I bought the lot I built my house on in 1977 when I was thirty years old. It was the last rural lot we could find in our county of about 32,000. At that time I knew the lot would require a well and a septic system. With houses all around me it didn’t occur to me to check on anything else.

            We are about thirty feet above the Illinois River thanks to the glaciers melting and dropping their load of sand and gravel. We are located on forty-seven feet of sand and gravel. The house across the street, to the southeast, and next door to the south (end of the block) is not on the sand and gravel and those wells are over 300 feet deep verses my forty-five. After a heavy rain the lot to the south holds water on their North side next to mine. It flows over to the front of my lot and in an hour has dropped into my sand and gravel.

            As I have gotten older and more aware of where not to locate I have put together a list of check points and with today’s climate change they are even more important.

1. Check with the local insurance companies about the potential to flood with a six inch rain. How prone is the area and especially access roads?
2. Elevation above sea level because the ocean’s are rising and pushing rivers higher. Even areas tens of miles inland could be affected. Charleston, South Carolina is going to build a New Orleans style levee. Lots of homes will be outside it. It’s illegal to say a listed house is subject to global warming in North Carolina.
3. Check with local taxing departments for what tax you will pay plus any other charges you might incur. Developers sometimes put costs onto the buyer who doesn’t know until the tax bill arrives. It isn’t called a tax.
4. Check with the local Police Department for crime statistics.
5. Check distance to nearest medical facility and its level.
6. Check for any specialist you might need now and in the future.
7. Is the area known for high winds that damage a roof? Hurricanes damage roofs far from the coast. Lower angle roofs are more susceptible to damage.
8. As you get older exterior and interior steps become a greater inconvenience and hazard. In tornado prone areas, a lower level or basement is a necessary inconvenience. Tornadoes are getting stronger and more common.
9. Look at distance to shopping, grocery stores, and restaurants.
10. Outside maintenance should be a major consideration as one gets older.
11. How dependable are the utilities? If power is a problem very often or in an area with frequent storms a generator might be an additional cost. A generator costs several thousand dollars.
12. House and car insurance may be much higher than you currently pay if available from a reputable company or from the state like in Florida.
13. What are the local electric and water rates? Especially if the property is all electric. Is internet and phone service available?
14. An area with low or no real estate taxes and or income taxes get their operating money from somewhere and is the amount dependable for the future? (My real estate tax jumped when the huge power plant closed. The tax increase pusher said the plant would pay the increase.)
15. Check on what churches, clubs, and organizations are in the area to assist in making friends.

These are just the first questions you should ask and many more should be on your list.