One of the basic considerations when purchasing land in California is making sure you will have a source of drinking water. One common source is a private water well. It is estimated that there are between one and two million wells in California. Read more
Part 3 - Appropriative Water Rights See “Water Rights” category for more….
An appropriative right is basically the removal of water from a surface water source for delivery to non-adjacent (non-riparian) parcels. As with Riparian water rights, the right for the water is based upon a “reasonable and beneficial use”. Read more
Part 2 – Riparian Water Rights See “Water Rights” category for more….
In California, an owner of land that is contiguous to a water source generally has a Riparian Water Right. Basically, most any land the touches or borders a creek, stream, river or lake has a right to use the water for a reasonable and beneficial use. Read more
California law regarding water rights is extensive and can sometimes be complicated. However, I will attempt to keep in relatively simple in explaining the basics.
Purchasing real estate in California may include a water right. Water rights include the use of underground water….. such as acquired through a well; and the use of surface water…..such as from creeks, rivers and lakes.
If you are considering purchasing 100 acres or more in California, you should be aware of California’s Williamson Act.
“The California Land Conservation Act of 1965–commonly referred to as the Williamson Act–enables local governments to enter into contracts with private landowners for the purpose of restricting specific parcels of land to agricultural or related open space use. In return, landowners receive property tax assessments which are much lower than normal because they are based upon farming and open space uses as opposed to full market value.” State of California, Department of Conservation.
One of the first questions you should ask of the real estate agent or land owner…..”Is the property in the Williamson Act?”
When you are thinking about purchasing land in California, especially if it has no improvements, there are five basic considerations or factors that you should research before making any commitments. Each of these factors….or lack of….will greatly influence the desirability and value of the land. Making sure that you have carefully considered and investigated each will save you a lot of headaches.
These basic considerations or factors include:
Welcome to California Mountain Properties blog site. California Mountain Properties represents specialized properties for sale that include ranches, land, resorts, hunting, fishing and recreational properties. Our geographic area, basically far central northern California, includes the counties of Shasta, Tehama, Trinity, Siskiyou, Lassen & Modoc. Of course, from time to time, we have properties that extend beyond these areas.
In our blog, we will attempt to discuss the many aspects of purchasing and owning these type of properties. W’hether you hope to acquire or sell such a property, we hope to provide our readers with information that will help them in their decision making.
