Looking for a new home or vacant land to purchase can be a daunting task. There are so many things to keep in mind. The list of potential criteria below includes some considerations that helped to guide Brian and Anita as they searched for the right place to purchase for their retirement. Hopefully, it will be helpful to you as you think about what is important in your search for property!
- Not near a busy street or highway.
- No deep canal or body of water adjacent to the property.
- No trashy looking properties next door.
- Not within a few miles of a dairy or feedlot.
- Not in a crowded neighborhood.
- Out of town.
- Not in a subdivision with a lot of stringent CC&Rs. Rules for the property don’t require a large home.
- No homeowner’s association dues.
- Has (or will have) a well and septic system.
- Should have good sun exposure (preferably with some southern facing exposure).
- During part of our search process, we were interested in the option to put a manufactured home on the property.
- We were hoping for a view from the property.
- We didn’t want to purchase in an area with high property taxes.
- We desired a home with at least two bedrooms and two bathrooms.
- Excellent soil drainage (we wanted to avoid lowland/marshy property) and good soil for gardening.
- Not below a water dam that could break.
- Not by a river that could flood or that would require flood insurance.
- Not exposed to crop dusting or agricultural spraying of pesticides.
- We wanted a place with good tasting water.
- It should have enough water or access to irrigation water for a garden and orchard.
- Not located too far from family.
- One or more acres of useable land.
- Not a constant high wind area.
- Not a known foggy area.
- Quiet with no noisy businesses nearby.
Do you have any criteria that you would add or remove from this list? Tell us about it in the comments section below.
