Buying In The Country? LittleThings Count..Big Time

October 3rd, 2007 categories: Down to Earth Information, Real Estate News

City of Kuna future land use map So you’ve found that piece of country property you were searching for and your real estate agent says “Great, this piece of property is in the impact zone!!” Looking at your real estate agent you just nod… I guess that’s a good thing, right?

Impact Zone: a planning tool for future growth of a city. So not only does it give the resident an idea of where the city is planning to go but how the city is planning to use that land, i.e. commercial, high or low density residential, etc. It also gives the city planning and zoning goals when people apply for rezoning or proposed subdivisions. If the property falls into the impact zone then the rules change because now it effects what the city wants to do in the future even though that property is not in the city limits.

Right now Kuna is struggling with some zoning issues that concerns Boise’s impact zone. Seems in the Blueprint for Good Growth plans, where they divvy up unincorporated parts of the county, there is some concern over who gets what in 20 years. Kuna and Boise want the same thing, the land where considerable commercial development and huge tax dollars will be. Great article on this issue at Boise Knocking At Kuna’s Door.

So why does the average homeowner need to know this stuff? Back to our original scenario. If you are looking for land that will be worth a lot more in 20 years or so, being in the impact zone could be a good thing. Your equity will grow if all goes as planned and you can sell off your homestead to a developer for 5 times what you bought it for. But if you want to build a little hobby farm with plans to spend the rest of your days there, a place for the grandkids to come and visit etc…. you might not want to be next to a manufacturing plant, or subdivision,or have a four lane highway whizzing by your idyllic driveway.

Good questions to ask your realtor if considering buying land in the country.

Where are the city’s impact zones?
Where are the proposed new impact zones going to be?

Your agent should be asking what your future plans are for this property,what your dreams and hopes are. Be sure to be honest and let them know so they can effectively work for you.

And then do your research, although nothing is for certain,this is important enough in my mind to not be disappointed later.

Tags: impact+zone, Kuna, equity