Real estate professionals are navigating a world right now where the expansion of AI data centers is moving faster than the zoning codes, and buyers and sellers are showing up with questions that didn’t exist 10 months ago, let alone 10 years ago.
Recently, the city of Reno became the first local government in Nevada to pause new data center applications entirely while it works out regulations. The decision came after the council heard six hours of testimony and received 176 written comments, many of asking them to slow down.
Less than a week later, Gov. Joe Lombardo offered his support at the groundbreaking of a multi-billion-dollar, two-million-square-foot data center project near the Reno-Tahoe Industrial Center, less than 10 miles from Reno.
So, what should real estate professionals know about data centers, and what questions are they equipped to answer? Here’s the principle I keep coming back to: Real estate professionals don’t need to become data center experts. What they do need is confidence about which questions are within their expertise to answer, which call for independent client research, and how to handle the difference, without either overstepping or going quiet.
Data center questions homebuyers might ask
Buyers near data centers often have questions about living next to one, its impact on property values and disclosure requirements. Some have clear answers. Others need more careful handling.
‘Will I be able to hear it?’
This one has a simple answer: Take your clients outside and find out together. Data center cooling systems run continuously, producing a low-frequency mechanical hum that doesn’t wind down at night or quiet down on weekends.
The most useful thing a real estate professional can do is walk buyers out to the backyard during quiet evening hours, when street traffic is low, and the facility’s cooling demand tends to run high, and let them evaluate it for themselves. That direct experience is worth more than anything a real estate professional can describe.
‘How will this affect my property value?’
Being regionally near a data center and being immediately adjacent to one tend to have opposite effects on value. A 2025 study by George Mason University found that homes near data centers in Northern Virginia sold for higher prices, mainly because data centers are built where infrastructure is already strong, and that infrastructure is what buyers actually value.
However, a House Beautiful analysis found that homes directly adjacent to data center construction sites sell more slowly, with buyers asking significantly more questions during showings. The best response is to explain what the research shows regionally, walk through the parcel-specific factors the buyer can assess, and let the buyer make their own call.
‘Was this something that should have been disclosed to me?’
Yes. Data centers are typically material facts, information that could reasonably affect a buyer’s decision to purchase or what they’d pay. Buyers should review seller disclosures carefully and ask directly about what was known and when.
To investigate further on their own, they can check county GIS mapping portals for adjacent parcel ownership and zoning, review planning commission records for pending permits and access the federal FAST-41 permitting dashboard for proposed developments requiring federal environmental review.
‘What about utility costs and internet access?’
Data centers consume large amounts of power, which puts real upward pressure on residential electricity rates in high-concentration markets. Real estate professionals can flag this as context without quantifying what any specific buyer will pay.
These facilities are often located near fiber-optic networks, giving nearby neighborhoods access to gigabit-plus broadband. For remote workers and tech professionals, that connectivity is a significant selling point.
‘What about health and environmental concerns?’
These questions aren’t real estate questions, and the science is active and still developing. The right move is to acknowledge the question, point clients to credible resources such as the EPA’s environmental data tools and local public health agencies, and let the research do the work.
The same logic applies to any question requiring expertise the agent doesn’t have: noise decibel thresholds, electromagnetic assessments and air quality impacts. When a specialist is needed, say so, and help the client find one.
Questions sellers might ask about data centers
The seller conversation focuses on disclosure. The central question is whether a nearby data center is a material fact that must be documented in the seller’s property disclosure, and in most cases, it is.
‘Do I have to tell buyers about the data center?’
The disclosure standard is based on material facts: Would a reasonable buyer want to know this before purchasing the property? A 24/7 industrial neighbor with constant noise, security lighting and high resource use typically meets that standard, as do train tracks or electrical substations.
Proactive written disclosure is the safest practice in any jurisdiction, and real estate professionals should know what their state specifically requires.
‘What if it’s still being proposed or under construction?’
If a seller knows a facility is planned or under construction nearby, close enough to affect the buyer’s experience or the property’s long-term value, that information must be disclosed. Actual knowledge triggers the obligation. Uncertainty doesn’t eliminate it.
‘How much detail do I need to include?’
Disclose the facts and their effects, not personal opinions about them. A clear note that a nearby data center produces a continuous low-frequency hum from its cooling operations is accurate and sufficient. The seller doesn’t need to share how they feel about it.
‘How much research should my Realtor do before we list?’
Real estate professionals don’t need a full neighborhood audit before every listing appointment. What they need is to pay attention to the drive to the property, what’s visible from the yard, and what the seller mentions. A large concrete building down the street, or a seller who mentions hearing a constant hum at night, are both relevant details worth noting.
A useful practice is to ask sellers one open question: “Is there anything you’re aware of that could materially affect a buyer’s decision to purchase this home?” This covers data centers, planned development and zoning changes, while creating a clear record that the conversation happened.
What real estate professionals should know about data centers
Real estate professionals are community, neighborhood and market experts. Data centers are fast-moving, complex infrastructure that communities across the country are still figuring out how to govern.
Real estate professionals who try to answer every client question in technical detail will find themselves outside their expertise fast. Those who refuse to engage at all leave clients without the guidance they came for. The ones who serve their clients best know their job isn’t to be the expert on everything — it’s to be the source of the source.
Elizabeth L. Quinn is senior vice president at Dickson Realty, based in Reno, Nevada. Get connected on Instagram and LinkedIn.
