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Australia is getting hotter all the time. The changes are so drastic that new colours have even been added to the national climate gradient weather maps to reflect the potential for as-yet-unseen temperatures. As recent years of devastating bush fires demonstrate, the increasingly arid, hot conditions present huge risks for home owners and property owners who are looking for real estate.
Bushfire Trends
The country has seen numerous bush fires over the past few years, and they’re constantly becoming more severe. Contrary to what you might believe, however, these fires are actually part of the natural ecosystem, so they’re not going away any time soon. Some native species have even evolved to rely on fires as an essential part of their reproductive cycles. Of course, your home can’t really grow back after a fire, so it’s important to scout the territory out before buying any property to settle down on.
Major fires have hit Victoria, Western Australia and other states in the past years, with Victoria’s recent Black Saturday bush fires causing over 170 deaths. Although local and state governments have enacted great response services, you don’t want to have to count on them if at all possible. Instead, pick properties that are less fire-prone.
Assessing Geographic Features
There are a lot of things you can look out for when you’re looking for real estate. Obviously, houses that are actually in flames during your walk through visits should probably be avoided. In all seriousness, however, homes that are on properties that have experienced fires before may still be at risk.
For instance, if you buy a home deep in one of the forests in East Gippsland, you’re probably investing in a higher-risk property. Trees are fine, but homes ought to be located in large enough clearings to keep them from catching fire when surrounding woods do. Flames travel rapidly, and their by-products become airborne easily. All it takes is a floating spark to set a home ablaze, so err on the side of caution.
Other natural features, however, can work in your favour. Rock outcroppings and barren patches of land can serve as effective barriers when fires pass by. Proximity to the sea and other bodies of water increases local atmospheric moisture. Although recent fires have shown that lakes and rivers serve as ideal survival spots when fires get too close, having them nearby can also delay the encroaching flames for longer.
Taking the Past into Account
It’s important to learn from history’s lessons. While this concept may prompt some people to pack up and move to a houseboat off the coast, that’s not an option for everybody. Instead, take a look at where past fires have struck and where they were most intense.
You can get some very detailed information from past Country Fire Authority (CFA) warnings. These graded warnings let people in different areas know how severely they’ll be affected by a fire that has already started to burn. By reading past notices online and checking out the current CFA warnings, you can get a better idea of how bush fires usually spread and which areas they typically affect along the way.
Building with the Worst in Mind
If you buy a property that seems alright, you can improve its bushfire safety by using the fire-retardant building materials and installing home safety features. Fire suppression and warning systems ensure that you won’t lose everything if a fire does happen, and proper landscaping can help increase the size of the buffer between your home and potential fuel sources.
Remember, the average temperatures aren’t going to be dropping in the near future. The Australian continent is full of deserts and other environments that leach critical moisture away from settled areas. Of course, this doesn’t mean you have to live in an underground bunker or move to the middle of the most barren Outback areas where there isn’t any flammable vegetation in order to avoid bush fires. It’s still important, however, to take your time evaluating the factors while you’re looking for real estate.
Glen’s Thoughts: Living in Australia with all the recent extreme heat and devastating bush fires, this is a timely reminder of how good planning can help you avoid a potentially disastrous situation.
Scary! We have earthquakes here, I guess each paradise has its flaws!
Pauline recently posted..Little house in Guatemala, week 10-13
That is scary. We don’t have a bushfire problem in my area so it was definitely interesting to read about!
Holly@ClubThrifty recently posted..Our Credit Card Churning Plans for 2013
We don’t have this type of problem either, but we do have a lot of tornadoes. After the tornado that hit Joplin awhile back, we were thinking about having a safe shelter installed in our home and if we ever build a home from scratch then we might do that. If you can take some precautions to avoid natural disasters, then it’s always a good thing to do!
Jason recently posted..Making Extra Money: Start a Blog or Write for Others?
The fires seem to get worse every year. That is incredible that when you go to look for a home that you have to take that into account, but I can see why it is important.
Tackling Our Debt recently posted..How to Stretch Your Travel Budget: Free Home Exchange Accommodation
That idea about remembering the past is an important one. How can you make any good financial moves without seeing what worked and didn’t in the past?
AverageJoe recently posted..Credit Card Rewards and Changing the Budget for Baby: 2 Guys and Your Money 026
I’m glad I don’t have to deal with brush fires in my area but we did have a field fire a few years back and it didn’t take but 15 minutes or so with the dry conditions and the wind top burn up nearly a 100 acres. It’s a scary thought indeed.
Great points. We live in a high fire danger area in northern California and over the years I have removed a ton of trees and shrubs from our 3 acres to make it more fire-safe. It is common knowledge here that if there is a wild fire, fire trucks will drive right by homes that have done ZERO clearing to their properties and focus on saving the homes that have.
Kyle @ Rather-Be-Shopping.com recently posted..Financial Troubles in California – A Business Owner’s Perspective
Definitely something that I haven’t really thought about. We don’t have those risks in my area (we have our own issues, though) and I can’t imagine living in an area where a brush fire is likely/possible.
DC @ Young Adult Money recently posted..Why Email is Better than Talking on the Phone
I don’t have to deal with this where I live, but I know many that deal with it on the west coast. My friend used to be a wildfire fighter and he saw some crazy stuff. You can’t predict fire and if you think you are safe from it, then think again.
Debt Roundup recently posted..Dang it! I Fought My Emotions and They Won
I spent some time living in Colorado and witnessed a few brush fires, but I’ve never experienced anything like what’s happening in Australia. Great post to learn from!
The Happy Homeowner recently posted..Weekly Miscellaneous: 1/27/13
I suppose this is a pro to living in suburban Detroit. However, there were some pretty bad wildfires in the UP when I was a kid, so they can happen just about anywhere that there is a forest. It’s something to consider when living near wooded areas.
Justin@TheFrugalPath recently posted..Special Sunday Link Love
In Japan its very common but now they are building to improve it. Anyway, very nice post thanks for sharing your thoughts.
Very interesting article. I don’t live in an area that is prone to brushfires, but I will keep this in mind if I do move to an are that is.
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Thanks for the comments everyone. Australia can have some terrible fires which is probably because we get such high temperatures and have a lot of bush land.
All great tips and another very important detail is insurance. Make sure you not only have adequate insurance, but that the company actual pays out on claims. There have been a few issues with insurance companies not paying out victims in the past…most notably the QLD and NSW floods from a few years ago.