Tuesday, November 29, 2022

Looking for Eden

Most people don’t look at soil maps before buying property, but I do. I study the creeks and flood plains, the rises and places that are sprawling woods or pasture because they are too wet or too rocky for crops.

Too wet for crops is too wet for tract houses. That’s a feature!

If you can find a knoll or high hill surrounded by periodically wet ground…. that’s Eden, and it’s land that will probably perc.

Is the property next to a conservation area? Surrounded by land protected in an agricultural reserve? Circle those spots on a map. That’s gold.

Now overlay the stuff you need to survive — grocery stores, gas stations, coffee shops, hardware stores, banks. How far away are they? That’s the real world, and trust me you will need it.

This is the Great Tension of our lives. We all want to live in wilderness… but with a T-l computer connection, and a 10 minute drive to Starbucks and Five Guys. 

Does this place exist? Yes. But you have to look hard to find it. You have to hunt. And soil maps help.

2 comments:

Karen Carroll said...

When buying land, look at the plants. They tell all.

kelly said...

"The Bigger Picture" . . . This is perfect - in many ways - for me. I hope to be buying that parcel of "Eden" next year. For me - the local coffee shop and Trader Joe's can be up to 45 min away - 30 is better - I'm OK with that. Hardware stores - a bit closer. The 'public lands' is the first thing I look for on a map - then everything else - including decent airport preferably less than 2.5 hours away! I can/have to use longer distances as I'll be looking for my Eden in the Rocky Mountains. Hope you found yours . . .