Anyone live in a "wet" or marshy area? Would you buy there? (Toms River: insurance)

[Scott99999]

My wife and I are considering a house that's in a low-lying, generally wet /marshy area (without going into specific details of where). The yard itself and surrounding property is dry.

There's no sign that any houses have been affected (sinking, mold, damp basements, etc...) and of course we're planning to have insurance.

We've debated the risks however - such as bugs in the summer, and we're on the verge of this being a deal-breaker.

Has anyone bought a house in a similar circumstance? Was it good or bad? Did it affect your home value? Do you have any regrets or things you learned?

THANKS!

[Newarkbomb]

Secaucus is like that, but not anywhere to an extent i would say.

I dont think its a big problem in NJ

[clevedark]

It wouldn't stop me if the area was spectacularly beautiful. I love marshes. And aren't a lot of areas sprayed for mosquitos?

[tallguylehigh]

I would be a little hesitant. Just because your area is dry now, it doesnt mean that when we get some serious rain that your area won't suddenly be marshy.

Couple that with the insurance, possible headaches and the resale aspect, it might be more trouble than it's worth. I mean think about it- when you go to sell you house you are going to have to find someone with the same feelings towards flood insurance- and I think that's pretty tough to find.

Then again, thats just my opinion.

[JERSEY MAN]

I live in a area somewhat like you just described. You didn't say if it was a tidal area. If it is, when you have blow out north winds the water level drops and the mud, muck, swampland, whatever you call it smells kinda funky. On the flip side on heavy east winds it could flood depending on your house's elevation. If your south of Toms River you will have to deal with the greenhead flies from about June 20 until late August. July 4th time being the worst.

[paddy205]

I am an engineer now but started my career as an environmental scientist. I would strongly suggest you get a formal wetland delineation done before you agree to purchase any land that you think is "marshy". There are very strict laws about placing fill in wetlands. You may purchase it and then not even be able to build on it if you want to do any future expansion, grade the site, build a garage, clear vegetation, etc. There are scientific procedures for delineating wetlands based on the indicator status of the vegetation (how prevalent it is in wetland vs upland areas), the soil types, and presence of hydrologic indicators. Just because you don't see standing water and cattails does NOT mean it's not a wetland. And all wetlands (even those on private land) are regulated by the state plus there is a buffer that can range from 50 feet to 150 feet depending on the resource value of the wetland which also restricts your allowable activities. Start with the local soil conservation district or call the DEP (or visit their site below) for more advice. NJDEP Land Use Regulation Program (DLUR) - Freshwater Wetlands Program (http://www.state.nj.us/dep/landuse/fww.html#before - broken link)