Product Description

The trusted guide that Backwoods Home magazine calls ""the bible"" of buying rural property.

City dwellers and suburbanites who dream of a simpler life in the country will appreciate the Schers' straightforward explanations of the particulars of buying rural land. Everything is covered in these pages, from looking for property, through evaluating it and negotiating price, to the contract of sale. Important topics such as water and easement rights, zoning, and eminent domain are made clear. Sample legal forms and checklists provide the basics, and resource listings point to sources of regional and local information, including Internet sites. A special chapter discusses Canada's real estate market. Covering current property laws and financing options, this comprehensive resource offers insiders' knowledge on how to avoid common pitfalls and prevent costly mistakes.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #176905 in Books
• Published on: 2000-09-18
• Released on: 2000-09-18
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 432 pages

From Library Journal
When this book ( LJ 10/15/74) was first published, it became a definitive guide for the back-to-the-land movement. While most of the text of this new edition is substantially the same, there are also significant changes. Legal information has been brought up to date. There is also deeper coverage of alternate energy sources and technologies and of manufactured homes. Information about Canada has been expanded into a full chapter. The exhaustive lists of government agencies and information/publication sources have been expanded and updated. Numerous sample legal forms are still included. An eight-page reproducible property checklist summarizes the content for an actual search. Geared to the lay reader, this book covers every possible concern about land, buildings, and legal details in a complete and understandable way, including cooperative ownership agreements. While the hippies are gone, the electronic office that allows people to work from home and the growing number of retirees moving to the country make this a useful and relevant selection for both neophyte and experienced real estate buyers. This is highly recommended.
- Cheryl Childress, Collegiate Sch . , Richmond, Va.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher
Praise for previous editions:

"This book tells you everything." --The New York Times

"We've never seen such a comprehensive book on the subject…it may just as well have been called the 'bible' on finding and buying your place in the country." --Backwoods Home magazine

Although the “back to the land” movement has been going on for years, recent technological advances have made rural living a viable option for people who never before believed that they could realize the dream of leaving behind urban stress. And even those committed to city living are contributing to the boom in the market for second homes, often rural homes, farms, or ranches.

The most comprehensive information source available, this consummate guide to country real estate offers detailed, step-by-step action plans and a complete country property evaluation checklist. The authors leave no stone unturned, pointing to the potential risks and rewards of purchasing rural properties. They discuss in detail how to:

* Start the search, look for land, and find trustworthy rural real estate experts * Evaluate water, climate, topography, soil, and local amenities * Deal with complex laws relating to such rural issues as water, minerals, easements, and zoning * Negotiate the best price and finance the purchase

About the Author
Les and Carol Scher bought their country property in 1969, and have been adding to their acreage for more than 30 years.

Les Scher is an attorney specializing in rural real estate and property issues. He speaks at homebuying conferences nationwide.

Carol Scher is a writer and consumer advocate. Together they have helped hundreds of thousands of people buy the country property of their dreams.

Customer Reviews

Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country
This is a must read for the professional and novice country real estate buyer. We purchased Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country in 1974 and have used it as our source of valuable information since then. Though the cover is now a bit tattered and dated, the book has a prominent place on our bookshelf. It was this book that caused us to look realistically at a piece of property and to put emotion aside. We can honestly say that the book saved us from making purchasing mistakes that would have been financially devastating back when we had very little money. This had to do with investigating access to landlocked property. It looked like a good deal until we found we couldn't legally get to the property without going through a lengthy and costly court fight. We have purchased over 50 pieces of rural property and have used the book as a primer for each purchase. The book's contents prompt us to think out of the box and to question those things that seem to be appropriate on their face, but may have underlying problems. We suppose it's time to buy the newest revision, however, we have scrawled notes on the pages of the old book and that provides a 30-year history of the deals we have completed. It would be like getting rid of an old friend. Final note- we were prompted to take that step of living a life rather than making a living after reading the book for the first time. It gave us the confidence that 20-year olds typically lack. Thanks to the Scher's for making our lives better. We wake up every morning to the sounds of a waterfall in the stream that meanders down to our own private lake. Our dreams came true due, in no small part, to Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country.

Great overall summary of the process.
Summary: Great book for people that may have bought houses, but don't know the intricacies of country property. I like this book because it is easy to read and covers all the subjects. The only criticism is that it covers too many generic topics. For example, they get into financing, and all those other topics that are not unique to country property. But in fairness, this book covers a lot of country material too and is all that you'd need to understand the whole process.

I particularly liked their explanations of what to look for in water supply, and how to install your own wells. They cover the sewer topics fairly well.

They tell you where to get your maps and other information to find, research and then close your property. Overall I would give it a solid "A" for the learning about the details of finding your property... once you knew the general area to look in.

Here's some of their advice... here's their TOP 10 things To Know Before Closing:

"1 - Remember, the seller's real estate agent works for the seller and does not get paid without making a sale.

2 - The price and terms are always negotiable.

3 - Never buy land without a proven source of adequate water, which inlcudes recorded water rights if it is from somebody else's land. Test the water for potability.

4 - Never buy land without first securing the necessary permits for installing your own sewage disposal system, or insuring that you can hook up to a public sewage system if one is available.

5 - Be certain of where your boundary lines are located by conducting a survy of the property.

6 - Don't buy land that does not have deed easement rights from the public road to the property.

7 - Be sure the zoning will permit you to use your property as you intended to use it.

8 - Determine the legal status of any uses being made of the property by other person. Investigate any sign of roads, grazing, or the taking of water.

9 - Review all documents referred to in a preliminary title report or abstract of title! . Hire a layer to review and interpret these deocuments if you are unable to do so yourself.

10 - Avoid parternships if at all possible."

Their chapters detail why such advice is necessary and all the details of how to carry it out.

In general I really like this book. I was particularly pleased to read their section on the 3 versions of water rights that we have throughout our country. Did you know there's a BIG difference just between the way Texas allows water usage (California style) and the way Arkansas does it (Eastern style)?

Highly recommended.

Protect yourself from your own inexperience
This book is an excellent source for people who are looking to buy country property. Having lived all my life in a suburban area I was completely unaware of how many things I needed to keep in mind when examining country property. Next time I see a "great deal" I will know enough to ask if the property has had a percolation test, are there public utilities and if there is a deeded easement. Basic things, I know, but ones I was uninformed about. The price of this book might have saved me from making a very costly mistake!