Rural/Lifestyle

As life has presented the opportunity to work remotely, more families are making the leap and leaving the city for the dream rural lifestyle. 




Choosing a Rural / Lifestyle Property

How do you get started? How do you choose the right rural property? And what do you need to know to make the move to the country a success?

There’s more to it than the green surroundings and a picket fence. Unlike living in a suburb, choosing a rural property isn’t just about the home – it’s the whole package.

A rural property owner herself, Lynda McNeill shares her top tips to ensure your rural dream becomes a lifestyle success: 


1. Choosing the right rural property for you is best determined by how you plan to use it.

  • If you’re looking to keep livestock, purchasing suitable land is very important. Flat or gentle undulating land offering suitable pasture is ideal. Land should be user-friendly, open, have cleared space, good quality soil and ample water supply, just to name a few key requirements. You will need to understand zoning to ensure it allows livestock, along with any quantity restrictions.
  • If the dream of staring out over uninterrupted rolling hills is more your style, ensure you understand what is required to maintain those hills, in all conditions. It could be harder to maintain, landslides in winter or windier than flatter land.
  • Rural doesn’t always mean acres of open space. You may prefer to have the peace of the country life, but within the town centre. This is a good option if you want to be close to facilities, have a large back yard and still enjoy what country life has to offer.

2. Understand threats to the property

Flooding: Flat, low lying land is often subject to flooding. You will need to understand the drainage system, not only on the property but in the surrounding areas also. If you’re looking at the property in the summer months this may be harder to detect – do your homework on zoning, overlays and speak to the locals.

Fire: If you are securing a heavily treed property, chances are you’ll be in a high fire risk zone. Ensure the correct clearing around the home has been carried out, and if not, what restrictions may apply.


3. Become familiar with the difference in utilities and what it will mean for you.

Here are a few that differ from suburban services:

Tank Water – Unlike mains water in the suburbs, most rural properties have tank water. Look at your current usage to determine if the current tank capacity is sufficient or if you’ll need to install more for your family and stock needs. Recognise that if you’re in a low rainfall area, there may be times that you’ll need to have water brought in. Learn how to tell if the tank is running low, so you have plenty of time to order before the tank runs dry.

Septic System – This is a term many suburban families are unfamiliar with. It’s very rare for rural properties to have connections to main sewer reticulation systems. Instead, each usually have their own in-ground septic tank. It’s an unpleasant one to get wrong, so do your homework to understand the system and what is required for maintaining it. 

Bottled Gas – Most of us are used to either electric or gas services for heating, cooking and hot water provided via the main services in the street. However, gas appliances in rural areas normally means bottled gas. This requires you to actively monitor when you need to refill so you don’t get caught short.


4. Heating your home

Most rural areas are known for the extremity in climate, with some even snowing in winter. The romanticised idea of an open fire can wear thin when the reality of chopping and stocking firewood takes over. Reassess your options – if you don’t see yourself as a woodchopper, find your local wood supplier and ensure you stock up ahead of winter. Or consider an alternative to a wood heater if this isn’t your style.

5. Suitable equipment

An additional cost to consider is having the correct equipment for ongoing property maintenance. This could include tractors, spraying booms, fencing, chainsaws etc. Research what is appropriate for the property you are securing. Ask the current vendors what they have found the most useful and explore negotiating these items into the chattels.


6. Insurance

Ensure you have adequate farm insurance that covers you for natural disasters, equipment, fencing and more.

7. Become familiar with amenities

Although being away from the hustle and bustle is appealing, it’s important to become familiar with local services and facilities. These could be bus services to get the kids to school or what distance the property is to main services, should you require them in an emergency. Of course, the importance for each service will depend on your family’s needs.

8. Make friends

By this, I don’t only mean with the neighbours, other parents at school and social groups. Befriend the locals. They are your walking information manual, not only on the area’s history, but also on who to call, no matter what problem you may have with your property or livestock.


Take the Leap into Rural Bliss

If you’re fed up with traffic every day, noisy neighbours, crowded commutes and have the ability to work remotely or get a new job in a rural area, then country living could be something to discuss with your family. The benefits of remote work speak for themselves. 

There’s a lot to consider before you take the leap into rural bliss, and extensive research is needed. 

If you’re ready to bid farewell to traffic jams and urban noise, and embrace the freedom of rural living, let us help you navigate this exciting transition.


Case Study

Seeking Rural Lifestyle 

Location: Gippsland 

Clients Brief: Our client, having recently relocated from NSW, sought to acquire a farm in regional Victoria, with no specific location in mind. Their primary criteria included cleared pasture, a livable house needing minimal work, well-maintained shedding, and undulating land suitable for easy stock management. Additionally, they desired the flexibility to have a second dwelling for a Bed and Breakfast, with consideration for rainfall patterns and a sense of community support in the chosen area.

Our Solution: After reviewing multiple potential locations, we narrowed our focus to the Gippsland and Ballarat regions. Our search led us to uncover a remarkable off-market property in the scenic location of Mirboo North.


Testimonials

  • “My experience with Sarah James of Inview Property Group was exceptional, Sarah helped me with every detail of purchasing my house. I would highly recommend Sarah’s service for anyone looking… Read More

    “My experience with Sarah James of Inview Property Group was exceptional, Sarah helped me with every detail of purchasing my house. I would highly recommend Sarah’s service for anyone looking to purchase a home.”

    Sharon – Officer Buyers Advocacy
  • “Lynda was recommended by friends and we’re so grateful for all the expert guidance for landing our first home. She (and Sarah) was so knowledgeable in helping us navigate this… Read More

    “Lynda was recommended by friends and we’re so grateful for all the expert guidance for landing our first home. She (and Sarah) was so knowledgeable in helping us navigate this difficult market and find a great house in our target area. She took so much stress and hassle out of the process for us – definitely recommend!”

    Sam & Dani – Glenroy Buyers Advocacy
  • “If I could give their team more than 5 stars I would. We recently bought our first house with their buyer’s advocate services and were so happy with the experience.… Read More

    “If I could give their team more than 5 stars I would. We recently bought our first house with their buyer’s advocate services and were so happy with the experience. Outstanding communication, deep expertise, and caring people. Highly recommend especially if you’re a first home buyer! Thank you Inview 🙂 “

    Tim & Gabby – Blackburn Buyers Advocacy
  • “I highly recommend Lynda’s services! Our buyer brief was not an easy one but Lynda and her team managed to find the perfect property within weeks. Lynda goes above and… Read More

    “I highly recommend Lynda’s services! Our buyer brief was not an easy one but Lynda and her team managed to find the perfect property within weeks. Lynda goes above and beyond, ensuring that we felt supported and at ease throughout the whole process. We could not have done it without her!”

    Jessica & Pedro – Moorabbin Buyers Advocacy
  • “Lynda and her team provided excellent support throughout my house selling and house buying journey. Lynda’s advice, guidance and knowledge was extremely valuable from start to finish and in all… Read More

    “Lynda and her team provided excellent support throughout my house selling and house buying journey. Lynda’s advice, guidance and knowledge was extremely valuable from start to finish and in all aspects of selling, moving and buying. It surely made the journey much less stressful. I could not have completed this journey successfully without Inview.”

    Davina – Greensborough & Mont Albert North Buyers Advocacy & Vendor Advocacy
  • “Lynda was a highly professional and personable advocate for my wife and myself whilst on our house hunting journey. She exuded years of experience and knowledge that ultimately led to… Read More

    “Lynda was a highly professional and personable advocate for my wife and myself whilst on our house hunting journey. She exuded years of experience and knowledge that ultimately led to us buying our dream home at a price we did not think was possible. I would highly recommend Lynda and her team to anyone who is looking for guidance in the overwhelming Melbourne property market and would not hesitate to utilize her services again in the future.”

    Angus & Steph – Rippleside Buyers Advocacy
  • “I worked with Lynda (Director of Inview Property Group) when returning to Melbourne from overseas. She was very helpful and understood my needs to find a ready to move in… Read More

    “I worked with Lynda (Director of Inview Property Group) when returning to Melbourne from overseas. She was very helpful and understood my needs to find a ready to move in (more or less!) home for my family in a very short period of time. Given I was overseas during most of the purchasing process, I could not have managed this without her help. She looked for suitable properties and did due diligence and inspections on my behalf, she also helped with navigating the purchasing process. I also engaged her to help with project managing some additional work I had done on the place we bought and she helped me find some good tradies. It was a pleasure working with Lynda.”

    Chad – Glen Iris Buyers Advocacy
  • “The Inview Property team excelled. We were very lucky to have got in touch with Lynda and had her lead us through the recent purchase of our family home. Having… Read More

    “The Inview Property team excelled. We were very lucky to have got in touch with Lynda and had her lead us through the recent purchase of our family home. Having the skills and experience to navigate a very tough market whilst showing genuine care and understanding for her clients needs is a very difficult task. Lynda’s work ethic, knowledge and contacts enabled us to buy the right family home which we will enjoy for years to come and will I’m sure engage her services again. Thanks Lynda we are very grateful!”

    Jamie & Sally – Hughesdale Buyers Advocacy
  • “Lynda and the team at Inview Property Group have now sold 3 properties for my clients, all successfully sold at a price higher than expected. During the process, myself and… Read More

    “Lynda and the team at Inview Property Group have now sold 3 properties for my clients, all successfully sold at a price higher than expected. During the process, myself and our clients were all well informed. I recommend any one to Lynda.”

    Phil – Narre Warren South Vendor Advocacy
  • “Had never engaged an advocate before, and so glad we did for the sale of our Glen Iris property. From the selection of selling agent and through the campaign Lynda… Read More

    “Had never engaged an advocate before, and so glad we did for the sale of our Glen Iris property. From the selection of selling agent and through the campaign Lynda was great.
    In the end we achieved the result we were looking for in a trying market. Would definitely engage Inview Property Group again to oversee and guide the sale. Big thank you Lynda the both of us are very happy with the result.”

    Michael – Glen Iris Vendor Advocacy
  • “Our experience with Lynda was outstanding from the start to the very end. From finding the right property in the right spot in a very tough market, to leading the… Read More

    “Our experience with Lynda was outstanding from the start to the very end. From finding the right property in the right spot in a very tough market, to leading the negotiation with the vendor, everything was handled extremely skilfully and professionally by Lynda. The transaction turned out to be much more complex than expected, but Lynda’s energy, skills and tenacity got us there. Ultimately, Lynda saved us a huge amount of money, stress and time. Unless your day job is to buy properties, I would highly recommend Lynda and the broker and conveyancers she works with. A Dream team.”

    Louis & Janina – Elwood Buyers Advocacy
  • “Being interstate and the boarders closed we were nervous in purchasing our next investment without flying down to see it. However, it became evident from the start that you were… Read More

    “Being interstate and the boarders closed we were nervous in purchasing our next investment without flying down to see it.

    However, it became evident from the start that you were not going to allow us to make a final decision until we were well educated not only on the property and the area, but the impact covid was having on the market and what kind of tenant we would achieve etc.

    The countless photos, videos, facetime walkthrough and answering all of our questions have not gone unnoticed.

    Thanks so very much, Lynda!”

    Michelle & Jason – Hampton Buyers Advocacy
  • “Lynda was so helpful, prompt and knowledgeable – made our whole experience so much easier and helped us secure a wonderful home.”

    “Lynda was so helpful, prompt and knowledgeable – made our whole experience so much easier and helped us secure a wonderful home.”

    Jessie – Truganina Buyers Advocacy
  • “As first home buyers looking to navigate the Melbourne real estate market, having Lynda’s expertise and experience to guide us was incredibly helpful. She was able to provide very detailed… Read More

    “As first home buyers looking to navigate the Melbourne real estate market, having Lynda’s expertise and experience to guide us was incredibly helpful.

    She was able to provide very detailed and thorough research on each option presented and was happy to accomodate changes to the brief as we refined our search parameters. She also had access to off-market properties, which was very valuable given market conditions and expertly represented us at auctions too.

    As a result, we’ve ended up purchasing a property that we are very pleased with. Lynda has continued helping us out even after our purchase and has provided a great end-to-end experience. I would strongly recommend her services if you’re looking to hire a buyers advocate.”

    Murtaza & Tara – Bentleigh Buyers Advocacy
  • “The smartest decision we made when looking for a new house was to enlist Lynda as our buyer’s advocate. She provided high quality targeted research so that we could make… Read More

    “The smartest decision we made when looking for a new house was to enlist Lynda as our buyer’s advocate. She provided high quality targeted research so that we could make a fully informed decision about our purchase. She navigated the purchase process and negotiated the buy for us. She was also extremely responsive to ALL of our questions and provided us with exceptional guidance. We now have our absolute dream home, and we could not have achieved this objective without her. We still can’t quite believe we did it! Thank you, Lynda”

    Frankie & Alexandra – Port Melbourne Buyers Advocacy
  • “The best thing I did in my property search was to seek Lynda’s help. Without her, I wouldn’t have found or purchased the place I eventually bought – which is… Read More

    “The best thing I did in my property search was to seek Lynda’s help. Without her, I wouldn’t have found or purchased the place I eventually bought – which is perfect.”

    Rjurik – West Melbourne Buyers Advocacy
  • “Engaging with Lynda was one of the best decisions we have ever made and we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her to others. After many months of searching for our first… Read More

    “Engaging with Lynda was one of the best decisions we have ever made and we wouldn’t hesitate in recommending her to others.

    After many months of searching for our first home, we felt disheartened by the market, but Lynda renewed our hope and confidence while also providing peace of mind that we had someone in our corner with immense expertise and industry knowledge.  Lynda is at all times professional, warm and respectful, and she genuinely cares about the best interests of her clients.

    Our expectations were exceeded when Lynda secured our first home at a brilliant price and in a wonderful location. She then guided us through the subsequent renovation process. Leveraging her industry contacts, she coordinated all quotes and trades to work within our budget while never compromising on quality.

    Lynda is proactive and had solutions ready for challenges before we even knew they existed! Her dedication and attention to detail are second to none; we had complete trust in Lynda from the beginning.

    We’re thrilled with the result, and wouldn’t be living where we are today if it wasn’t for Lynda.  Thanks, Lynda!”

    Kit & Kate – McKinnon Buyers Advocacy
  • “Having tried to navigate the real estate process alone for quite some time, after starting working with Lynda success came quickly! She made the whole experience easy, with her calm,… Read More

    “Having tried to navigate the real estate process alone for quite some time, after starting working with Lynda success came quickly! She made the whole experience easy, with her calm, assured knowledge and guidance. Her communication throughout was excellent, which meant I was able to feel completely informed and part of the process, with the bonus of not having to worry about all the things that take time and effort making sure a property is going to be right.

    Lynda took the time to understand the kind of property I was after, even though these were few and far between. Most significantly, her ability to navigate the challenges of COVID impacting the property market, and knowing that I was being protected through negotiations was invaluable. Lynda made what had until then been quite an unpleasant process, easy, relaxed, and even fun sometimes!

    Thanks, Lynda!!”

    Kate – Ivanhoe Buyers Advocacy
  • “As a new empty-nester, I was keen to move inner city but was not familiar with the uniqueness each city suburb offered. Lynda gently guided me through the process of… Read More

    “As a new empty-nester, I was keen to move inner city but was not familiar with the uniqueness each city suburb offered.

    Lynda gently guided me through the process of identifying the key criteria that that would lead me to my dream location and property type. It was a seamless process, stress-free and so much quicker than I could have ever anticipated. I was impressed by her thoroughness and knowledge.

    I am thrilled with the outcome.”

    Carina – Richmond Buyers Advocacy & Vendor Advocacy
  • “When we feel in love with the “idea” of living on land we really had no idea where to buy or what would best suit our family – Your clear… Read More

    “When we feel in love with the “idea” of living on land we really had no idea where to buy or what would best suit our family – Your clear plan and questions certainly narrowed it down and made us look at what was most important, your knowledge and due diligence on the rural property was amazing- we learnt a lot!!

    Thank you also for going the extra mile looking into the schools, clubs, and community.

    We are living the dream!” (if only we could post you some eggs from the chickens)

    Kelly, Matt, Holly & Cooper – Yarra Valley Buyers Advocacy
  • “After looking for 6 months and having to have my pre-approval updated once again I had almost given up on the idea of finding my next property. Then whilst having… Read More

    “After looking for 6 months and having to have my pre-approval updated once again I had almost given up on the idea of finding my next property.

    Then whilst having coffee with a friend (and complaining) she flicked me your card!

    The rest is like magic! – Within two weeks you had found not only the ideal property however it was pre-market giving me first option to secure without all the competition.

    Thank you so very much. We are very happy!”

    Robert & Jim the dog – Ivanhoe  Buyers Advocacy
  • “We presented Lynda with a situation that contained a number of obstacles: our ideal house was already on the market and about to go to auction, but we still needed… Read More

    “We presented Lynda with a situation that contained a number of obstacles: our ideal house was already on the market and about to go to auction, but we still needed to sell flat and secure finance principles in guiding us through the process with realistic and measured assessments of our options at every turn.

    The market shock that happened at the start of the Covid-19 crisis could have gone very badly for us as we were right in the middle of the selling process, but Lynda kept her cool, and when things swung our way unexpectedly and the opportunity to buy our dream house suddenly presented itself, she had already laid the groundwork to make it happen.

    We genuinely couldn’t have done it without her. Having her guide us through such a hugely stressful process — and in the middle of a pandemic to boot — was the best decision we made when we set out to buy a house.”

    Steph & Jeff – Elwood Buyers Advocacy & Vendor Advocacy
  • “Inview Property Group was a pleasure to deal with. Clear and professional communication throughout both purchasing and selling properties. Great industry knowledge and feedback was gained in both selling and… Read More

    “Inview Property Group was a pleasure to deal with. Clear and professional communication throughout both purchasing and selling properties. Great industry knowledge and feedback was gained in both selling and purchasing. I would highly recommend Inview to anyone thinking of buying or selling in future.”

    Ben – Pakenham Buyers Advocacy & Vendor Advocacy


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