REPTILES AND RADIATION

REPTILES AND RADIATION

By: Capt. William E. Simpson

All Rights Reserved © 2014

This Arizona Mountain Rattlesnake is not the ‘reptile’ to which the article title refers

Photo by: Capt. William E. Simpson II © copyright 2014

This is the second article in a series that deals with the question ‘Is it time to get out of the city’?

If through your own considerations you have decided that it is in fact a good time to relocate to a rural or country area, then the next consideration is where. In the process of writing the articles that have preceded this one that address that general concept, I have engaged these considerations myself as a practical matter.

During a recent location scouting trip that covered five Southwestern U.S. States, I actually looked into various properties that I felt had the potential to be true Prepper properties; in fact there were a few that my wife and I found to be very interesting as land-based retreats.

We learned many things in the process of evaluating properties that were being offered online and offline by both real estate agents and private parties, which we will cover as the series progresses. One of these important lessons learned during my research is this:

Regardless of where potential property may be located, there is no substitute for local knowledge as to the characteristics of the land in any particular locality. Sure there are some tools available (online and offline) that can help with gaining insights into things like climate, crime, laws, local geology and hydrology, etc.  I will go into all the tools that I used during my Prepper property experiment later on.

But even with all the tools and applications available, there is tremendous value gained by employing the services of a ‘Buyer’s Representative’. A buyer’s representative is normally a licensed real estate agent who has been trained to work with buyers in the provision of a host of services:

1. First and foremost, a Buyer’s Representative has a fiduciary duty to their client (the buyer) over all other interests, including their own… In other words a buyer’s representative will look out for the buyer’s interests and needs as if they were their own. Never make buying decisions based upon the verbal disclosures of any real estate agent who is ‘Selling’ a property (Seller’s representative). Beware! When you sign an ‘offer’ agreement, that is a binding legal document, and it will specify that whatever the selling real estate agent has said or has represented to the buyer orally is not part of the agreement and is not binding in any way! If it’s not in writing, it never existed. And there are a few ‘reptiles’ (and I am not referring to innocent snakes and lizards) who will tell you almost anything to get you to make an offer on a property that they are selling. A good buyer’s representative will help protect buyers from unscrupulous sellers and their listing real estate agents.

2. The buyer’s representative has access to listing tools and reports (the MLS database) that are unavailable to lay-persons, which adds a lot of value (effectiveness) in any property search.

3. A buyer’s representative has the know-how to tailor a property search on the MLS database to your criteria (price, acreage, features, etc.), and that also saves time.

4. A buyer’s representative knows the local area around a subject property, community and details about the area and property and other information that is not readily available using other methods.

5. A buyer’s representative knows the ropes in setting up an escrow once a property is found and how to tailor their client’s offer agreement to protect their client’s interests with written conditions and contingencies. A good buyer’s representative will also work with their client to negotiate and craft an offer (the price to be paid) for a property that is in the best interests of the buyer, based upon local knowledge and using comparable values in the area.

6. During the escrow, there is a defined time period during which a buyer must complete all inspections of the subject property, which might include:

7. Inspection of the title report (which should also be done by your attorney) for any potential ‘defects’ of title. Defects can be things like; adverse easement(s) across the subject property, some other entity owning/controlling the water and/or mineral rights on the subject property, and rules and regulations related to a home owners association (even some large remote tracks of land may be subject to ‘HOA’ rules).

8. Property line verification; it’s important to visually check and verify survey markers and/or property lines.

9. If there is a home/structures on the property, they should be inspected by an experienced home inspector who will check a long list of items. By using an inspector who is a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors (‘ASHI’) buyers your inspection(s) will be conducted to the highest industry standards.

10. If there is a well on the property, it needs to be inspected for both production (gallons per minute) as well as water quality. Many well inspectors will also check the well equipment (pump, lines, wiring, etc.) and take a water sample that will be tested at a water quality laboratory. Water quality should be of prime concern, and the lab tests should include the works! We recently ran across a well-water sample that tested positive for high levels of radiation! Trying to save money in this and other inspections and tests may be a very expensive and potentially deadly mistake months or years down the road.

11. If the property is off grid, then it may have solar and/or wind generation systems and battery storage, all of which should be inspected.

12. Occasionally an inspection may turn up a possible problem, or indications of one or more problems, which may require specialty inspections. An example of this is if a home has an odd smell or exhibits signs of possible water intrusion; cases like these is where an environmental testing specialist should be consulted who can test for things like mold. They can also test for radon gas, asbestos, etc.

A buyer’s representative will know who the best inspectors are, what the customary costs are, and can also arrange to have the various inspectors inspect any subject property for the potential buyer (the costs of these inspections are the responsibility of the buyer). In Arizona for example, the septic inspection cost (if applicable) is covered by the seller.

So I can hear the rumblings already… ‘Wow… that must cost a pretty penny’… actually, it costs the buyer nothing!  When a buyer has a licensed real estate agent acting as a buyer’s representative, the selling real estate agent has to split the sales commission with the buyer’s representative.  So these very valuable services cost a buyer nothing!!

As a part of this series of articles, I am going to provide my personal referrals for licensed real estate agents for each of the States that I visited, who are qualified (in my humble opinion) and who are willing to act as a Buyer’s Representative.

I recently spent several weeks in Arizona scouting filming locations and I spent some of my spare time looking at some very cool Prepper properties. And there are some very interesting locations where off-grid Preppers could get set-up with very low out of pocket costs compared to other areas. In order to lessen the learning curve on the property opportunities in Arizona I spoke with numerous real estate agents, some of whom acted like they were doing you a favor just returning a phone call on one of their listings, and a few even started telling me lies right over the phone. It’s a shame that there are always some bad apples in any professions…

But there was one real estate agent that I found who was willing to spend many hours helping me to understand various properties, the values, the pros and cons, etc.  And when I found some properties of interest, this real estate agent acted as my ‘buyer’s representative’.

This Realtor® is:  Karen Ingersoll  (SEI Real Estate Professionals – 2141 E. Broadway Rd., Suite 220 – Tempe, AZ  85282 (928) 243-2010 – cell 888-973-4737 – ofc/fax).

Karen Ingersoll grew up in Arizona, has traveled all over Arizona and she owns her own off-grid Prepper property… you guessed it… in Arizona… yep, she’s the real deal.  Karen knows the State very well and can be very effective in representing any buyer in regard to any property search and purchase within that State. Karen is a genuinely nice person and having worked with her, both my wife and I would whole heartedly recommend her to our own family and friends!

In the next installment of this series, I will cover the basics of doing your own property inspection. This will include determining the criteria of the property that will fulfil your needs and objectives.

Cheers! Capt. Bill

Capt. William E. Simpson – USMM
www.WilliameSimpson.com
Twitter:  @NauticalPrepper