The idea of getting a home for 50 thousand dollars less then it would normally be worth seems great on the surface. But in life, the cliché that “you get what you pay for” exists for a reason. Thus, I would half to turn down the offer of a cheaper home that is near a land fill for the flowing reasons.

            One must look at the hidden costs that could result from buying a house near a landfill. Personally, when I envision my dream home, I see a back yard where I can plant thing like tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and other crops as a way to relax and as a fresh food source. However, having a house near a landfill may put a wrench in that plan. Gases produced by landfills sometimes seep into the soil of nearby homes and kill vegetation and poison roots. (Wright p. 467)

            The gas issue can have other bigger booming consequences for homes near landfills. Homes near landfills have exploded and deaths have occurred because of the build up of methane gases created from landfills. (467) While this is obviously not a common occurrence, the fact that there is even a slight increase of explosion and death as a result of being near a landfill would give me pause to exception an offer. I would rather spend the extra 50k on the house not near a landfill and be more assured that there is less of a chance that my house would explode and cut back in other areas then cut back on my mortgage payments but increase the chance of me and my family blowing up while we where sleeping.

             I admit the type of landfill would matter to me when considering the deal. The EPA lists different types of landfills. The one that I would have the least problem living near is a construction and derbies landfill since it seems to pose the least environmental risk. http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/non-hw/muncpl/landfill/sw_landfill.htm

Works Cited

Wright, Richard. Environmental Science:  New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc, 2008.