Customer Reviews

Finding & Buying Your Place in the Country

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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.

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!

I purchased this book along with two others as we embark on our journey to move to the country. The other two books were very good at helping to identify location and prospective properties. "Finding and Buying" is the reference to winnowing propsective properties. Les Scher goes into great and well written detail on what to look for and look out for relative to the common issues of water, surveying, easements and access. Additionally, Les describes Eminent Domain, Condemnation and Adverse Posession; things to consider in a rural purchase. The model contract alone is worth the price of the book!
Les - If you ever read this, THANK YOU!

Buyer beware. This books descriptions on items to look for (or beware of) when purchasing land is extremely bennificial to the first time buyer of land in the country. It's descriptions of rights that may be reserved by the seller on you title, eminent domain & condemantion, and adverse possession were definitely eye opening.

With clear language, logical organization, and invaluable resource listings, this book tells you everything you need to know about due diligence on the land you're considering, contracts, negotiations, financing, etc. I felt much more confident about purchasing my country property after reading this book and following its advice.

If comprehensive is what you want, this should make you happy. The problem is that if you follow every bit of advice in this book you will have to quit your job and make finding your place a full time endeavor (or spend years part time). The advice is all good, but it almost makes the task seem more daunting, not less. Still great for learning all the issues and things to look out for, then you decide how much effort to put into footwork before buying your piece in the country

Everything you need to know to make the move to the country is here. Complete easy-to-understand instructions take you every step of the way through the buying process. Many common pitfalls are descibed in detail. This book has saved our family thousands of dollars.

If you are thinking of leaving the hustle, bustle, and insecure feeling of city life, this book will be a definate help to you. Lists common problems that you make incure and how to avoid them to make your dream of moving to the country easier. It is clear, concise, and thorough. Out of all the books we bought on this subject, this is the most helpful.

I bought this book while my wife and I were looking for a piece of property in rural West Virginia. It was very helpful with explaining things to take into consideration when purchasing a house/land out in the country. The chapters explaining what to look for on the land and how to identify any problems with the house were particularly useful. If it wasn't for reading this book I would not have thought to drive out after a hard rain to check for flooding along the main roads. The book also enabled me to ask my realtor a lot of questions that, from her reaction at least, people don't tend to ask. Overall, I would say this book made me a confident first time home buyer (and 1st time home buyer of a rural property).

The only drawback to the book (and the reason I gave it four instead of five stars) is that the information about how to search for a house is really outdated. The author talks about contacting real estate companies and requesting house listings. Since everything is done online now, it would be more helpful to discuss useful strategies on how to search for properties and what websites are best to use (such as realtor.com or landandfarm.com). It would also be helpful if there was a discussion on other internet resources. For example, I learned on my own that Google Maps and Google Earth are great tools to use after you have found a potential property. The street views, topographical maps, birds-eye-views, and other functions of these program gives the buyer a plethora of information at the click of a button. The information in the resources section is also dated, and, once again, the web resources in these sections are very limited. Even with these drawbacks, the book is worth purchasing if you are unfamiliar with purchasing/living on a rural property.