Have you been dreaming of a life in the country away from the hustle and bustle? Tired of the daily traffic snarls, and the public transport sardine game? Do you long for a simpler life, living off the land, growing your food, or just simply a fresh start?
Exposure to lockdowns, the difficulties experienced during COVID, and the change in the way we work have had a huge impact on the property market. People are questioning their lifestyles more and more in the post-COVID world and with recent economic shocks it is becoming more important to us all. We are longing for a simpler life, with fresh homegrown produce and space for the children to play.
Here at Ready to Adapt we are all about building resilience and assisting landowners to make the most of their opportunities. We all see nature as wholesome and worth protecting but many don’t understand that their country lifestyle dreams come with some pretty important responsibilities. While talking with a colleague this week, it became apparent that many landowners don’t know their responsibilities when managing or purchasing their new lifestyle properties.
Most understand that title searches and basic information must be checked during the contract period but many don’t think of things like mining leases, contamination, environmental requirements, threatened species, and vegetation laws. We discussed some of these issues with a client during a recent consultation. The client was unaware of vegetation management issues on the recently purchased property or its previous use. Despite being cautioned about this the new owner went ahead and cleared some trees to make way for a small building without checking on the relevant laws. Unfortunately, the vegetation was part of a protected habitat and they were penalised for having cleared without permission, resulting in a costly lesson.
Through our Country Dreaming Service, we can identify some of these issues before they become costly mistakes. We will show you how to read your land and what to look for, while also checking critical data about your property, its history and provide information about threatened ecosystems, species and vegetation categories. This provides you – the prospective owner – piece of mind, knowledge and information to make informed decisions about the property before being stuck with issues that are often costly to resolve.
In addition, if you are purchasing farmland or intending to join the growing homesteaders movement, there are particular pieces of information such as the structure and viability of soils intended to grow food for human consumption that might be very valuable to know before the final settlement or even before going to contract. Imagine if you realised that the soil you intend to grow your family’s food is contaminated or unable to support the crop you wish to grow. What a costly problem that could turn into.
We can assist you with appropriate soil testing, a management plan, and more for your dream property. Our detailed report is tailored to your specific needs and situation. Contact Kym today to find out more about this service.
