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Gigabit Internet Connections Make Property Values Rise

Posted by Soulskill on from the let-the-bytes-flow dept.

Jason Koebler writes: When families go to buy a new home, they're most often looking for a couple things: Good schools, a safe neighborhood, maybe something that's near public transportation. And, increasingly and undeniably, access to gigabit internet service. A study by RVA LLC Market Research and Consulting found that fiber optic internet adds roughly $5,250 to the value of a $300,000 home. "It's getting to the point where, if my neighboring community has a gig and we're still doing satellite, the property value in that town is going to go up," Deb Socia, director of Next Century Cities, a coalition of cities trying to provide gigabit internet speeds to their citizens, said. "You're going to lose people and you're going to lose revenue without it. I'm hearing it from folks in different chambers of commerce, in real estate, in politics."

3 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Why Aren't Homebuilders in on This? by dsginter · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've often wondered why homebuilders aren't building fiber to the home and then coordinating with raw internet providers like Cogent. Add some mesh networking to support older adjacent homes and you'll finally kill Comcast.

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  2. Re:If you proposed a $5000 hookup-tax for internet by Austerity+Empowers · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I would pay $5k tomorrow for fiber provided that the fiber installed could be serviced by any number of providers that i can select at will, without contract or obligation.

    If comcast or att want it, I will not line up at town hall with torches and pitchforks, I will ram them up the offending CEOs more intelligent end while slapping the other end across the face with my terms of service.

  3. YouDontSay.JPG by jtownatpunk.net · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I just bought my forever house and had a few beautiful places picked out but had to change my search area because internet access sucked balls everywhere in that area. At best, I could get "up to" 3mbps DSL at a couple locations. Now I know why prices were so much lower in that area. And the realtors I talked to said "What kind of internet is available?" is one of the first questions people ask these days. Of course, when I asked that question, none of them could answer it.

    So I shifted my search closer to The Big City where I got cable internet and almost as much privacy.

    As for the value of internet, I was ready to spend up to 10 grand to improve infrastructure to the right property so figure that into the equation however you will.