Cochise County land prices (Tucson, Benson: how much, purchasing, live)

[windstoner]

I am planning on purchasing vacant land in Cochise County and moving there in the next year or so. I am mainly looking into either the Benson or Pearce/ Sunsites areas. What I have noticed is that prices are kind of all over the place. The one thing that's consistent is Benson is more expensive than Pearce, but within each of those areas, there is nothing consistent or predictable about how much a piece of land might be per acre.

For example, in Pearce, it's quite common to find 1/2 an acre or 4.5 acres (and everything in between) for around 20k. There's nothing more convenient about either piece of land. Both could have electricity or not. There is nothing obvious, so I'm hoping some local people can clue me in as to what I might be missing. I have been keeping an eye on what's available for about a year and well....I'm stumped.

[gemstone1]

How about the availability of water ? With a few exceptions, such as Saint David, an available and sustainable water source in Cochise County is a major concern. Where is the aquifer, how deep are neighboring wells, are they static or dropping ?

Regards
Gemstone1

[desertdog1]

Bad roads, water, bad neighbors, poor septic conditions, bad location, could be a million things, that's why it's imperative to see the property before purchase. I purchased 20 acres in W Texas sight unseen and when I finally visited it the roads were so bad and getting worse that you needed a helicopter to get onsite. This is monsoon country and roads wash-out in an instant.

[windstoner]

Bad roads are definitely a factor for some parcels, but the ones I'm often comparing are accessible by maintained roads. I wouldn't consider land that doesn't even have access or easements. Pretty much nothing I'm looking at has water, and I think wells are generally a horrible investment, but related to water, I think some parcels have washes or spots that flood during monsoon season that makes most of the land unbuildable.

Bad neighbors are hard to discover until you are there, so would people discount the land with bad neighbors? And the septic would not be known unless it was soil tested. Most of the land I'm seeing is raw and has not likely been tested. Again, I'm not sure an owner would discount for something not likely to be known until after the sale?

I suppose the more apt question is problems to watch out for since that's the answers given so far ☺️

[motormaker]

Originally Posted by windstoner

I am planning on purchasing vacant land in Cochise County and moving there in the next year or so. I am mainly looking into either the Benson or Pearce/ Sunsites areas. What I have noticed is that prices are kind of all over the place. The one thing that's consistent is Benson is more expensive than Pearce, but within each of those areas, there is nothing consistent or predictable about how much a piece of land might be per acre.

For example, in Pearce, it's quite common to find 1/2 an acre or 4.5 acres (and everything in between) for around 20k. There's nothing more convenient about either piece of land. Both could have electricity or not. There is nothing obvious, so I'm hoping some local people can clue me in as to what I might be missing. I have been keeping an eye on what's available for about a year and well....I'm stumped.

Interesting read from a older thread.

https://www.city-data.com/forum/ariz...l#post50257263

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by windstoner

Bad neighbors are hard to discover until you are there, so would people discount the land with bad neighbors?

Absolutely. Nothing can make your life worse than a piece of garbage who has nothing to lose. They can harass you for years, and there really isn't anything you can do about it.

There have been several "great" properties I've seen online. Go to Google Maps and start zooming out, and you quickly see the collapsed single-wides, yards full of wrecked cars and garbage, etc. No thanks.

[DAXhound]

Look at the flood maps..

[Fernetty]

Originally Posted by windstoner

Bad roads are definitely a factor for some parcels, but the ones I'm often comparing are accessible by maintained roads. I wouldn't consider land that doesn't even have access or easements. Pretty much nothing I'm looking at has water, and I think wells are generally a horrible investment, but related to water, I think some parcels have washes or spots that flood during monsoon season that makes most of the land unbuildable.

Bad neighbors are hard to discover until you are there, so would people discount the land with bad neighbors? And the septic would not be known unless it was soil tested. Most of the land I'm seeing is raw and has not likely been tested. Again, I'm not sure an owner would discount for something not likely to be known until after the sale?

I suppose the more apt question is problems to watch out for since that's the answers given so far ☺️

I live down here and you're thoughts are accurate. It's all about access and of course WATER. Also, Benson is a little closer to Tucson and some people make it the commute to Tucson everyday for work. Pearce/Sunsites is more for rural horse properties.