Surveying the Land

photo from http://aresohappy.tumblr.com/#3069207014

I spent a large part of the afternoon soaking up the sun (man, was it gorgeous out today!) and flipping through real estate catalogs.  There is SO much property on the market and the beautiful photos and tempting advertisements make purchasing property seem pretty appealing.  That, and the fact that it voids a lot of the complications of leasing land from another person that I have been trying to sort through the past few days.

But what's the difference between a farm and a house on a large piece of property?  Well, a lot, actually.  I'm hoping to find a farm with a house and at least one barn/outbuilding (unless a perfect piece of property presents itself).  For me, the barn is almost even more exciting than the house, as it is the center of storing feed and housing animals.

There are other considerations, as well.  Zoning is a big one.  Land must be zoned for agriculture in order for a lot of farming practices to be allowed.  Land is the other.  Natural Resource Conservation Services (NRCS) has a Web Soil Survey, where you can enter the address for a property and learn about the soil quality.  It's also important to take several samples of the soil to be analyzed for nutrients and potential toxic substances.  UConn also publishes CT Environmental Conditions Online, to help survey the land before purchasing/leasing.

As for the catalog shopping?  I found a few potential properties, but nothing in the towns that I was hoping for.  I contacted a real estate agent earlier in the week and hope to hear back from him with potential properties early next week!