My Buying Roadmap: Step-by-Step Checklist for Buying Rural Property
Every step from budget to keys, in order.
Buying rural property has more steps than buying in town, and missing one can cost thousands. My Buying Roadmap gives you your own numbered checklist, from setting the budget to your first 30 days on the land.
It adapts to what you are buying, how you are paying and whether you live far away, and adds the rural checks most buyers forget: the well, the septic, legal access, the survey, the flood zone and insurance.
Afraid of buying alone and missing a step? Answer three questions and get your own numbered list, from today to the day you get the keys, with the rural checks most buyers forget.
Step 1 starts with money. See every cost on top of the price before you make an offer.
Estimate hidden costsWhere this comes from
- The loan steps follow the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Buying a House guide, its Your Home Loan Toolkit and its closing checklist.
- The rural checks (well, septic, access, survey, flood zone, insurance) come from the official sources in our other tools: EPA, CDC, FEMA, USDA and the NAIC.
- How long each step takes is set by your contract and your lender. Ask your agent to put the inspection and financing deadlines in writing.
A checklist to keep you organized, not legal advice. A real estate attorney or your agent can tell you what your state requires.
Good to know
Your contract sets the deadlines for inspections and financing. Ask your agent to put them in writing.
This tool is part of the free AHO Buyer’s Toolkit, a set of tools for people buying an affordable home with land in the United States. For the full checklist before you make an offer, get our free Rural Property Buyer’s Field Guide.