Property Assessment
When looking for a property there may be other considerations other than suitability for growing. Either way it is important to follow some simple steps:
- Write a list of preferences.
The list we used was
- URL of property advertisement
- Address
- Price
- Total hectares
- Usable space (in hectares)
- Date listed - told us how long it had been on the market and is a good indication of value as good properties are snapped up quickly
- Internet availability - can be patchy in a rural setting
- Cell phone coverage
- Soil type
- Soil suitability - can we grow what we want
- Land Aspect - slope, gullies, ....
- Water (well, spring, tank,....)
- Suitable house - will it serve your purpose
- Income generation possibilities
- Outhouses - barns, garages, other covered areas
- View - what can you see from the property, we found this important you may not
- Community - e.g. is it a commuter town where everyone heads to the city in the morning or do they stay around and work on the land?
- Resale value
- Remarks
- Government valuation - may not be appropriate but is usually used to calculate Rates
- Land valuation
- Travel time and distance to nearest town/ place of work/family
- Power - connected to the grid, solar, wind
- Condition of paddocks and fences - it can be expensive if fences are in disrepair
- Altitude
- Wooded areas on property with type of trees - natives, exotic, weed
- Bedrooms - number and size, any with en-suite bathrooms
- Rent - a useful measure of value is what rent could you receive for the property
- Rates
- Video the property at the time of visiting after having obtained the owners permission. Reviewing the video afterwards can show aspects that were not noticed during the visit. This is especially important if visiting more than one property in one day.
- Score the property on the spreadsheet. A cloud based spreadsheet e.g. Google Sheets, allows the findings to be recorded either during the visit, or immediately afterwards before details are forgotten, and before another property is visited. We used to sit in the car ticking things off before we drove to the next property.
- Ask owners about items such as: frost, sunshine and shadows (tall trees cast shadows) direction of prevailing wind (will sprays from neighbours blow onto property), microclimates, drainage (summer and winter)
- Check Google Earth history for signs of previous use - old farm tracks, burn piles, field drains, water accumulation, discoloured vegetation and so on.
- Perform whatever due diligence is normal in your particular situation.