Geologic Hazards: What Arizona Home Buyers Need to Know

According to a recent article on CNN Money, the city of Phoenix has the 3rd highest rate of home foreclosures in the country. The abundance of cheap property is attracting a lot of first-time and investment home buyers. There are a lot of important things to consider when buying a home, but few people ever stop and consider the probability of geologic hazards.

No, I'm not kidding you. While it is true that Arizona is a remarkably safe place to live, that does not mean it is without risk. In fact, the geography and climate of Arizona make it an ideal location for a few very unique types of hazards. Fortunately, the Arizona Geological Survey has published a FREE handbook to alert home buyers of the potential geologic hazards that are common to Arizona.

The Home Buyer's Guide to Geologic Hazards in Arizona is a must-read for home buyers anywhere in Arizona. It alerts buyers to potential dangers such as flooding, soil problems, subsidence cracks, Radon gas, abandoned mines, karst, and earth fissures.

The guide is available as a free download from the Arizona Geological Survey website. Each chapter is split up into Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files for easy viewing and printing.

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Crazy Christmas Light Displays Are A Phoenix Tradition

Have you ever noticed the tendency of Phoenix residents to go overboard with Christmas lights during the winter? Some say it is to compensate for the lack of snow, while others suggest that these people simply have too much time on their hands. Whatever the case, elaborate Christmas light displays are an annual tradition among Phoenix residents.

But of course, you don't want to waste your time looking at a couple of strings of icicle lights dangling from the roof of some guy's garage. You want to see the best light displays in town, and they're all listed here on the North Phoenix Blog!

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