Buying Rural Property - A Buyers Checklist to CYA

[SoonerP226]

Two other things I almost forgot about: check on ISPs (you can get satellite pretty much anywhere, but it makes up for high cost by being painfully slow, at least based on what my folks have) and utilities. On a rural property you’re likely looking at a rural electric coop; I know OEC (which operates in McClain, Cleveland, Pott, and Oklahoma counties) offers fiber to the home, and I’d guess that other RECs are either doing or at least considering the same. (OEC’s member magazine just reported that they have 20,000 Fiber subscribers now, which isn’t surprising, as they’re charging the same for 100Mbps symmetric as AT$T charges for the 6Mbps tin cans on a string that they call Uverse.)

Personally, I prefer natural gas heat, so I’d also check with the local utility providers about its availability. I think ONG (Oklahoma Natural Gas) is the primary retail NG provider in the state, but I don’t know if anyone else does it.

 

[SoonerP226]

If there are a lot of eastern red cedar on the property, it will be expensive to get rid of them although there are some government assistance programs available at times.

I don’t recall who is doing it, but I was told about a program run by the state for eastern red cedar eradication. They would do/pay for the work, but you had to completely eradicate them from your property. That’s not a bad idea if you’re going to build. I’ve seen a few of them in the path of a wildfire; they go up like they’ve been doused in gasoline—a ten foot cedar will suddenly shoot flames up 25 feet into the air. It is a sight to behold.

 

[dennishoddy]

I don’t recall who is doing it, but I was told about a program run by the state for eastern red cedar eradication. They would do/pay for the work, but you had to completely eradicate them from your property. That’s not a bad idea if you’re going to build. I’ve seen a few of them in the path of a wildfire; they go up like they’ve been doused in gasoline—a ten foot cedar will suddenly shoot flames up 25 feet into the air. It is a sight to behold.

I’ve been beating the roads to death between Ponca and Stillwater, Ponca and Broken Arrow for the last several years.
I’ve seen property where the ERC has been eliminated but never maintained with the 2’ tall new crop of ERC coming on. It can be maintained by chemical or brush hogging at that level of growth, but the owners aren’t doing it. It’s frustrating to see that. Our places are 100% free of ERC. We go after them annually.
Another member on here and myself went on one quarter with 12 ga #2 lead shotshells, and took out almost a hundred one day by shooting the young ones off at the base. Rarely took more than one shot.
Walking those fields in search of pheasant/quail if a cedar is seen it’s shot off.
If one keeps up with maintaining them it’s not tough.
Good point about internet access.
Starlink may have all of that solved soon.

 

[retrieverman]

I’ve got plenty of cedars, but on my place, tamaracks seem to be at least as invasive if not more so.

 

[Snattlerake]

We have parts of Osage county that will no longer install a water meter unless one is surrendered along that line. Just not enough capacity.

Is this a rural water district with a tower? Can't they upgrade and get a bigger capacity tower? That's what we had to do.

 

[dennishoddy]

Is this a rural water district with a tower? Can't they upgrade and get a bigger capacity tower? That's what we had to do.

It’s the size of the line. They have a tower for some parts but this line is fed by Ponca City across the Arkansas river. They are what they are.

 

[HFS]

I’ve been beating the roads to death between Ponca and Stillwater, Ponca and Broken Arrow for the last several years.
I’ve seen property where the ERC has been eliminated but never maintained with the 2’ tall new crop of ERC coming on. It can be maintained by chemical or brush hogging at that level of growth, but the owners aren’t doing it. It’s frustrating to see that. Our places are 100% free of ERC. We go after them annually.
Another member on here and myself went on one quarter with 12 ga #2 lead shotshells, and took out almost a hundred one day by shooting the young ones off at the base. Rarely took more than one shot.
Walking those fields in search of pheasant/quail if a cedar is seen it’s shot off.
If one keeps up with maintaining them it’s not tough.
Good point about internet access.
Starlink may have all of that solved soon.

That shotgun idea is the only "fun" or interesting method I've heard of to get rid of those $%^&%%^%% cedars.

 

[dennishoddy]

I’ve got plenty of cedars, but on my place, tamaracks seem to be at least as invasive if not more so.

Yeah, those tamaracks suck.
Drew the first controlled hunt into the Salt plains wilderness area in 45 years back in the day.
It’s a huge area of them.
We could see their legs running on a stalk but never the bodies.
I finally climbed a spindly cottonwood tree, hooked a leg over a limb and stood there while a buddy made a drive. Still couldn’t see them well enough for a shot except for a doe. Took her and then hell started getting that girl out of the tamaracks.
I’ve heard there was a fire in that area a few years back and it may not be so thick.

 

[nic6]

All good info. I bought 100 acres the mailbox is in a 5 gal bucket, damn I guess I can't just put a new one in the ground. So much for infrastructure.

 

[Aries]

Personally, I prefer natural gas heat, so I’d also check with the local utility providers about its availability. I think ONG (Oklahoma Natural Gas) is the primary retail NG provider in the state, but I don’t know if anyone else does it.

Last I heard, ONG provides natural gas service to about 75% of Oklahoma.