I'd stick urban / suburban.

I was at our friends acreage out of town recently and there are definitely benefits: added isolation, space, closeness to nature and more self-sufficiency are all nice. However, the commute would kill me . I don't like spending lots of time driving so unless something significant changed job-wise I'll stick to the city.

For the house itself I'd love some more square footage, a nice garage and a different neighbourhood (closer to the kids' school). However, for location, I really don't even want to move to the outer suburbs - I like a more central, almost inner-city location (for our small city, that is).

But I also would love to stop paying a mortgage at some point in my life so staying where I am at and making do / adapting is also rather attractive.

Well water and DuPont may not be a good combination. Find out if there is some sort of local Water Board and have a list of questions for them. Have they done anything more than fecal coliform counts on the water? Chemical tests are very expensive to have done yourself, so see if they've done them as a matter of routine, or to keep an eye on DuPont or the other industries in the area. If they have done tests in that area, ask if you can have a printout of the results.

Also ask if there is any kind of truth disclosure laws on water sources, like if the well runs all year or dries up, contamination issues, etc. Water tables are dropping everywhere due to heavy use.

Streams, rivers and ponds flood. Some dry up in summer. If there is a river or stream nearby, get the water rights on paper. With some places, all you get is the view of the river and the flooding problems. A small spring or two would be far better (esp from a deep source, rather than groundwater) for survival purposes. Fecal coliform tests are usually cheap, $10 USD. Have every water source tested. Start with the springs, if any. Also, long ago I heard a man say, "If you find a spring on your property, dig it out with a spoon, not a backhoe", so maybe there are ways to ruin it if you have one.

If, by chance, the house needs to be re-roofed as part of the sales agreement, YOU choose the material, the safest for rainwater collection. If you have to pay the difference between what the owners want, do so. Baked-on painted metal in certain colors is safest.

In the U.S., there are more laws all the time about the limitations on what you can do with your land. Find out what restrictions are in place before you buy, regarding water, building, trees, burning, etc. Always ask, "Anything else?" just in case they don't say anything because you didn't ask about it.

Natural gas isn't piped everywhere, esp in the country, so if you want any gas at all, it has to be propane.

If you find a likely place, try to see it under the worst possible conditions.


Book: Finding & Buying Your Place in the Country by Les & Carol Scher. While the 1974 version is informative, get hold of the more recent edition (2000) for updated info.

Carla Emery's book is great, very useful.

Sue

Great advice, Sue, thanks! We've definitely got some homework to do.

I'm with you about hating the commute, Denis. I did my old one a few weeks ago, and can't believe I lasted seven years doing it. I hate being stuck in traffic. It's a definite consideration in this move. DH could end up in one of about five places between Kingston, Cornwall and Ottawa, which covers about 2 hours of highway in good weather. Buying something before his final destination is decided could be a big mistake.

All good points. In the area where I live water tests by the public utilities are required and paid for by the masses. The results are available on demand, and also published annually. Another tac you can use is to contact the local water filter companies. They will have their finger on the pulse and know exactly what's in the local water. You can get some good advice and take it with a grain of salt.

If it is really Canadian Shield (granite), OK, but, if not, make sure you are not buying / building on Quick Clay. (See Wikipedia article.)

Highway 416 between Prescott and Ottawa crosses over some unstable stretches, and you don't want to have your house collapse like what happened to a family living in St Jude, Qc on May 11, 2010. They had a nice, solid looking rural house, and it slid into a void, killing them all.

Thankd Byrd and Paul. Good points to keep in mind. Lots of research ahead!

Good advice. Welcome to ETS!

Find out where the high crime centers are. It may surprising at the number of neighborhoods that are "high target, high activity" areas. It is not just in the areas that you would consider obvious.

Check the school system reports for violence and the level of parent/teacher organization activity; unless you are homeschooling.

Get a map of the public transportation lines. It is nice to be close if you are a one-vehicle family. Actually, it is good either way.

My $.02

Though demographics can change suddenly,A good idea is to hang out in the general vicinity of a prospective residence,On a Friday or Saturday night,those two nights seem to produce the urge to frolick amongst humans,Most anywhere on the Planet!

Thanks Richlacal! Good idea!