Tips For Purchasing Rural Homes

If you and your spouse have decided to leave the city life behind for a slower farm life, then there are some things that you need to take into consideration during your rural property buying process. There are certain aspects of purchasing rural property that are very different than when you buy a home in a subdivision or city.

Three of these considerations are:

• legal permits for out buildings on the property
• full-spectrum water testing for mineral and biological contamination of well water
• inspection and pumping of the septic system

Here is some additional information on each of these important aspects of purchasing rural property:

Building Permits

It is very common for people who live on rural land to erect structures that are not legally permitted by the local government's building department. Buying land without permitted buildings can lead to problems with homeowner's insurance and selling your property down the line. To avoid these type of problems, do not rely on anyone else's information. Instead, go to the county building department and ask to see the permits for the buildings on any piece of property that you consider purchasing. The information is available to the public, and if you discover that buildings on the property you want to purchase are not permitted, then you can ask to have that situation rectified by the current owners before you buy the land.

Well Water Testing

Well water can be contaminated by both biological growth and minerals. While many areas of the country require that biological well testing is performed before you can sell a piece of property, often there is no requirement for mineralogical testing of the water. Since arsenic, iron, lead, calcium, and other minerals can be a health threat to your family and damaging to your home's plumbing, you should have a full-spectrum water test performed on the well water to ensure that it is clean and safe.

Septic System Inspection

Finally, before you agree to purchase a rural home, it is important to have the septic tank both pumped out and inspected. While most people will have the tank pumped before leaving, you need to also insist on a camera inspection of the tank and leach lines. The inspection will let you know if there are any cracks or other problems with the septic system. If problems are detected, then you can require the sellers of your home to fix the problems before escrow closes.