Tip #3 For Planning Your Home in the Country

Yesterday we talked about location. But you also need research the surrounding area. And that's why tip #3 is know the area!

If at all possible, spend some extended time in your chosen area before buying. Cindy suggests vacationing there to get acquainted with the people and the environs. Seasonal visits can also help you gauge, for instance, how passable area roads are after a snowfall and how heavy spring rains affect the stream that runs through your prospective land.

A healthy dose of respect for the area is paramount, too—remember that it was precisely the area’s wide open spaces uncluttered by strip malls, slower pace and beauty that attracted you to begin with, and that some adaptations may be necessary on your part, Cindy counsels. In the absence of corner convenience stores and fast food restaurants, for instance, you may need to be more thorough in your shopping and travel a little farther to do it. “You may find yourself behind a tractor in traffic. Be patient. Accept that you’ll smell manure occasionally, especially when a farmer is fertilizing. Don’t expect people to change for you,” Cindy says.

And for heaven’s sake, don’t feed the bears! Cindy relates that a colleague sold a house in a rural gated community to a couple who began feeding a bear that wandered onto their land. In short order, when the couple would return home the bear would sometimes be on their front lawn and they would have to try frightening it away or wait until it moved on since they didn’t have a garage to make a safe entry into their home. On one particular occasion, the couple left the glass door open that led onto their deck, and the bear broke through the screen door into their kitchen, which it promptly ransacked. While the couple was unharmed, they wanted to sell their home—immediately! More often than not, however, a carefully researched move to the country ends happily.

Check back tomorrow for Tip #4!

Article written by Jean Paffenback and republished from MidAtlantic Farm Credit's Farm Credit Leader Magazine.