Tips for Purchasing View or Landslide Property
- Hire an engineering geologist or geotechnical engineer to evaluate the property and to:
- Look up the soils on your site.
- Run your Seattle address in the Seattle Landslide Study or if in another city or county check with the engineering department.
- Do a site visit—give you observations and/or recommendations, etc.
- Obtain all “as builts” of structures on the site and those of the surrounding properties.
- Determine whether there are there municipal structures nearby.
- Some areas such as Perkins Lane or West Seattle have old WPA drains—you will want to know if such drains are nearby.
- Obtain historic aerials.
- Especially if your property abuts the railroad tracks—evidence of small landslides and disruptions of service might be available.
- Are there any erosional features on the land over time?
- Has any of the land sloughed off or significantly receded?
- Obtain local maintenance and complaint records from your city.
- Have there been surface water complaints in the area?
- Does the local city maintain the streets, stormwater system, etc.—how often?
- Obtain landslide insurance — it’s a special rider and worth the price in peace of mind.