Questions about looking for land

[NCDeere]

I am looking at some land to purchase. I have one question though. What do you look at? How do you decide it is good land? I know I have to have things that I like and dislike and weigh the pros and cons of the property. But I am just not sure what else to look at. I have printed out a topo map (because I don't want any ravines to cross), I have looked at flood plains, soil types, and possible future highways. What else is there? I am planning to go to the land this weekend and walk the property and see what is there. By looking at the topo map, I see a place where I might would build a house and a barn, but I still have to go and look.

I am sorry to ramble on. But please let me know if there is more to look at.

Thanks for the help and a place to ask these types of questions.


Bryan

[_RaT_]

Water!

[GRUMPA]

Mineral rights!!

[NCDeere]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Water! )</font>

Good point. I know that is a major concern. I have some divining rods. I guess I can take them with me on Sat. when I walk the property. It may be difficult because most of the land is grown up. What do you think?

Bryan

[NCDeere]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Mineral rights!! )</font>

Please excuse my ignorance, but what are mineral rights?

Bryan

[GRUMPA]

When we bought our land we wanted to cover ALL the bases. Mineral rights here in AZ mean: someone that holds mineral rights on ANY land and finds, any marketable mineral has the right to mine on that land.

[70boss1]

I love looking at and buying land. While it seems you have the first step down, after actually viewing the property you will begin to answer most of your questions. These are some things to think about...

1. What are you going to do with the land? Recreation, Hunt, fish, farm, live on?

2. Do you have neighbors? Do they have utilites?

3. How far to get electrictiy, water....etc.

4. What is the zoning? Are there any recorded easments?

Then just walk the land....but try to find other land to walk as well, even if it is higher or lower than your price range.

Good Luck

[L3650]

<font color="blue"> ( Water! ) </font>

If you need boots, that might not be so good either.

[EddieWalker]

Drive the neighborhood. Go at least a mile in either direction of the land, then try the side roads around it. Things to look for are homes that indicate drug problems.

When you walk the land, be sure to walk the boundries. You'd be suprised how often a neighbor will start to use somebody elses land for a dumping ground.

Crossing places along the fence will indicate tresspassers.

Look for signs of hunting on the land. Neighbors might feel they have a right to kill everything on your land since they've been doing it for years.

Are there any fourwheeler trails? Where do they start from?

Go to the land at different times of the day and differnent days of the week. Neighbors might love to shoot their guns all day long on Sunday, but if you only went there on a Saturday, you wouldn't know this.

Find out what utilities are available to the land. Also figure out what it will cost to bring them into the land. Water on the other side of the road might cost many thousands of dollars to get it under to your side.

Find out about every easment through the land or along the side of it. This could be very bad, or no big deal. Most power companies have easements along fencelines to trim trees from power lines. Standard stuff like that is normal. An neighbor with an easment to cross the land could be a nightmare. You need to know these things beforehand.

Mineral Rights are the right to whats under the surface of the ground. It could be anything from oil to coal. If you don't have them, then the person, or company that does, has the right to come onto the land, build a road where it wants, remove what's in the way, and drill wells, leave pumps and run heavy equipment back and forth whenever they want.

Always find out all information for yourself. Your realtor may, or may not know what they are talking about. Don't rely on there so called expertise.

Be sure to get comparable sales records for everything in the surrounding 10 miles and go back at least three years.

Never believe the reason for the sale. Don't even waste your breath asking. They are selling because the don't want the land anymore. Why they don't want it could be as simple as the want to live someplace else, or as bad as a local drug addict is breaking in and threatning everyone.

Be sure the price your paying is online with what you can get for it if you have to sell it much sooner then you imagined. Plans change, things happen. Nobody can predict the future, so have a plan for "just in case."

[johndeere2210]

If you will be using the land for ag or commercial gardening purposes, try to look at land that does not have runoff from surrounding property. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif[/img]