Rural Property Purchase Lawyers

Apart from the fundamental property rights, buyers of rural land typically have two additional rights:

• Right to information about particular circumstances that cause annoyance
• Right to be free from obnoxious annoyances.

Decide on the Type of Rural Property You Want to Own

There are numerous possibilities available to you when purchasing a rural property. While some properties are used as a business, others are your primary residence. It’s critical to plan out how you’ll use your rural property because different financing options are needed for various purposes.

Hobby Farm

A hobby farm is a small farm that is operated more for interest or entertainment than for financial gain. A hobby farm may bring in some money, but it probably won’t be your main source of revenue.

Additionally, a lot of people’s hobby farms cost them more money than they make. The IRS states that you cannot claim farming as a business activity for tax deductions if you conduct it as a hobby.

A hobby farm is generally defined as anything with 50 acres or less, though it is sometimes closer to just a few acres. But there are other factors besides the land. More than 50 acres might be used for a hobby farm, while fewer could be used for a successful farming operation. Whether it is profitable makes a difference.

Weekend Residence

A property used for weekend getaways and gatherings of the whole family is often referred to as a weekender. If you live in a city, you might buy a weekend property so you have a place for outdoor activities you can’t enjoy at home, including gardening, swimming, or hiking.

Weekender homes can range in price from a small cottage’s low price to millions of dollars worth of beachfront real estate.

Working Farm

There are other rural properties outside hobby farms that you might take into account. A lot of people finance and buy active farms and ranches. Working farms are far larger than hobby farms, regardless of whether your farm or ranch is used for cultivating vegetables or raising cattle.

According to USDA statistics, the average size of a working farm in 2019 was 444 acres.

Profitability is a more crucial distinction between a hobby farm and a working farm. While hobby farms may generate some cash, they aren’t profitable sources of income and definitely need more for full-time employment. However, a working farm is profitable and is recognized by the IRS as a company.

Remember that buying a functioning farm can require a certain type of financing, depending on the business situation.

Self-Sufficient Property

A property is self-sufficient if it doesn’t depend on outside resources. Green energy can be produced on self-sufficient properties to power their homes, frequently using off-grid solar or wind.

Many self-sufficient landowners go a step further, cultivating their own produce and keeping their own livestock instead of relying on grocery stores for sustenance. Homesteading is a common term for this way of life.

It’s critical to understand that maintaining a self-sufficient property is challenging. The rural property must put in a lot of effort and spend a lot of money to establish and keep itself self-sufficient.

Low-Cost Rural Home

People frequently envision a homestead or hobby farm when they think of rural life, but that isn’t necessarily the case. The majority of rural residents actually live in typical homes, such as Cape Cods, ranches, or other common house styles; they just happen to be in a rural location.

The government facilitates the purchase of rural homes by low-to-moderate-income families using USDA loans. These loans may originate directly from the USDA or from a lender with USDA approval. A home must be used as the principal residence, be situated in a designated location, and meet specific structural requirements to qualify for this financing.

Wild Land

Some purchasers prefer to purchase undeveloped land that they may use any way they please rather than an established house. Buying land is frequently done with the intention of building a house to live in, a house to sell, or just leaving the property unoccupied. As an illustration, you might purchase a piece of property to use as a hunting area during specific times of the year.

As an investment, you may also purchase undeveloped land, particularly in a developing neighborhood. In this form of real estate investing, referred to as “buy-and-hold flipping,” you purchase a home and keep it for a while before selling it for a profit.

Property for Rental/Investment

A rental or investment property is the last kind of rural property you might purchase. Long-term rentals and short-term rentals are the two most prevalent forms of this.

A home that you rent out for short-term and vacation guests is known as a short-term rental, such as an Airbnb. A popular tourist location could be a beach house, a country house, a cabin in the woods, or even a special type of alternative dwelling, and the owner might rent it out to travelers.

Long-term rentals are those the owner leases to a specific tenant for extended periods. The standard lease period for these rental units is one year, though it may be a little shorter or longer.

Both short-term and long-term rental properties provide the owner with a reliable revenue stream.

Do I Have a Right to Know About a Particular Nuisance That Might Cause an Annoyance?

If you purchase real estate where someone already resides, the seller could be obligated to disclose any conditions that would be bothersome. In several areas, rural and urban sellers must provide buyers with disclosure documents indicating any nearby issues, such as noise, odors, and dust.

Local right-to-farm legislation that mandates sellers to provide information regarding neighboring farming activities has been adopted in a few counties in a few states. There are also laws requiring developers to report the existence of nearby protected agriculture activities.

What Does “Freedom from Unreasonable Nuisances”?

There are rights-to-farm statutes in numerous states. You have the right as a homeowner to be free from unreasonable nuisances but not reasonable rural ones. Most suburbanites are unaware of these restrictions and are unaware of typical farming methods.

A new homeowner may launch a nuisance lawsuit if they believe a farming enterprise is not subject to “reasonable” protection under the law. The USDA and other regulatory authorities enact and maintain these safeguards for farmers.

Are There Any Other Considerations I Should Consider When Buying a Country Home?

You must follow all legal requirements when buying a piece of land in every state. You should comprehensively investigate the surroundings before building your ideal home in the country. A new subdivision’s size, beauty, and price should not lead buyers to believe that farming activities won’t be an issue.

Do I Need to Speak with a Lawyer About My Property or Nuisance Issues?

Although numerous state authorities are at your disposal (such as the Department of Agriculture, the Health Department, and the USDA), if you need immediate assistance with some farming-related matters, you should probably speak with a property lawyer.

A competent property attorney can assist you in filing a complaint involving a failure to disclose information about your rural property, a nuisance, violating your neighbor’s farming license, or if enough individuals have complained, a class action lawsuit.