Land Buying Do's & Don'ts...

[ThrowinDirt]

Hey Fella's,

I know this is a tractor forum but I would really like your input on buying land. I'm about to purchase my first real piece of property. It will be a small hobby farm, with 10 acres of tillable land, 20 acres of timber, & a 2 acre orchard. Along with a 2 acre homesite area. I'm sure alot of you have gone through the same thing & have had tons of experience with the process. I'd like to know the do's & don'ts when it comes to the process of purchasing land. I'm new to the forum so if there has been a thread like this in the past please point me to it.

Thanks alot guys, JY.

 

[Thomas]

What region..N,S,E,W.
Purchasing land during winter months can be tricky,more so if snow hangs around for months..soggy/water run off.

 

[F1520]

I had the same questions a few years ago when we bought our place. Not having anyone experienced to ask, I ended up reading this:

Amazon.com: Finding & Buying Your Place in Country (Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country) (9780793141098): Les?/url]

It's covers just about everything including things to look for in different parts of the country. Water and water rights, for example, are very different in the west vs. the east.

Happy hunting!

 

[MarkV]

Welcome to the forum. Thomas is right, regional differences will change the answers. More detail would help.

Right off I know I don't buy low ground. Water issues are hard to correct. Accessibility is an issue for me. Are roads private or county maintained. Is snow an issue where you live?

MarkV

 

[drgill]

Try to walk the property as much as you can. Look at the property during different conditions: wet, dry etc. If you can see the property over the course of a season or two that would be even better. I am sure you will get a lot of good advice on the legal aspects of buying land.

Cheers,

 

[MarkV]

Another thought. It is helpful if you can get an idea of the local area and populations history. Rural settings can be like micro climates with some being exceptional and some being very bad. Knowing some local history on adjacent land owners can be helpful.

Knowing of any restrictions on the property is important. Are there any easements on the property and what restrictions do they carry? What are local building rules. Some areas you don't need a building permit for any farm structure on 10 acres or more. Other areas require environmental studies to be able to build.

MarkV

 

[Travelover]

I'm not sure how to find this out, but locals may have a long standing practice of hunting, fishing or riding on your land, which gets unpleasant when you show up and declare it not open for their continued use. Ditto with free ranging animals.

 

[sweettractors]

Try to buy at auction or private sale. You can sometime save 20% on the gross. As others have said watch for water problems. Check for any easements that may be on the property. Sometime on a private sale, you can get the tractor and equipment thrown in for free. Check for availability to all utilities. Ken Sweet

 

[Iplayfarmer]

Like others have said, each area is different. Here are some things to consider.

Get it surveyed!!! Make sure the fences and other border markings line up with the surveyor's marks. If not, insist that border disputes are resolved BEFORE the sale is final.

Water rights are huge in my area (rural Idaho). Not only do you need water rights to water anything, but you need old water rights. Half the years we don't get enough water for the newest water rights to get any water.

In today's world you may want to at least walk the place looking for "environmental hazards". If this is an old farm site there may be place where oil has leaked for decades, pesticides were poured out on the ground, or other practices have left heavy metals, etc. in the ground. If you own the place you own the problems. Such problems can severely limit your options if you decide to re-sell or further develop the land at some future point.

Check all water and sewer conditions. Many old wells are outlawed nowadays. Make sure you have a cased, culinary well for the house. Make sure the septic system is in good shape. If there are problems with either of these be sure to budget for replacement.

As others have mentioned, be sure to check on any covenants or standing restrictions on the land. Easements, mineral rights, conservation easements. Also double check that a portion of the land is not part of some set aside program. Your forest may be pretty, but it may be part of a subsidy program that prevents you from harvesting any of the lumber, etc. The same goes for the rest of the land.

A good realtor is worth everything s/he is paid. Consider interviewing a few and get someone who is familiar with the pitfalls of small land deals like this.

 

[Pops15]

Make sure you have access to the property! Sound like a no brainer but when we were shopping for land in southern IL we found MANY properties didn't have access from the road and needed to have an easement from a neighbor for access.
SURVEY, SURVEY, SURVEY!!!!! The buyer usually pays for the survey but you might be able to negotiate and get the seller to pay for part or all of the survey. In addition to having the corners marked, have the surveyor mark points on line (POL) every few hundred feet. Also, make sure the survey shows where the easements are.
Make sure the zoning matches your intended use. Check with the appropriate zoning board to see if the property or any other property in the area is being considered for rezoning.
Check to see if the seller has granted any easements to the neighbors.
The best time to walk the property is after a heavy rain. That way you'll see if there are any drainage problems.

Sounds like a nice property. Hope it works out for ya.

 

[TripleR]

Very good advice; hard to add anything, but you might want to check crop history, get a soil sample and check percolation rates where your septic system is or will be. Paying for an appraisal may also be a good idea and check tax records. In my area rezoning has significantly raised property taxes in some areas.

Good luck as there is absolutely nothing like owning your own land and as much as you can afford as they stopped making it.

 

[kebo]

Assuming you build a house on it, will you have public sewer or will you have to go with septic tank and drain field? If the latter, you want to be sure it will pass a perk test at the homesite. What do other nearby homes use for this??

Will you have all rights to the land? Timber? Mineral? Someone already mentioned water rights. Hunting rights?

What about power from the local electric?? When you build, will you have to pay to run poles and wire from the nearest line down to your homesite? That would be good thing to check into up front. Usually they do it for little/no cost because they know they will make back their investment but some may do it differently.

Also it would be good to talk with the county building inspector and get a feel for what all is req'd in order to get permits to build, and the approximate cost. He may also have some advice to give you on other related points.

If you're going to have to drill a well, talk with adjacent homeowners if possible. They can usually tell you how deep they had to go to hit water. That will give you an idea of the well cost, since welldrillers often charge by the foot. If you get to talk with other owners in that area, ask them if there are any potential issues you should be concerned with.


This might seem odd now, but if you're going to eventually live there you might want to check the registered *** offenders list for that area IF you have small children now, or else plan to have children once you get moved there.

 

[roger 4400]

Very good advises up to now. I bought my first lot (104 acres) in 1993, bought the lot where we live now ( 60 acres) in 1999 ,and bought another 41acres in 2005 because we had to pass on another owner lot to get to our 104 acres ( it was a source of troubles,never buy a lot that do not have direct acces to the road). Never regret to buy any lot, you fell so good walking on your own lot....now I,m getting older but for me it is something I never regretted. Good luck

 

[BruceWard]

Make sure to get a perk test Percolation test - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia before buying. I have seen people buy land and later learn that they could not install a septic system on the land.

 

[dave1949]

Sounds like a nice parcel.

With the orchard and tillable land, I assume you are interested in growing some things. If you gave your location, I missed it, so this may be more or less applicable.

If the land is sloped or hilly, the compass orientation and elevation of the orchard and tillable area matters. Southern facing slopes warm earlier and grow better in northern states. Cool air drains downhill, this can help you dodge early and late frosts if the orchard is elevated a bit compared to the surrounding land.

If you want to consider a solar heated home in the future, the southern exposure is everything. You need ~100' to 150' to the east-south-west of your home site that you own and can be kept clear of tall trees. If you want a partially bermed solar home, a south facing slope is a great help because it takes many truckloads of fill to build the berms on level ground.

Try to picture what you would like the land to look like 10 and 20 years from now. Then consider if you see a clear path from what is there now to what you want in the future.

If you want to keep farm animals, how will that work out? Barn/shed/pasture locations, driveway access, gates & fencing, water supply, power, drainage, etc. You really need to develop a 'master plan' up front such that when you build something, it is part of that well thought out plan. No wasted, expensive do-overs or living with the less than optimal when it could have been better. Good planning can reduce your ongoing manual work efforts considerably. Nobody gets it perfect, but you can come close.

I hope you enjoy your land.
Dave.

 

[bullbreaker]

Consider real estate attorney to go over fine print on contract and pray he or she is not in "cahoots" with seller.Also history of title company doing closing.
Boone

 

[Botabill]

There's a lot of great advice posted here. 30 years ago I bought my 30 acre plot that was no where near as well developed as the plot you're looking at. In fact it looked like a gravel pit. Now with a ton of work put into it by my wife and I it is like the garden of eden. If the price is right grab that brass ring. They ain't making anymore land.

 

[Oliver1655]

Lots of good points. Another to consider is to check with the county tax collector and verify only one person is paying taxes on the property. My parents for over twenty years had paid taxes on land they had described on their title. However a neighbor also had part of this land on their title and also had been paying taxes on it. Since they had been paying taxes longer they ended up with the land. (No refund on the taxes my parents paid.) Title insurance is worth the money!

 

[dave1949]

Lots of good points. Another to consider is to check with the county tax collector and verify only one person is paying taxes on the property. My parents for over twenty years had paid taxes on land they had described on their title. However a neighbor also had part of this land on their title and also had been paying taxes on it. Since they had been paying taxes longer they ended up with the land. (No refund on the taxes my parents paid.) Title insurance is worth the money!

That had to hurt.
Dave.

 

[ThrowinDirt]

Sorry about the delayed response fella's, been tied up at work. WOW, I did not expect this much response this quick!!! All of the replys have had great info in them. I was pleased to find that I've covered several of the issues already. But there are still things that I just learned in reading your reply's that I wouldn't have thought of, so that is greatly appreciated.

I was unaware that my location wasn't on my User tag. The Land is located in NW LA. Being in Louisiana there isn't any issues with snow. There is however tons of water down here. The other day I walked the land after several heavy rains & there were no drainage issues in the tillable land or homesite areas. The timbered section consists of ridges & drains that would be ideal for hunting, but not ideal for building anything. The 8 acres of tillable ground is all on a table top ridge, perfectly flat & has good loamy soil. The perk test for septic is the only thing I haven't a clue about. Also the legal things are alittle touch & go. The advice to get a real estate attorney will suit me well. I also talked to a loan officer with the Land Bank & he was more than insightful. Thanks to all for the tons of help, JY.