Landscaping and Utility Lines: Lesson 4 for Home Buyers

City-hired crews show up periodically to trim tree branches in our back yard touching utility lines. We don’t pay directly for this service, and we can’t dictate the scheduling.

My last three posts warned first time home buyers about the hidden costs of landscape upkeep. I advised them to evaluate tree trimming costs, palm tree hazards, and brush clearance requirements. Clearance of utility lines isn’t a direct cost, but in my opinion the effort to size up anyone who wants to come onto my property and inspect it does impose some stress.

My Lesson 4 for L.A. area home buyers: If you enter into contract to buy property where utility lines or poles are located, expect periodic visits to your yard by city and utility employees and landscape crews. When you receive a preliminary title report, you’ll notice an easement for these activities. Unlike some other easements, this one will be used.

A Glendale Line Clearance Forestry Supervisor just knocked on our door last week to let me know he was going in our back yard. He looked at the large cypress tree in the corner of our lot. It towers in front of a tall utility pole, conveniently hiding it from our view.

While we can’t see the pole, I’m sure the neighbors behind us can see it perfectly. As soon as tree branches start growing toward it each year, the city sends out a crew to hack back any branches too close to the pole or its lines.

This is an annual event, and the city spends more than $500,000 annually on work like this on residential lots. Here is the city of Glendale web page on tree trimming and line clearance.

And below are more Redfin listings in the La Crescenta neighborhood, this time along its less expensive southwestern edge. The average asking price per square foot here is $397, and listings have been on Redfin an average of 99 days. The first two listings are among the lowest-priced; the third is close to average for the area since I skipped past short sales.

3702 1st Avenue
$499,000 (originally $649,000 and reduced twice)
3 bed/2 bath
1,800 sq.ft.
$277 per sq.ft.
On Redfin 116 days

3749 1st Avenue
$629,000
3 bed/3 bath
2,038 sq.ft.
$309 per sq.ft.
On Redfin 219 days
This is a bank-listed foreclosure; the listing does not contain prior sales history.

3932 Mayfield Avenue
$729,000
3 bed/1.75 bath
1,717 sq.ft.
$425 per sq.ft.
On Redfin 48 days

Photo above courtesy of jon360 at flickr.com.