Lack of broadband turning off homebuyers

The Boston Globe recently reported that a lack of high speed Internet connections are keeping many rural homes from selling.

With more than 55% of the nation currently using broadband and many people, including myself, placing it up there with breathing on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, it's no wonder broadband is a deal breaker. Even though close to 90% of the nation is wired up for broadband, many rural homes still lack a decent Internet connection. And apparently many home buyers aren't willing to settle for a slower connection.

While real estate brokers have seen deals called off after potential buyers learned that there was no high speed connection, I've taken a more proactive approach. If my wife and I see a rural house we like, I'll call up the local cable office or go online to a DSL provider to see if the address is able to get a high speed connection. Just last week I saw a nice looking house on the edge of town, but before I could even share it with my wife I found out it was incapable of getting broadband from any provider which made sharing it unnecessary.