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Zoning  Zoning ordinance information is available from the local town or city hall for communities in Massachusetts. Part of the "due diligence" performed by good buyer's agents is to check up on your neighborhood plans and local zoning for a property you are interested in purchasing. If you are not working with a buyer's agent, you may find it helpful to spend the time to look into these matters before you proceed with a purchase. If town planners want to change a quiet street into a major highway it would certainly have impact on property values. Find out exactly what type of zoning activities are allowed in your area and your home. If you plan to work from home, make sure that you can operate legally according to the zoning bylaws. If you desire to be away from commercial or industrial development, make sure the zoning is residential and excludes such activity. Zoning maps and neighborhood plans can be especially helpful to home buyers as they investigate their new home possibilities. Sometimes a zoning ordinance will prevent a home buyer from improving a property without getting a "variance". Massachusetts law authorizes a variance to be granted if, due to circumstances related to the soil conditions, shape or topography of such land, literal enforcement of the zoning bylaws would involve a substantial hardship to the landowner. The process generally involves notifying abutting owners of what is being sought and giving them an opportunity to object.
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