To do the best job of finding you the land you really want, I need as many of the following questions answered as possible. If you haven't thought about some of these things, or would like to discuss them before completing the list, just call. We can go over them on the phone. In fact, if you prefer, we can do the whole preliminary interview by phone. It is still a good idea to read through these questions and have your answer in mind before we talk. The more detailed you can be, the better.

1. What type of land are you looking for? Farm, recreational, horse or livestock, hunting, fishing? Try to define your intended primary use as best you can.

2. How large a tract of land do you need, or want? If you're not sure of how to judge land sizes, click on the Land Measurement button above for definitions. Consider your intended use, the amount of privacy you want, the distance from neighbors, etc.

3. How far are you willing to be from your primary home, or if this will be your primary home, how far from St. Louis, the nearest shopping, medical facilities, relatives, etc?

4. What type of improvements do you need or expect with the land? A nice home, weekend cottage, horse barn, basic utilities for future development, bare land with nothing more...we need to know up front to make a successful search.

5. Price? It's best if we know the maximum you are willing to spend for the property before we start. Most people fear that if they tell the broker their top price, they will only be shown properties at that figure and nothing less expensive. Our approach is to look at everything at or below your maximum and show you everything that matches your other criteria. We may also include properties slightly higher if we feel that the owner may be willing to negotiate down to the range you have set.

6. Areas you want to avoid? For many reasons, people want to avoid certain areas, or directions from St. Louis. Their reasons usually are for highway access, distance from St. Louis, price range of land in different areas, recreational facilities, proximity to their favorite town...and many others. If you have preferences, let us know now. It will simplify the search and save you a lot of time in looking at properties in areas you really don't want to consider.

7. Areas you prefer? If you've already decided on your favorite locale, that will usually speed up our process considerably. The only drawback is finding the right land in that area to meet all of the other criteria you have. We usually broaden any search a reasonable amount to cover nearby properties that might be ideal, except for the perfect location. Almost half of our clients have bought near, but not necessarily in, their original area of choice.

These are all items we feel necessary to do a good job of finding you the land you will enjoy for the rest of your life. Please feel free to call immediately if you have any questions.

Call Tom Lang at 314-623-0270 or 573-457-8011, or email telang@fidnet.com