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countryred
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2012 08:14pm - Edited by: countryred
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We are heading down to look at a small chunk of brush to someday build a cabin and semi-retire.
What things should we look for
, ask about while there?
Not so much the basic stuff as much as the " hmm , I never thought of that" type of thing.
Look for weird neighbors, etc...
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MtnDon
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2012 09:01pm
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Is it big enough to install a septic on?
Is there a perc test avail for septic?
Is there a recent survey?
Do you need a building permit to build? Costs?
How many other permits to build? (electric, etc)
How far away is electricity? Cost?
Well? How deep are the local wells in general?
Can you park a trailer /tent on the property before / while building?
Is the access road to a county, municipal or state road or through private property?
Legal easement if thru private land?
If easement thru private land who looks after the road?
Any zoning restrictions as to use or building on the land?
Any wetlands that you need to stay off because of state/federal laws?
HOA? What are the covenants, if any? (minimu size limit, for example)
That's a start.....
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countryred
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2012 09:08pm
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8 acres so in Mo big enough for a septic system..
bordered by county road, and 1 mile from blacktop.
electric 1/4 mile away, finding out from power co on that one.
Its in a saddle, between 2 mountains, if you want to call them that here. Being fairly high up, not sure of the well situation, but possibly a spring.
Restrictions:
1. No construction within 30 ft of a boundary line or access rd.
2. All wastewater systems must meet MO Dept of Natural Resources requirements.
3. All animals must be kept in a manner so as not to present a nuisance to neighboring landowners.
4. Refuse, debris, old cars, or other waste shall not be stored on the property.
5. Property shall not be further subdivided.
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GomerPile
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2012 09:31pm
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Is it in, or anywhere near a flood plain? If financed the bank will force you to buy flood insurance. (Expensive). FEMA changes flood maps to try and get more people to pay into the fund.
Are there wetlands on it? This will affect where you can put a septic. This is a federal regulation and gets messy sometimes.
Dig a 36 inch deep hole to get an idea of the soil you will be working with. Or look at perc test data if there is any. If no perc test pour water into a 24 inch deep hole to see how it drains....2-5 minutes should be good. Sandy soil with deep water table will be the cheapest for a septic.
How deep is the water table? Septic systems can't be closer than 3ft typically. Basements flood with high water tables.
Are there hillsides that might come down during flash floods?
Are the access roads passable in rain snow etc?
Are there building codes? Is the building inspector a dick? Nosy?
Are there ATV or snowmobile trails nearby? These are a security concern IMO.
If the town has a web site see if there are minutes for the various committees. Especially look at the conservation committee....some of those people can be real Eco-nazis.....spying taking pics, etc. There is a lot to be learned from public meeting records.
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Borrego
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# Posted: 3 Oct 2012 09:32pm
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Look for where the water will run. Don't build there....
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hiddenacres
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# Posted: 4 Oct 2012 08:54am
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Sounds like you may be looking at Ozarkland.com? We bought some of our property from them several years ago. It was "as advertised". No building permits needed. If you have over 5 acres you don't have to have an approved septic.
If you want you can PM me.
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TheCabinCalls
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# Posted: 4 Oct 2012 09:07am
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Expose the things the Sales Agents don't tell you...mainly:
- DEED Restrictions -
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Rifraf
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# Posted: 4 Oct 2012 09:50am - Edited by: Rifraf
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This is just me, and maybe I'm an oddball but I would ask if telephone and dsl lines can come out there since you know you are only 1/4 mile from power lines. If you use the net a lot like I do DSL access may be a selling point. It was for me.
I also asked about neighbors livestock. You do not want to be next to a pig farm unless your nose is broken.
If you dont like the land you see, and want other options in Missouri, let me know. Im in Mo. close to Mansfield.
Heres my plot, there are a few plots around here for sale im not sure which ones or the price(but i know they are close to my location, some by the same person I bought my land from)
I can check on it and give you some info if you want. I got mine owner financed, seems to be pretty normal form of land sale around here. The google earth image below is from around July. The lagoon was just being dug out as you can see, the yard has been cleared since this image as well.
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AYP1909
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# Posted: 4 Oct 2012 10:30am
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The most important item when buying property is access; does it abut upon a public road or is there a legal easement across private property.
Quoting: MtnDon Is there a recent survey?
This is another very important item. Check for encroachments, too. These could be buildings, fences, or driveways that are owned by others but have been placed upon the property you intend to purchase.
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CabinBuilder
Admin
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# Posted: 4 Oct 2012 02:16pm - Edited by: CabinBuilder
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- All-season road access?
- Distance/time to get there (from your primary home, etc.)
- How far is the nearest grocery store, building supply outlet, hospital, etc.
- Cell phone reception? Internet access?
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countryred
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# Posted: 4 Oct 2012 05:21pm
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Hiddenacres....If you have over 5 acres you don't have to have an approved septic.??
Its not with Ozarkland, but they have some nice parcels.
There are alot of springs in the area, which is good for a potential water source but overloaded or malfunctioning septic tanks in karst landscapes may dump raw sewage directly into underground channels, which is bad.
The land around it is chopped up into 2-6 acre chunks, mostly for small cabins and such.
It sets on the side of a hill, or saddle between 2 ozark mountains. Steep is good to have a view, but need a flat enough spot for the cabin and garden.
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hiddenacres
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# Posted: 4 Oct 2012 09:30pm
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Your septic system doesn't have to be approved BY the govt!!!
What they mean is you can use a lagoon which most do, or a regular system or a composting system.
Anything under 5 acres you need an approved system however , a person we know had 2 acres and his flush toilet drained out onto the ground for at least 5 years. he threw lime on it occasionally, but no one ever showed up from the county or EPA. YUCK.
I thought maybe you were looking at Ozarkland because the restrictions you listed are their 5 basic restrictions .
Also good deal on the springs. We don't have any springs and wells in the area are 250-300 ft deep. We catch rainwater, store it and filter it, till we can afford a well and we haven't run out yet, even with the dorought
Good Luck on your land purchase. We love it here!!!!!!
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countryred
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# Posted: 5 Oct 2012 04:02pm
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Hiddenacres-
We might do the rain water collection as well since its high on a hill. What type of collection system are you using?
Not sure on the septic deal. We want a tank, and the smaller ones are ok, 1 bedroom only, means a 1000 gallon tank.
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dvgchef
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# Posted: 6 Oct 2012 12:23am
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I'm high on a hill facing another hill. I wouldn't do it again! The neighbors at the base of the other hill built a pond with a deck and blast their radio on some evenings. Due to the shape of the hills and the pool of water on the bottom there is a perfect diaphram that sends sound a long way. Even though they are about a 1/2 mile away, it sounds like I have the radio on. The last time I went up Bette Midler was there to greet me. As much as I like the Divine Miss M, she is not what I go to the country for!
Also see if there are any dumps or superfund sites near by the property www.epa.gov/superfund/sites/
Good luck!
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 6 Oct 2012 10:33am - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Timber and mineral rights. Do you own them? Not that you plan on a timber harvest or strip mine, be nice no one else could while you are building your cabin.
I have some restrictions on my place, ie no junk storage, min size cabins. But not anything unreasonable like HOA would have.
I do have timber and mineral rights.
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countryred
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# Posted: 6 Oct 2012 04:06pm
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We can cut as much timber as we want. Very few neighbors and most are seasonal with about 1/2 being off grid.
Right now the biggest issue that it is pretty steep land. Need a flat enough area for the cabin and garden.
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Ozarker
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# Posted: 12 Jul 2013 05:55pm
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Hey Countryred, don't forget a place to park vehicles, hopefully close to the cabin to haul stuff in and out. My place is on a step hill side as well a lake front outside Blue Eye. I have to park about 60' up the hill on a shared road, plenty big enough, but it's 60' away! Flat rock stepping stones going down (or up) hill, try rolling your fridge or washer and dryer in there, hauling food in and trash out! Been doing it for over 15 years, it's added work and it gets old!
You can have a decent garden on a hill side, terrace it for the planting rows and dredge to hold some water longer. Working the gardens around here very long will cause one leg to grow longer than the other too.
As for DNR, they may not inspect at over 5 acres, but if anyone ever complains they will and compliance will be pretty much what they say it will be. At my place my neighbor to the south is a DNR sanctuary for some wild endangered cedar tree, I sure don't want my stuff in there, and we are also under different rules being at the water, so I'd check with the county as to what you need to comply with!
Sounds like you have a shared road, better check and see if you have a road agreement filed as that can be a requirement for financing if you ever want a loan on the place or sell it to someone who needs financing (depends on what you're planning too, as to what you build). Handshakes are out of style now, people die and the new owners may not have the integrity as the old owner, you know, those "it's all about me generations" If you don't have one, I'd try real hard to get one, it can protect everyone.
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toyota_mdt_tech
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# Posted: 13 Jul 2013 06:00pm - Edited by: toyota_mdt_tech
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Does a neighbor have a well close to your boundary? If so, rule is nothing around it for 100 foot radius, so if its next to their property line, they have rendered a chunk of your land useless to build on.
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kimtodd
Member
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# Posted: 7 Dec 2013 11:15pm
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Just purchased 60 acres of bush with 2 ponds and a creek which winds through the property. Place is 1 hour from my door in the city and I'm in heaven  Can't wait to start building - calling the place Weasel Creek.
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SubArcticGuy
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# Posted: 7 Dec 2013 11:43pm
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Probably not applicable for a retirement place...but for me a big part of picking a place was finding an area where the kids can safely explore as they get older....A peninsula of land where they won't be able to walk and get "TOO LOST"... I am truly on the edge of the wilderness. There is nearly 1000km of roadless and trailless bush between me and Hudson bay....more if you go north.
I am on the water too so I also picked a spot on a smaller body of water so they can also explore by boat/canoe and not get windbound or stranded too far away.
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TheWildMan
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2013 08:13am
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are there useful resources on the property, it may not seem obvious but you may want to have any vegetation identified. a large area of blueberries means free fruit, same with apple trees. timber resources for firewood, etc
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SandyR
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2013 09:04am
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I looked for signs of wildlife while looking for our property to make sure it would be a safe place to bring my family to for an extended amount of time. Everything else you can make change to, but polluted water, soil, or air is not changeable.
Frogs are are an indicator as to the conditions of the environment in the area as they breathe through their skin and any pollutants there to harm the frogs would harm us.
We saw many frogs and snakes on our property while walking on it for the first time.
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Smawgunner
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# Posted: 10 Dec 2013 07:00pm
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I made sure the land around me were large tracts and not cut up land for trailers.
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ChuckDynasty
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# Posted: 11 Jan 2014 09:10am
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Check the sex offender registry in your area. Google town and road name for any undesirable news or events.
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rockies
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# Posted: 12 Jan 2014 04:17pm
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Do you really need a septic system? Find out if you're allowed to have a composting toilet. If so, you may only need a grey water treatment system.
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Rossman
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2014 12:32pm
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Quoting: ChuckDynasty Check the sex offender registry in your area.
Wow...there's one I never thought of! I don't think we have a searchable registry we can check, here in Canada...?
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razmichael
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2014 01:21pm
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Quoting: Rossman I don't think we have a searchable registry we can check, here in Canada...?
We do but, in good old Canadian fashion is is not available to the public - "The public does not have access to the National Sex Offender Registry. It is a database maintained by the RCMP that provides Canadian police services with important information that will improve their ability to investigate and prevent crimes of a sexual nature."
Ontario has it's own as well and there is a legal battle (believe still underway) to make it public. There are also some public websites that try to make as much information as possible open although generally this will not enable you to look up an area and see who your neighbor may be.
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silverwaterlady
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2014 04:28pm - Edited by: silverwaterlady
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Who are they trying to protect by not making the list public? In the States you can check it. However you can't stop a sex offender from moving into your neighborhood unless you are near a school. That happened to us 20 years after we bought our house. He has since moved away.
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Rossman
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2014 05:03pm
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Quoting: silverwaterlady Who are they trying to protect by not making the list public?
Probably, the sex offenders? So people don't look them up then go all vigilante on them.
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razmichael
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# Posted: 13 Jan 2014 05:57pm
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Quoting: Rossman So people don't look them up then go all vigilante on them.
That's exactly the argument used! Wonderful isn't it.
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