Beyond the common dichotomy of condos versus houses, there is Rural property. They’re  typically more quiet, spacious and more out of the way.  Depending on the person these may be appealing details or unappealing details. Beyond that, it is still basically owning an interest in land and a building. There may be some zoning and permitted uses that may be of interest to you if you want to have some livestock for example but for most people the larger decision is about distance, quiet and space as mentioned above.

If you’ve not lived in a rural setting before there are two things though that you will want to at least have some knowledge of. If you’re buying a home outside of city limits, it’s likely that your property will be using a septic system instead of a sewage system. The upside is that this generally means a lower yearly tax rate but one must remember that the systems last about 30 years, need to be pumped out (“cleaned”) once every few years and the replacement cost is about 25-30k. So, when you consider the long term there is a counter balance to those savings both in terms of finance and convenience. As the replacement cost is high and it’s also about your health you will want to have an inspection done for this as well as home itself.

If you are even more rural your water system will be on a well. The water flow and quality must also be looked into.

If inspection shows that either of these things are not up to standard, you may need some help figuring out a solution and who/how it will be paid for or if another property is a smarter option. As a Realtor, my job is to help coordinate your wishes along with the input other professionals to help you make an informed decision to lead towards the best possible outcome. That sounds like a lot of double speak but there is a lot going on behind the scenes in each and every sale. I like to take the approach of making lots of info available but also being there to guide people through each stage of the process.

So here is some info on the topic from a government body. This was sent to me from the British Columbia Real Estate Association. Below are a couple of handy information packages for people who live in rural areas who have a Septic Tank or live on well water. Having grown up on a small farm myself, I know how important this info can be.

Brochures on well water and septic tank maintenance available

BC residents in rural areas rely on well water for drinking, and require septic fields to address household waste. Both require maintenance to ensure health and performance requirements are met. The BC government has recently published two new brochures on well water and septic tank maintenance:

• How to Find a Septic Tank
• Water Well Disinfection

For additional information on wells and septic fields, click here .

For further reading, I have a similar post here.

Ryan Coffey