? 8 Hidden Prices of Shifting right into a Historic Residence appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

• San Francisco remains firmly at the bottom of US rankings when it comes to office attendance. 
• The city has famously cool summers, so workers don’t need office A/C as much as other cities.
• Washington DC, which is hot and muggy in the summer, ranks top in terms of office attendance.

A tech industry source was in Tokyo this summer, and they came back with an interesting story: More workers in the city are heading back to the office because it’s so damn hot there. When the company is paying for air conditioning, why not go in and stay cool?

This got me thinking about San Francisco’s infamous “doom loop.” This is the cycle where workers stay home and downtown remains relatively empty, hurting businesses that then close, making the location even less inviting. 

This week, in the middle of summer, it was in the 90s and humid in Tokyo. In San Francisco, it was 65 degrees fahrenheit. When it’s this cool, you can comfortably work from home without A/C. 

It’s probably another reason why San Francisco remains firmly at the bottom of the rankings when it comes to office attendance by employees. 

Placer.ai tracks this stuff. Its report for July 2023 shows visits to office buildings in San Francisco are still almost 50% below 2019 levels. That puts it firmly last among major US cities.

What’s the top city in terms of office visits? Washington DC, which is forecast to be 99F on Tuesday. It’s muggy as hell in DC in the summer, too. I know, I lived there for 3 years. And I recall that the A/C was particularly refreshing in the office where I worked back then. No way was I going to sit at home in my small apartment without A/C and sweat all week. 

Tokyo’s office attendance stats are pretty good, too. According to a survey earlier this year, 49% of organizations in Japan’s largest city reported that more than 80% of their employees had returned to the office in 2022.

It’s even happening in the UK, a formerly cold and rainy place that has become blisteringly hot during recent summers. There’s not a lot of A/C there, and many British office workers are yearning for any source of cool breeze, according to Heating & Ventilating Review. 

This HVAC industry publication reported on a recent survey that found Brits are spending an extra 9.2 days per month in the office this year, compared to 2022. Almost half (46%) of those surveyed planned to take advantage of office air conditioning, and 35% said they go into the office when the weather is hot to make use of the A/C.

More CEOs are keen to get employees back to the office now, including several leaders of tech companies in the San Francisco Bay Area. If the city weren’t so cool during the summers, they might get their wish. 

Although, that would mean more energy use for A/C, yet another example of how the RTO craze is bad for the environment.

NOW WATCH: Popular Videos from Insider Inc.

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The post A Hidden Purpose for San Francisco’s Distant Work ‘Doom Loop’: Air Conditioning appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Zillow and Thumbtack’s new analysis identifies the additional costs homebuyers face, including utilities, insurance, maintenance and property taxes

• Homeowners can expect a payment $14,155 one year or $1,180 per month in hidden costs associated with owning a home.
• These annual costs can be up to high $22,791 in the san francisco metro area and as low as $9,886 In Las Vegas.
• Affordability is the number one challenge for first-time home buyers. Zillow’s affordability calculator and Thumbtack’s new monthly expense finder tool and personalized maintenance guides can help buyers factor these expenses into their budgets.

SEATTLE And SAN FRANCISCO, June 1, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — The daily cost of owning a home is higher than ever, according to a new analysis by Zillow® and Thumbtack. Utility bills, property taxes, insurance, and essential maintenance can add up $14,155 per year for the average US homeowner. This is an addition $1,180 per month in addition to a typical mortgage payment. First-time home buyers, faced with affordability issues in today’s market, need to understand and factor in these less obvious expenses when calculating how much home they can afford.

Zillow and Thumbtack: Top 10 metropolitan areas with the highest hidden annual home ownership costs

These costs can be surprisingly high, and even higher, in already expensive metropolitan areas $22,000 annually in san francisco, new York And The angel. Of the 39 metropolitan areas analyzed, the hidden cost of owning a home is the lowest Las Vegas ($9,886); Asheville, North Carolina ($11,318); And st louis ($11,824).

Zillow and Thumbtack’s research looked at three unavoidable expenses for single-family homeowners — property taxes, home insurance, and utilities (electricity, water, natural gas, and internet) — and found that they were average $7,742 total nationwide. New Yorkers pay the highest property taxes, even more $9,000 per year, while the cost of supply is the highest Hartford, Connecticutaveraging $4,443 a year. The cost of homeowners insurance varies by home value, so homeowners in the cheapest metropolitan areas, such as Pittsburgh And Clevelandhave the added benefit of lower insurance costs.

The analysis also considered Thumbtack’s 17 major home maintenance projects, based on data from millions of home projects completed across the country. These projects have an overall average $6,413 yearly. Average maintenance costs are highest in The angel And Chicagoin total $8,639 And $7,722 or Meanwhile, homeowners are in Las Vegas can count on being paid fairly $3,467 per year to maintain their homes.

“Just as you would visit a mechanic regularly to keep your car in good condition and avoid big bills, your home also needs the same routine maintenance to make sure everything is running smoothly,” he said David Steckel, Thumbtack’s home expert. “Keeping track of your home’s annual maintenance not only increases the value of your home, but also avoids emergency repairs that can break the homeowner’s budget.”

Almost half of all homebuyers (45%) are first-time buyers, and they may be surprised by these costs and don’t consider them when budgeting for a home. By starting on the Home Loans tab on the Zillow homepage, buyers can use an affordability calculator to find out how much they can afford and then connect with a loan officer to find out more than just which mortgage they qualify for , but also what they would like to pay. Given these additional costs. With that budget, buyers can then use a new app filter on Zillow to buy homes by monthly cost instead of purchase price.

“Understanding all of the costs that come with homeownership can impact not only a buyer’s budget, but also the type of home they’re buying,” said Zillow home trends expert Amanda Pendleton. “While a large backyard or home can be attractive, it’s important to consider how much these spaces could cost to maintain. Buyers may want to consider affordable alternatives to single-family homes, or spend more upfront for a new construction home that might require less maintenance in the short term.”

Once buyers have closed the deal, Thumbtack is the point of contact to help you care for your new home. By entering the location and features of their home on Thumbtack, homeowners can receive personalized guidance on what projects to complete, when, and who to hire to complete the work. This will help homeowners create prioritized maintenance schedules that work within their budgets and cover everything from moving house cleaning to tree trimming and roof maintenance.

methodology

In this analysis, property taxes were calculated using the average effective tax rate in each metro area multiplied by the area’s average home value as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

In estimating the cost of insurance, this analysis assumed that homeowners pay 0.5% of their home’s value each year, which was calculated as 0.005 times the region’s average home value as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

Utility costs were calculated using the unweighted average of all states, excluding streaming and phone bill costs, as reported by Forbes.

Annual home maintenance costs are made up of thumbtack categories that are considered essential annual home maintenance tasks: appliance maintenance, carpet cleaning, central air conditioning maintenance, patio staining and sealing, duct and vent cleaning, chimney and chimney cleaning, lawn with comprehensive Services Gutter care, cleaning and maintenance, heating system maintenance, house cleaning, pressure washing, roof maintenance, sprinkler and irrigation system maintenance, tile and grout cleaning, tree pruning and removal, water heater maintenance and window cleaning.

Pricing data is based on Thumbtack requested projects reported directly by the independent services professional or individual clients. The cost is an unweighted index of all annual home maintenance projects and is calculated quarterly using a moving average.

About the Zillow Group

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z) (NASDAQ:ZG) is rethinking real estate to make it easier to move on to the next chapter in life. Most visited real estate website in The United StatesZillow® and its subsidiaries provide customers with a transparent and easy on-demand experience to sell, buy, rent or finance.

Zillow Group affiliates, brands and subsidiaries include Zillow®; Zillow Premier Agent®; Zillow Home Loans; Zillow Closing Services; Trulia®; Out East®; StreetEasy®; HotPads®; and ShowingTime+℠, which hosts ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive®, and dotloop®, as well as interactive floorplans. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).

About thumbtack

Thumbtack is a technology leader developing the modern home management platform. With the Thumbtack app, homeowners can effortlessly manage their homes—and confidently know what to do, when, and who to hire. Bring them 600 billion dollars Thumbtack is an online platform for the home services industry, enabling millions of homeowners to repair, maintain and improve their most valuable asset. Hundreds of thousands of local service professionals, from painters and plumbers to photographers and electricians, use the Thumbtack platform each year to grow their business.

SOURCE Zillow Group, Inc.

The post Hidden prices of homeownership can add as much as almost $15,000 yearly appeared first on DAILY SAN FRANCISCO BAY NEWS.

Zillow and Thumbtack’s new analysis identifies the additional costs homebuyers face, including utilities, insurance, maintenance and property taxes

• Homeowners can expect a payment
  
  $14,155
  
  one year or
  
  $1,180
  
  per month in hidden costs associated with owning a home.

• These annual costs can be up to high
  
  $22,791
  
  in the
  
  san francisco
  
  metro area and as low as
  
  $9,886
  
  In
  
  Las Vegas
  
  .

• Affordability is the number one challenge for first-time home buyers. Zillow’s affordability calculator and Thumbtack’s new monthly expense finder tool and personalized maintenance guides can help buyers factor these expenses into their budgets.

SEATTLE

And

SAN FRANCISCO

,

June 1, 2023

/PRNewswire/ — The daily expense of owning a home is higher than ever, according to a new analysis by Zillow® and Thumbtack. Utility bills, property taxes, insurance, and essential maintenance can add up

$14,155

per year for the average US homeowner. This is an addition

$1,180

per month in addition to a typical mortgage payment. First-time home buyers, faced with affordability issues in today’s market, need to understand and factor in these less obvious expenses when calculating how much home they can afford.

These costs can be surprisingly high, and even higher, in already expensive metropolitan areas

$22,000

annually in

san francisco

,

new York

And

The angel

. Of the 39 metropolitan areas analyzed, the hidden cost of owning a home is the lowest

Las Vegas

($9,886)

;

Asheville, North Carolina

($11,318)

; And

st louis

($11,824)

.

Zillow and Thumbtack’s research looked at three unavoidable expenses for single-family homeowners — property taxes, home insurance, and utilities (electricity, water, natural gas, and internet) — and found that they were average

$7,742

total nationwide. New Yorkers pay the highest property taxes, even more

$9,000

per year, while the cost of supply is the highest

Hartford, Connecticut

averaging

$4,443

a year. The cost of homeowners insurance varies by home value, so homeowners in the cheapest metropolitan areas, such as

Pittsburgh

And

Cleveland

have the added benefit of lower insurance costs.

The analysis also considered Thumbtack’s 17 major home maintenance projects, based on data from millions of home projects completed across the country. These projects have an overall average

$6,413

yearly. Average maintenance costs are highest in

The angel

And

Chicago

in total

$8,639

And

$7,722

or Meanwhile, homeowners are in

Las Vegas

can count on being paid fairly

$3,467

per year to maintain their homes.

“Just as you would visit a mechanic regularly to keep your car in good condition and avoid big bills, your home also needs the same routine maintenance to make sure everything is running smoothly,” he said

David Steckel

, Thumbtack’s home expert. “Keeping track of your home’s annual maintenance not only increases the value of your home, but also avoids emergency repairs that can break the homeowner’s budget.”

Almost half of all home buyers (45%) are first-time buyers, who may be surprised by these costs and do not consider them when budgeting for a home. By starting on the Home Loans tab on the Zillow homepage, buyers can use an affordability calculator to find out how much they can afford and then connect with a loan officer to find out more than just which mortgage they qualify for , but also what they would like to pay. Given these additional costs. With that budget, buyers can then use a new app filter on Zillow to buy homes by monthly cost instead of purchase price.

“Understanding all of the costs that come with homeownership can impact not only a buyer’s budget, but also the type of home they’re buying,” said Zillow home trends expert

Amanda Pendleton

. “While a large backyard or home can be attractive, it’s important to consider how much these spaces could cost to maintain. Buyers may want to consider affordable alternatives to single-family homes, or spend more upfront for a new construction home that might require less maintenance in the short term.”

Once buyers have closed the deal, Thumbtack is the point of contact to help you care for your new home. By entering the location and features of their home on Thumbtack, homeowners can receive personalized guidance on what projects to complete, when, and who to hire to complete the work. This will help homeowners create prioritized maintenance schedules that work within their budgets and cover everything from moving house cleaning to tree trimming and roof maintenance.

methodology

In this analysis, property taxes were calculated using the average effective tax rate in each metro area multiplied by the area’s average home value as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

In estimating the cost of insurance, this analysis assumed that homeowners pay 0.5% of their home’s value each year, which was calculated as 0.005 times the region’s average home value as measured by the Zillow Home Value Index.

Utility costs were calculated using the unweighted average of all states, excluding streaming and phone bill costs, as reported by Forbes.

Annual home maintenance costs are made up of thumbtack categories that are considered essential annual home maintenance tasks: appliance maintenance, carpet cleaning, central air conditioning maintenance, patio staining and sealing, duct and vent cleaning, chimney and chimney cleaning, lawn with comprehensive Services Gutter care, cleaning and maintenance, heating system maintenance, house cleaning, pressure washing, roof maintenance, sprinkler and irrigation system maintenance, tile and grout cleaning, tree pruning and removal, water heater maintenance and window cleaning.

Pricing data is based on Thumbtack requested projects reported directly by the independent services professional or individual clients. The cost is an unweighted index of all annual home maintenance projects and is calculated quarterly using a moving average.

About the Zillow Group

Zillow Group, Inc. (NASDAQ:Z) (NASDAQ:ZG) is rethinking real estate to make it easier to move on to the next chapter in life. Most visited real estate website in

The United States

Zillow® and its subsidiaries provide customers with a transparent and easy on-demand experience to sell, buy, rent or finance.

Zillow Group affiliates, brands and subsidiaries include Zillow®; Zillow Premier Agent®; Zillow Home Loans; Zillow Closing Services; Trulia®; Out East®; StreetEasy®; HotPads®; and ShowingTime+℠, which hosts ShowingTime®, Bridge Interactive®, and dotloop®, as well as interactive floorplans. Zillow Home Loans, LLC is an Equal Housing Lender, NMLS #10287 (www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org).

About thumbtack

Thumbtack is a technology leader developing the modern home management platform. The Thumbtack app makes it easy for homeowners to manage their homes — confidently knowing what to do, when to do it, and who to hire. Bring them

600 billion dollars

Thumbtack is an online platform for the home services industry, enabling millions of homeowners to repair, maintain and improve their most valuable asset. Hundreds of thousands of local service professionals, from painters and plumbers to photographers and electricians, use the Thumbtack platform each year to grow their business.

Watch original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/hidden-costs-of-homeownership-can-add-up-to-nearly-15-000-annually-301839769. html

SOURCE Zillow Group, Inc.

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Amid dramatic ocean waves and flooding atmospheric flows, a new report uncovers a hidden aspect of sea-level rise that has exacerbated Bay Area flooding.

The report, released on Tuesday, maps areas that could be inundated by groundwater that is just a few feet or even centimeters below the ground. This layer of water is pushed up as denser water from the ocean moves inland due to rising tides. On its way up, before the water breaks the surface, it can seep into basement cracks, infiltrate plumbing, or, even more insidiously, remobilize toxic chemicals buried underground.

Communities that consider themselves “safe” from sea-level rise may need to think differently, said Kris May, lead author of the report and founder of the Pathways Climate Institute, a research-based consultancy in San Francisco that helps cities adapt to climate change .

“I started looking at sea level rise, then I’m exposed to extreme rainfall, and then to groundwater … but it’s all connected,” May said. She noted that hotspots where the ground is already exposed to rising groundwater flooding was among the first to occur when a series of atmospheric flows recently brought record rainfall to California: “These giant storms illustrate the magnitude of the risk.”

The new findings are the result of an unprecedented collaborative effort by May, the San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI), UC Berkeley and a broad-based team including regulators, building officials and flood protection agencies to find out where groundwater is located along the bay’s shoreline is close to the surface or is already breaking off. A series of searchable maps available to the public online shows Alameda, Marin, San Francisco and San Mateo counties — the first of many jurisdictions researchers hope will undergo this intense data refinement process.

In this screenshot of the interactive map released Tuesday, the purple areas show where groundwater has already appeared in Marin City and Sausalito. Red and orange indicate where groundwater is within 6 feet of the surface.

(SFEI/Pathways Climate Institute)

The maps are based on a new but growing body of research. In 2020, another study conducted by the US Geological Survey laid the groundwork for this problem along California’s 1,200 miles of coastline, and state toxin control officials have since begun their own mapping efforts to better understand how rising groundwater is affecting contaminated land could.

Similar research into vulnerable communities in Southern California is also currently underway by a team led by Cal State Long Beach and Cal State Northridge.

This emerging risk of flooding raises many difficult questions, but the data to date make it clear that urgent action is needed.

“We really need to focus on where pollutants might be mobilized by rising groundwater because that could have an immediate impact on a six-year-old, a pregnant woman, or someone whose immune system is particularly vulnerable,” said Kristina Hill, a UC Berkeley researcher. who is particularly concerned about underserved communities like Marin City and historically industrial areas like East Oakland, where much of the soil is contaminated. “The [remobilization] could happen now while it’s wet outside.”

When it comes to groundwater, there are two types to consider. One type, which researchers are now concerned about, is the unbound water that collects in the pore spaces of the soil very close to the surface. This is the water that runs off the road and seeps into the ground. The other type, trapped in aquifers hundreds of meters deep, is the water we tap for drinking.

As the tide moves inland, the shallow fresh water tends to float on top of the denser salt water — and is pushed up toward the surface as sea levels rise. Because the shallow groundwater is not consumed, few people have studied this layer of water in California.

(Lorena Iniguez Elebee/Los Angeles Times)

Hill, who directs the Department of Urban and Regional Development at UC Berkeley, first realized nearly a decade ago that this shallow aquifer had been overlooked in talks about sea-level rise. Along with May and Ellen Plane, who is now an environmental scientist at SFEI, she analyzed data from 10,000 wells across the Bay Area and concluded that more than twice that amount of land could be flooded from groundwater if the ocean continues to rise .

Then, in a remarkable move to turn those initial approximation studies into data that government agencies would actually use, the researchers called on officials themselves to help fill in the data gaps. City and county officials searched for geotechnical reports and other potentially useful records that had been archived in different (and often isolated) departments. They went through hundreds of PDFs and spreadsheets to compile all of the underground data that had been collected for building permits and projects.

Public works officials then checked the updated maps against their own observations, such as storm sewers that back up during high tide and roads that tend to flood even when there is no current.

Discover the current groundwater conditions in this interactive map:

Patterns emerged. Many of the communities most exposed to the flooding were built along historic streams or on reclaimed wetlands. If you overlay 5.5 feet of sea level rise on the map, water is expected to flow back into virtually any wetland that has been filled.

Officials in San Francisco are already considering this data when considering new construction projects. Other cities and counties are beginning to reconsider their flood mitigation options—after all, a traditional levee or seawall wouldn’t do anything to stem groundwater as it moves with rising sea levels.

Ultimately, officials need to figure out what to do with all of the contaminated sites along the bay that are still awaiting remediation — or those that need further remediation, said Hill, who has completed another set of maps that will show where and In which direction might rising groundwater remobilize harmful chemicals underground? The commonly used approach of ‘covering’ a toxic waste dump, for example, rather than actually removing the contamination from the ground, may no longer be sufficient.

Regulators at the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board have been following all of this research with keen interest and are already looking at the updated maps, said Lisa Horowitz McCann, deputy executive director. The board recently ordered its long-term flood control plans for 16 bayside landfills to take groundwater rise into account, and caseworkers are now going through hundreds of cases to determine which sites require further action.

“This data gives us the ability to take stronger action — and even legally supports it,” Horowitz McCann said. “We’re looking at a larger universe of cases now.”

Researchers hope to continue this mapping work for the rest of the Bay Area. Next up is Contra Costa County in the East Bay, where a number of historically contaminated sites are being considered for remediation along Richmond’s industrialized coast.

An aerial photo shows a cyclist riding through a flooded bike path in Mill Valley during a royal flood in 2022. Many low-lying areas along the San Francisco Bay are at increased risk of flooding, according to a new study.

(JOSH EDELSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Much more work also needs to be done to understand what the actual damage to gas lines, sewage treatment plants, foundations and other buried infrastructure will be, said Patrick Barnard, whose research team at the US Geological Survey has performed extensive flood modeling by officials across the state used.

“We need to start bringing this information together with the world of technology,” he said. “We built everything assuming the ground is dry. What does it mean that he is now constantly full?”

Barnard has also studied what scientists call “composite extremes.” What do we do when seawater enters at high tide, while our rivers and storm sewers try to flush excess rainwater into the sea and the ground cannot absorb anything because the groundwater also floods?

“We looked at this in a case for the Napa River, and basically an average annual winter storm could turn into a 100-year flooding event when the ground is already saturated,” he said. “Add in any amount of rain, even amounts that are not normally catastrophic…and you have catastrophic effects.”

For Chris Choo, Marin County Planning Manager, the support for the recent mapping effort has been eye-opening in a number of ways. She has spent years helping communities prepare for climate change, and the challenges have grown more complicated as one disaster seems to overwhelm the next.

“From drought to drought to drought to a big concern that we don’t have enough water, all of a sudden, within two weeks, we’ve seen the effects of way too much of it,” she said, not just citing the flooded streets who kept their colleagues working around the clock, but also the heavy surf that swept much of California earlier this month and even split a pier in two.

“People still tend to see these things as isolated terrible things and not part of a collective change…in terms of what the future might hold,” she said. “We live in nature and too often think we’re separate from it… but nature still rules.”

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If you’re thinking about purchasing an old house, there is some good news and some bad news. The good news is that you can probably purchase it for a lot less than a turnkey home. The bad news is that it may not be quite as easy to create a dream bathroom or remodel the kitchen in a historical home. Even common plumbing problems can be more complex, not to mention pricey.

Historical homes often have character that can be amped up with a fresh coat of paint or a stylish laundry room update to bring the home into the 21st century. But charm is not the only thing that goes hand in hand with a piece of history. Beware that there are hidden costs of buying an old house, and often these not-so-fun repairs are critical. Here, eight home-improvement projects that can sneak up on you, as well as what to expect when it comes to repair costs. 

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1. Electrical work

If the house was built before WWII, your home could have knob and tube wiring, an outdated two-wire system that does not contain a grounding wire. Not only is it incompatible with three-prong appliances, but the wires themselves could have worn insulation and be in direct contact with wood beams and walls. 

This is not a DIY project. Look for a licensed and insured electrician to update your wiring and breaker boxes. “Those who are not experienced may end up causing further issues as well as injury,” says Dan Mock, vice president of operations of Mister Sparky. When you have someone come in to give you an estimate, make sure to ask about updating outlets and switches, as loose wires are a fire hazard. 

Average cost: The cost of electrical services varies, and Mock says it will depend on what you’re doing. “For example, the cost for lighting upgrades typically ranges from $200 to $5,000,” he says. If your electrician has to work on electrical boxes and grounding, be prepared to spend at least $5,000 more. Installing smart home technology is another pricey upgrade, and Mock says this alone could cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to up to $5,000: “There is no way of telling exactly how much certain services will cost, since this is dependent on severity of the service and what needs to be done [in your home].”

2. Plumbing

Galvanized pipes are made of steel and have a protective inner coating made of zinc. But over time, water wears out the zinc and causes the pipes to corrode and rust on the inside, says Michael Green, chief operating officer for Benjamin Franklin Plumbing.

 “To see if you have galvanized pipes, you can scratch the outside of the pipe with a flathead screwdriver; if it’s galvanized steel, the scratch will appear gray in color—and magnets will also stick to galvanized pipes,” Green says. If you do have galvanized pipes, he says replacing them is the best solution. “While it’s a costly process, it’s a long-term solution that you can count on.” One reason it’s so costly: The experts will have to cut walls and ceilings open to gain access to the pipes. “Leave enough budget to address any plaster walls that need to be replaced, as plaster is more common in older homes than in new ones,” Green says. Since this project will likely take several days, you might want to find a place to stay. After all, water will be shut off.   

Average cost: You can expect to pay between $7,000 and $15,000, says Green, who notes that this broad price range is based on a variety of factors. “Everything from your region of the country to what’s involved in opening up your walls to sewer considerations will determine the amount you’ll pay,” he says. “Based on current market volatility and trends, pricing is on a case-by-case basis and is determined by time and materials.”    

3. Gutters

Gutters that leak or haven’t been cleaned in a while can cause roof rotting, saturate the home, and put extra pressure on the foundation and the basement walls. This can lead to cracks, leaks, and floods, Green explains.

Examine the gutters (or have them professionally examined) to ensure that they drain properly so water doesn’t pool at the base of the house. “Most gutters should be cleaned at least twice a year, and older homes with lots of trees around may need to be cleaned more frequently,” Green notes.

If you feel comfortable getting on top of the ladder, Green advises wearing sturdy and comfortable shoes, along with gloves. Then, he says, you should place a ladder on level ground and lock the ladder in place. “Hang an empty bucket from the top of the ladder to collect the debris you’re going to remove, and use a trowel or hand rake to clean the gutters; once everything has been removed, hose the gutters down.” As you’re hosing the gutters, make sure the water drains and doesn’t pool.

Average cost: Cleaning gutters yourself is not expensive at all, but you may pay around $300 for a service. If you end up having water damage, Green says you will need to call a licensed professional to assess the situation and guide you through the work that needs to be done to remove any moisture. “Older homes are also more prone to having plaster walls, which are expensive to replace should professionals find water behind them,” he says, adding that pricing may vary. If you have to replace all the gutters, especially in a historical home which may have specialty gutters, like half-round gutters versus the more modern K-style, an estimate can run as much as $20,000. 

4. Roof and chimney

Roofs deteriorate over time and eventually need to be replaced. The older the home is, the more likely the roof will need to be replaced—or at least repaired. Some historical homes have ultra-durable slate roofs, which can last 80 years, but if your house is 100 years old…well, you may need to upgrade right about now. “You could be able to install additional layers of shingles based on how many strata have already been laid, or you could have to rip up all of the roof covering and start afresh,” says Brian Hone, owner and CEO of Big Easy Roofing, a roofing and general contractor based in New Orleans.

In addition, as old buildings settle, Hone says chimneys can tilt or fracture. “Issues might vary from the possibility of the chimney collapsing to an elevated risk of a wildfire.” What’s more, as stonework weathers over the decades (especially in regions with harsh winters and other inclement weather), the surface of an old chimney deteriorates. 

Average cost: “The global average cost of a roof replacement, likewise anchored to my experience, is roughly $7,500, with many consumers spending between $4,000 and $10,000,” Hone says. But he admits that your roof type—as well as the type of asphalt shingles you pick—can make a difference. A slate roof, for instance, costs around $20 per square foot, which can be $40,000 on average. To determine what your home might need, check a roofing calculator.

“A typical chimney maintenance fee ranges from $800 to $2,500, with higher chimneys of 10 feet or over costing more than $4,500—which is worth every coin, since we are talking about house security, which no individual would want to compromise,” Hone says. You’ll also want to call in a chimney sweep to clean out the fireplace before you start using it again, which can range between $100 to $200. 

5. Waterproofing the basement

You may be accustomed to housing problems starting at the top, but they can also originate from the bottom. Water in your basement can result in mold and also damage the home’s foundation. During the home inspection, Green recommends paying special attention to any water damage or cracks, noting that these issues need to be fixed ASAP to avoid additional damage. “You can also check landscaping for water pockets and sloped land, both of which can indicate excess water,” he adds.  

The basement’s sump pump is the first line of defense since it prevents excess water from building up in the home, and Green says it should be inspected for any type of damage such as broken float switches and faulty check valves. “Be sure to also install a backup in case of a power outage and monitor your sump pump’s system to make sure everything is working properly,” he says. “Schedule annual maintenance or checkups of your sump pump to catch problems before they cause major damage and floods.”  

Another thing to consider: Former owners may not know (or have kept up with) the last time sump pumps or septic systems were serviced. “It’s best to always err on the side of caution and proactively check things out after getting the keys to the home,” Green says. “If that older home doesn’t have window-well covers, consider having one installed to protect basement windows and stop leaks before they start.”  

Average cost: It’s almost impossible to project how much waterproofing will cost, as it varies greatly per project. According to research data on Angi, basement waterproofing can range between $2,300 and $7,576, costing $4,920 on average. Something more extensive, like installing a new drainage system, can cost upward of $14,000. 

6. Updating or restoring windows

Windows are an essential way to keep your home protected from the outside, and when you have an old home with single-pane windows, it can quickly lead to heat and cold transference. This transfer allows heat to escape during the winter and cool air to leak during the summer, ultimately making your HVAC system, if you have one, work harder to maintain comfortable indoor temperatures. By repairing windows right away, you can help to decrease your utility bills and the strain on your HVAC system.

If you have-single pane windows, Michael DiMartino, senior vice president of installations at Power Home Remodeling, headquartered in Chester, Pennsylvania, recommends replacing them with double-paned windows. “Look for windows with argon gas between the panes and a low-E coating, which can help to reflect the sun,” he says. “You also want to look for a rating, or U-factor, of .30 or lower—the lower the number, the more energy-efficient the window.” DiMartino notes that all of the energy-efficient windows they install have a rating of .27.  

Some historical homes have gorgeous hardwood windows that look dilapidated but can be restored to their full glory. 

Average cost: For an economy, or basic, replacement, DiMartino says you can expect to pay between $400 to $5,000 per unit. “However, for an energy-efficient, premium product with professional installation, pricing can be upward of $2,500 per unit.” That might sound high, but he says an upfront investment can help you save substantially in the long term. “For example, energy-efficient window replacements might cost you hundreds of dollars (for a single unit), but they’ll last for 35 to 40 years, or for a lifetime, with the right warranty,” DiMartino says. “And they can save you significantly in heating and air-conditioning bills.”

7. Pests

When purchasing an old home, know that it may come with residents who won’t be moving out when you move in: pests. “Wood-destroying insects are most concerning,” says Atlanta-based Frank Meek, technical services manager at Rollins, which owns Orkin and several other pest-control companies. He notes that these are especially unwelcome because they can jeopardize construction components, which can be further weakened by the the constriction and expansion of materials due to weather changes.  

Meek advises that you look out for the following:

• Termites, which can damage wood and wood products.
• Overwintering insects, like cluster flies, boxelder bugs, carpet beetles, stink bugs, and lady beetles that come in to avoid the winter weather. 
• Carpenter ants that build nests in soft, damp, or dead wood.
• Vertebrate pests, like rodents, birds, and other urban wildlife. They can damage the structure, chew electrical lines, and introduce other pests, like fleas, ticks, and mites.

Have your home thoroughly inspected by a trained pest management professional. In addition, seal cracks and holes around the home’s perimeter, and ensure you have proper drainage to avoid standing water.  

Average cost: Because each pest situation is unique—ranging from an unwelcome guest to the severity of an infestation—it can be hard to determine a general average. Exterminating ants, for instance, can range from $100 for fire ants to $500 for carpenter ants. A rat fumigation, on the other hand, can cost you upward of $6,000. 

8. HVAC system

An older home might face several heating and cooling challenges. “It might not have enough space to have a central air-conditioning system and vents,” says Mark Dawson, executive vice president of Trade Brands at Authority Brands. Also, he says, the home may not be designed to handle that much energy. 

There are several ways to tackle heating and cooling problems. “You can have the electrical system of the home updated to be able to power a whole-house HVAC system,” Dawson says. Another option is to hire a team of professional contractors and technicians to lower the ceiling of the home so you can install ducts. However, he warns that both of these options are expensive, will require city permits, and could take anywhere from weeks to months to complete. “Additionally, when you make these types of upgrades, you run the risk of damaging historical features, including original floors, wood trims, and plaster,” he explains, adding that lowering the ceilings will also reduce the amount of storage space you have throughout the home.   

However, Dawson says there’s a third option: Have an HVAC professional install a ductless split system. So what’s that? “A ductless split system is a heater and air conditioner not attached to ducts that transfers air to a room or portion of your home,” he says. “Ductless split systems are a great option for those with older homes and are predominantly inexpensive to install.” In addition, Dawson says they’re compact, energy-efficient, and provide more security than a window unit.   

Average cost: A ductless split system can range anywhere from $950 to $4,100, Dawson says, and the cost will depend on how many units are being installed and the labor involved. “It also depends on the region you’re located in. The price can go up to $5,600 to $10,000 depending on how much of the home will be heated and cooled with the ductless system.” For high-efficiency models, the price can go up to $12,000. Installing a new furnace is $2,806 to $6,785, plus $150 to $500 per hour for installation, according to Angi.

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As sea levels rise and torrential rains sweep the land, an invisible threat rises from beneath our feet, groundwater experts say. They urge municipalities to consider the massive infrastructure and public health risks posed by overflowing water tables.

The climate crisis is usually associated with water tables being depleted by extreme heat and drought. But “in some areas, thanks to rising sea levels and more intense rainfall, that water is actually rising higher, bringing with it a wave of problems that few communities are prepared for,” writes Grist.

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“Places in the United States where water tables are getting inch by inch — along the coasts, yes, but also inland, in parts of the Midwest — are already beginning to have infrastructure problems,” the message adds. Old, cracked pipes are flooded, making the pipelines unsuitable for rainwater and waste. “The road is deteriorating faster. Trees drown when the soil becomes more brittle and their roots are deprived of oxygen.”

For poor and low-lying communities, a dangerous concern is that “rising groundwater will mobilize pollutants that have lurked in the ground for years, left behind by industrial and military sites, and allow them to spread unnoticed beneath our feet.”

That threat is now a reality in West Oakland in the San Francisco Bay Area.

“A once thriving black community decimated by racist urban planning practices,” West Oakland has proven over the years to be the home of all manner of toxin-producing industries, from shipyards to smelters to a former military base.

In February 2020, a local high school was forced to close for several weeks after the carcinogenic industrial solvent trichlorethylene (TCE) was discovered in groundwater beneath campus. The source of the TCE was never located, but a local news organization reported at the time that it could be “any or all of five polluting sites within a half-mile radius of the school, including a metalworking shop and a former dry cleaner’s.”

The rise in groundwater is compounding an already acute environmental injustice, said Kristina Hill, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley who studies groundwater rise in urban coastal areas. “Now these areas have both polluted the soil through military or industrial activities, [and] They also have rising groundwater,” Hill said.

Across the country, in low-lying Beaufort County, South Carolina, rising groundwater is threatening septic systems. Just like in West Oakland, sea-level rise is pushing water not just up, but inland, “raising water tables miles from shore,” says Grist. This phenomenon occurs near coasts where the saturated soil below the water table itself sits on salt water from the ocean. “As sea levels rise, groundwater is pushed up because salt water is denser than fresh water,” explains MIT Technology Review.

And that’s not the only way oceans and groundwater are connected, notes Grist.

Daniel Rozell, a Stony Brook University engineer whose 2021 study warned that coastal cities are ignoring the dangers of rising groundwater, said policymakers need to recognize that groundwater is sinking into the sea in an ongoing process called “undersea drainage.” sea ​​shall flow.”

This means that seawalls designed to keep out the rising oceans must also be able to drain groundwater so it doesn’t back up behind the wall and cause the very problems the seawall was designed to prevent.

Septic tank failure is a real threat in places like Beaufort County because the process depends on there being adequate clearance between the septic tank and groundwater. Otherwise, there is no time or space for waste to be filtered off the ground and eaten by bacteria, and raw sewage ends up being washed up into local waterways.

About 20% of US homes depend on sewage systems, and even in offshore areas, groundwater will still rise after climate-related rains.

In some places along Illinois’ Vermilion River, “groundwater seeps into uncased pits that contain coal ash — a hazardous waste — and carry heavy metals into drinking water aquifers,” reports Grist.

Coal ash mines are concentrated in the Midwest and South and are a serious environmental threat. By 2019, the Environmental Integrity Project and Earthjustice had found that more than 90% had contaminated nearby groundwater with heavy metals such as arsenic, cadmium and mercury.

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