This is the list to work through before you sign anything. It will not tell you whether to move. It will tell you what the move actually costs, so the decision is yours to make with open eyes.
Before you look at land
- Write down your real monthly figure — not what you hope to spend, what you currently spend.
- Decide how far you are willing to drive for groceries, fuel, a hardware store, and a hospital. Then drive it, on a bad-weather day, before you commit.
- Work out what income follows you and what does not.
- Agree with your household on what would count as failure, and what you would do then.
Checking a property
- Water. Well depth, recovery rate, and the date of the last test. Ask what the neighbours pay to drill.
- Access. Who maintains the road. Whether it is passable in ice and mud. Whether it is legally yours to use.
- Septic. Age, tank size, last pump-out, and whether the drain field has ever been replaced.
- Power. Distance to the nearest pole and the utility’s charge per foot to run new line. This surprises people badly.
- Zoning and covenants. What you may build, keep, and sell from the property.
- Drainage and slope. Walk it after heavy rain if you possibly can.
- Soil. A county extension test costs little and tells you what will grow.
Budgeting the first year
Most people budget the purchase and forget the year that follows. Set money aside for the things that arrive whether you planned them or not: a well pump, a vehicle repair, fencing, tools you did not know you needed, and a heating season that costs more than you expected.
The move itself
- Change of address, mail forwarding, and a physical address the delivery services will actually find.
- Internet before you need it — check what is genuinely available at the address, not in the county.
- Meet the neighbours early. In the country they are your first responders.
Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.
Proverbs 24:27, KJV