Notes: 100 things to ask about your property

I was thinking about the sheer volume of information collected about a property when making decisions. I thought it would be close to a nice round 100 questions, and indeed got there.

To be fair, some are quite similar, or could be folded into a multi-faceted single question. I would be interested to hear other questions that should be included.

While not every question may be as relevant as others depending on the situation, surely many of these are helpful when analysing a property for the purposes of sustainable, permaculture-principled living.

Land

What size is it?

What aspect is it?

Where is the nearest river or freshwater body?

What is the soil classification?

What is the geology?

What is the soil pH, infiltration, and other observations?

Where does the water flow?

Where does the water pool?

What is the quality of water moving on the land?

Is it in a bushfire zone?

Is it in a flood zone?

What is the topography of the land and area?

What water holding capacity does it have?

How high is the water table?

What is the gradient of the slope?

Where are the key-lines and other contour lines?

Where are the highest and lowest points?

What is the elevation/altitude? What is the change (good for pressure calculations)?

Where is vehicle access possible?

Are there driveways already?

Are there dams on the property?

Is there a natural water course?

Is there room for parking?

Is it ready to move into, needs work, or will you have to build?

Where are the boundaries?

Does it have a septic and/or grey-water system on site?

The Elements

What climate zone is it in?

What seasons does it experience?

What shade is cast over the land?

When and where does the wind blow?

Where is solar north?

When and where does the sun rise and set at the solstices?

When does it rain?

How much does it rain?

What temperature extremes does it have?

How many chill hours on average?

Do you get a frost? Snow, hail?

How many hours of sunlight does it receive?

How many days has it gone without rain?

What is the longest/heaviest rainfall event it has experienced?

What is the humidity like?

Living World

What is growing over the fence?

What kind of weeds are there?

What is the natural vegetation?

What species are endemic to the region?

Are there worms in the soil?

When and where do the wildlife go?

What wildlife damage can be observed?

Which parts of the property are habitat?

What mushrooms and other clues about fungi can I see?

What fungal and bacterial plant threats are common here?

Uses

What was it used for before? 

Have earthworks already been done to it?

Is there a lawn?

Are there fruit trees growing?

What animals have been on the land?

What previous management practices have been used?

What cultivation does it have?

Is there mine subsidence?

Is it fenced and animal ready?

Are herbicides and pesticides used locally?

People and Community

What bioregion does it belong to?

Who are the traditional custodians?

Where is the nearest pub? Seriously though, how far is the nearest village/town?

How far from your workplace is it?

How far from your closest family and friends?

What community resources are available for all generations?

Is it on a flight path?

What zoning is it?

What structures does it have?

What materials have already been used?

What legislative/restrictions are on the land?

What are my rights to land use?

What rates and other regular costs are incurred?

What pollution is nearby?

Where does unwanted noise come from?

What roads and other transport is it serviced by?

What infrastructure is it served by/what connections are available? 

Are there underground services to be aware of?

Are there overhead services to be aware of?

Is there privacy?

Is there a lot of traffic (vehicle and foot)?

Is it in a delivery zone for the local post office?

What are the political views of the community?

What are the neighbours like?

What communication services are available?

What education is available in the community?

What are the religious beliefs of the community?

How far to the nearest hospital/health care?

Is there a garbage collection service?

The Future

What future uses are planned for neighbouring land/land in view?

What is the disaster risk?

How close are the nearest food producers?

What is the history of the land?

Will my children/family stay or move away?

What will I need from the community in my time here?

What is the view like?

What is the climate projection for the region?

What shade will be cast over the land?

What could it be like in 100 years?