There are many topics to discuss when considering a land purchase in Arizona. Below we will briefly discuss many of the items to research prior to buying your Arizona acreage. In future articles we will delve deeper into the subjects for the more thorough student and knowledgeable land buyer. Protect yourself and your land investment by doing as much research as possible prior to closing on your property.

The first question I would ask is why do you want to buy land? Is it to hold for investment or will you retire on the property someday? If you build on the land do you want a weekend getaway to visit every so often or do you want as self-sufficient retreat where you can stay during Armageddon? The answers to these and other land-use questions will help determine they location and type of property you should purchase in our great state of Arizona.

Once you find a suitable property that you like, determine how utilities delivered. Many utility providers offered free line extensions to serve new customers but this is changing. For instance APS, an Arizonan power provider, has recently changed their policies; previously they would run their lines 1000 feet to connect to a new customer. Now the land owner pays the full cost to extend power lines. It gets very costly to run power lines when it costs between $10 and $30 per foot. A good alternative with no monthly bill would be a solar power system for your Arizona ranch property.

The telephone is similar to electricity. If the parcel you are looking at doesn?t have phone lines it will be expensive to bring in. Many cell phone providers have good coverage to remote parts of the Arizona. Our properties listed near Seligman for instance have great coverage from Verizon but, the lot we have listed near Lyman Lake doesn?t have any cell signals but does have a land telephone line.

There are usually two ways water comes in and one way it goes out. Water will either be coming from a well or it will be hauled or delivered into a storage tank or cistern. An onsite water treatment facility or a septic system is the most common way to dispose of liquid waste. A percolation test of the soil prior to purchase will determine the type of system required. Traditional systems can run between $4,000-$7,000 while alternative systems can run upwards of $15,000.

Check with the local municipality or in most cases the county about the zoning and uses of the land you are looking to purchase. Make sure your intended use complies with existing zoning permitted uses. You may also want to look at the area?s general plan, future projects, and developments for the area.

Most properties come with some easements, restrictions and even Property Owners? Associations. A title report should alert a buyer to anything that may affect the property. Take you time to review the title report and ask questions on anything you may have concerns about.

Taking some time prior to the purchase of land in Arizona will ensure you know are getting exactly what you want.