I bought my five acres in the Ozarks based almost entirely on the land itself — soil potential, water, topography. I barely thought about the people surrounding it. Big mistake.
First spring, a neighbor who'd been informally crossing my corner for twenty years decided I was the problem when I asked about it. That single relationship cost me months of stress, a lawyer consultation, and a fence I built mostly out of frustration.
Now I'm convinced: before you close on rural land, walk the boundaries and knock on every adjacent door. Not to ask permission — just to read the room. Are they curious, hostile, indifferent? Do they mention old informal arrangements like they're expecting you to honor them? That tells you everything.
The actual soil and acreage you can evaluate from maps and surveys. You cannot map a neighbor who's been quietly using your land for a decade and considers it a right.
I'd argue most rural buyers spend exactly zero time on this and then wonder why their first year is miserable. Has anyone else actually changed their buying decision based on neighboring landowners — or am I the only one who learned this the expensive way?