Hello, rowl-ga,
I am more than happy to answer your question. Thanks for breaking it
up and making it so succinct. You have made your requests extremely
clear, which is a pleasure for any researcher!
What should I know before contacting a real estate agent to buy this
land?
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1. Define, as best you can beforehand, exactly what you want in a
property!
In order for a real estate agent to know exactly what you are looking
for, it is essential that you refine your property parameters as best
you can so that an agent will not barrage you with a lot of useless
listings.
You have already stated that, ideally, you want:
"a large, forested "wilderness" property located on a lake, with or
without a house or cabin already built, in a hilly or mountainous
region where the climate is mild enough in the summer to allow lake
temperatures to be "warm" enough for bathing. You would like road
access to the property, with a town close enough that you can buy
necessities, and I presume, get basic medical help if necessary. Yet,
you want the parcel to be large enough that you are essentially
"removed from civilization" (or feel that you are) while spending your
time there. You are willing to consider any of the Canadian provinces
as long as the property description fits."
That is a great start. If you can refine the parameters even more,
that would be helpful.
For instance:
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How far are you willing to drive to get the basic necessities?
Are you willing to live without utilities, like electricity, and
willing to heat with a wood stove? If not, are you prepared to use a
generator, which requires a stockpile of gasoline for the amount of
time you will be at your second home, or do you want to live close
enough to a town to have access to electricity?
Are you willing to live without running water, or do you require a
well?
Are you content to fly in to a small town, even if by bush plane, and
drive a distance to your property, or be flown by float plane to
access your second home?
If you say "yes" to float plane access, which you would most likely
hire for bush transport, are you willing to pay the price every time
you need to get back and forth to town?
Do you really want to spend long stretches of time without access to
other human beings, or do you just want to be remote enough that you
feel your are "away from it all," even if you are, in reality, only a
30 minute drive from town?
Are you willing, in quest of true "remoteness," to extend yourself
even farther by flying in all of your supplies to last you for the
amount of time you want to spend at your second home - a month, or
several months?
Are you willing to consider building a log cabin from wood on your
property? If not, you need to consider how you will buy the wood and
other building supplies you need and transport them to your property.
How far are you willing to travel to your home, by whatever means,
from a major airport?
*** Keep in mind that you can, in many instances, feel quite remote on
as little as 20-40 acres, while still having relatively close access
to a town, especially if the surrounding parcels are as big, bigger,
or unoccupied.***
It is very important that you truly examine yourself, and define the
material and social aspects of life that are important to you. What do
you really want to give up in your quest for remoteness? And what do
you want to keep? These are vitally important questions, since, as you
mentioned in your first question, this will be the decision of a
lifetime. Don't buy property that is truly remote unless you think you
can be very comfortable with complete isolation.
Write down all of your thoughts. Make columns with pros and
cons....whatever works best for you in defining your actual desires.
The more you can narrow down what you really want, the better position
you will be in to formulate a description of the actual type of
property you are willing to consider.
==========
2. Accumulate basic knowledge about Canada before you approach a real
estate agent. First, get a detailed map of Canada, and get an idea of
the particular climate and terrain in each province. For example, it
is important to know that the province of British Columbia is quite
different than, say, Saskatchewan. Since you mentioned that you like
mountainous terrain, and want forest and lake property, that rules out
quite a bit of area in Canada. Therefore, if mountains are a priority,
you have eliminated a good portion of the "prairie" provinces.
Secondly, the farther north you go in many of the provinces, you run
into taiga terrain which is predominantly flat and covered with
stunted spruce.
Where are there hills, mountains and lakes combined? What is the
climate like during the time of year you would most want to visit? If
you visit in the winter, are roads passable?
Are rainy summers something you can live with?
Go on the internet and read description about each province, or find
a comprehensive book about Canada.
3. Determine what your price range is. Only you know what you will
feel comfortable spending.
How should I phrase my request to the agent?
*******************************************
After you have carefully considered my suggestions above, write down
your property description as simply as I have in Step 1. It does not
have to presented in any particular format. Real estate agents are
real estate agents!!!! Half the time, if you are not absolutely
specific about what you want, they will show you all sorts of
properties that are not even close to what you want!!!!!
Don't be afraid to be exact in your description, but, at the same
time, consider any suggestions they may have. After all, they live in
Canada.
Lastly, give the agent a price range. Most likely, they will also
stray slightly above and below your range, but at least they will be
in the ballpark.
I some cases, you may be able to do this entirely over the internet by
going to a realtor's website. You can often type in the type of
properties you are looking for, and they will send you listings or
brochures.
What pitfalls should I avoid?
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Avoid the pitfall of narrowly-focused realtors by contacting as many
as 5 real estate agencies ** in each province. ** Contact realtors
that deal with large parcels in remote areas.
Don't get stuck working with an agent who usually sells homes or
parcels within towns or developed areas. Make sure the agencies you
choose have familiarity with large, remote acreage. They will often
advertise the types of properties they represent on their website.
If an agent recommends a property, do your homework about the
surrounding area. Don't ever rely totally on their word. You would be
surprised at how many agents don't know that much about the properties
they are representing or showing. Oftentimes, they will show you a
property off the multiple listing service without really being
familiar with the area. You can almost always find information about
nearby towns by a name search on the internet.
Make sure the agent stays within your price range.
Don't be swayed, or intimidated. You are the customer, and they are
working for you. You should never be pressured into looking at a
property that you know won't be of interest.
What is the rough cost I should expect for 100-150 acres as described?
**********************************************************************
This is impossible for me to answer. You would be better served by
looking at properties listed on the internet, by Province. 100 acres
could cost as little as $10,000 in a remote or less desirable area,
and as much as 1 million in high demand recreational areas.
Have a look at property links I have provided below!
What other advice can you give me in regard to dealing with the agent,
and of getting the most out of him/her?
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Make sure they are doing their job by contacting them regularly.
Never hesitate to reiterate exactly what you are looking for in a
property.
If, over the course of time, you change your parameters, let the agent
know. You may find, after looking at certain parcels or perusing
information on the internet, that you have decided you want something
less remote, smaller acreage, closer to a town, etc. Or, after some
research, you may find that a particular province is especially
attractive for other reasons.
Encourage them to show you pictures and brochures of property
listings, or make sure they point you to listings you can view on the
internet. That will save you valuable time, and allow you to pick out
properties to view before you actually travel to Canada and view the
parcels that most interest you.
==============
Some avenues to follow to get ideas:
***********************************
The Canadian Real Estate Association has their multiple listing
service online for every province. You can click through the
provinces, select areas, and look at properties. In most cases, the
listing seem primarily residential. However, you may pull up a large
recreational parcel as well.
The MLS is at
http://www.mls.ca/mls/home.asp
The Canadian Real Estate Pages
http://www.realestate-canada.com/index2.html
(Search properties by province)
*****
Just for kicks - have a look at the Ootsa Lakefront Ranch in British
Columbia. It is comprised of 1,042 acres! There is no price listed, as
it is for sale by owner. It would be fun to make a phone call or
e-mail the owner just to find out the price!
http://www.angelfire.com/bc3/wilderness/property4.html
And here is a property I wouldn't mind buying, even though it's only
2.6 acres. I think you would feel pretty remote here, even though you
might see an occasional neighbor!
http://www.bc4sale.ca/kootenays/b2227.htm
For the above 2 properties, I used a Google search for:
wilderness property +"for sale" AND british columbia
You may want to follow the pages in the search string for fun!
://www.google.com/search?q=wilderness+property+%2B%22for+sale%22++AND+british+columbia&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&start=0&sa=N
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I hope this has provided you with helpful ideas on how to start your
property search. If you want to ask a separate question at a later
date and have me search for some specific agencies in each province
that you can contact online, let me know. You may either direct the
question to me, or leave it open for another researcher.
If any of the information I have given you is unclear, please ask me
in a clarification *before* rating my answer and I will be happy to
help.
Good luck and enjoy your search for adventure!
umiat-ga |
