Buying A Home From The Home Inspectors Perspective, Rural Homes

Part 4 - Buying A Rural Home, From The Home Inspectors Perspective

I love living in my rural home. There is plenty of space to raise cattle, horses, chickens ( which my wife loves ), a garden and kids. My nearest neighbor is a quarter mile away. The nearest town is 5 miles away. The main city areas that I serve as a Professional Home Inspector are only about 30-40 miles away which is well within driving distance. But, a house in the country or rural suburbs is still a house. It will still require maintenance, updates and care. And, it may have a few items that a home in the city may not have.

One of the biggest things to understand is that a rural home will most likely have some type of a septic system instead of being on a city sewage system. When buying a rural property, it is important to have the septic system inspected by a certified, licensed Septic System Inspector. Most lenders now require that the septic system be inspected. And, there are few certified, licensed septic system inspectors in North Texas. When hiring a Professional Home Inspection firm to inspect your rural property, try to find one like Selman Home Inspection Company which is certified and licensed to inspect all of the items in your rural property.

Rural properties often also have outbuilding such as barns, sheds and workshops. These outbuildings should also be inspected to insure that you as a prospective buyer understand their construction, use and repair needs. Many outbuilding have plumbing and electrical wiring which should be thoroughly inspected to identify any safetyt hazards or needed repairs. Remember too that these outbuildings, like the house itself will also require routine maintenance.

Ever build or repair a fence? Most rural properties have fencing styles that are unlike those in town. Rural fences like barbed wire, steel pipe, cattle panels or no-climb horse fence will require maintenance and care, almost every year. So when buying a rural property, keep in mind that you may also need to "ride fence" just like the cowboys of days gone by.

Another consideration when buying a rural home is drive time and the fuel costs to get anywhere else. With the price of fuel these days, driving to and from town can add up. Two trips per day to town to pick up and drop of school age kids takes time and fuel costs. Trips to the grocery store, hardware store, feed store, and everywhere else you need to go to get the things you need will take a little longer and cost a little more.

So, if you are thinking that you want to live in a rural home, great! As I said before, my family and I love it and would not change a thing ( except the price of fuel ). But, as your friendly neighborhood Professional Home Inspector, I thought you may want to give some thought to a few of the things that are different from living in the city.