These are the ten most important questions to ask when buying a house in the country. To see the 10 Tips for Buying Land click here.

1. Water. Is it well or city water? What is the age and condition of the well equipment? What is the well water pressure like?

2. Test your water. Test for bacteria, chemicals, minerals, etc.

3. Septic system. Where is the drain field on the property? This would be an area that you cannot plant or build anything. Or park on. How close to the water well is the drain field? What type of plumbing pipes were used? Ceramic, metal, pvc?

4. Zoning. Can you put a guest cottage/modular cottage on the property? Or other out buildings?

5. Levels of rural. Know how rural you want to live. Some rural areas have restrictions such as no chickens or cows, they are like rural subdivisions. If you need more freedom, look for no restrictions.

6. Willingness to renovate. Many rural houses are quite old because building further out is less common so there are less newer homes. Make sure you have the budget to do the upgrades that may need to be done to an existing house.

7. Observe and meet the nearest neighbors. Is their property well kept? Are they friendly and helpful? Do they keep their dogs from wandering into your potential property? Buying the house means buying the neighbors. Make sure you want to live next to these people because it can mean a quality of life difference to have good or bad neighbors in the country.

8. Back up power. Does the house come with a propane generator or on site tank? Is there access to lumber to stock firewood for the winter for emergency powers outages? Power outages are guaranteed in the country and you must have your resources lined up.

9. Trash. Find out how to dispose of your own trash if there is no trash collection in your neck of the woods.

10. Deliveries. Find out if UPS or FedEx delivers to the address. Depending on how far out it is, you may need a P.O. Box.

Happy country house shopping! Check back for more country living articles.