FAQ

Mission Equity Properties LLC
Scottsdale, Arizona
Fax: 480-663-0023

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
Most or all of these questions can be answered by the departments in the county where the property is located. In fact, we highly recommend that you contact the county to ask them any questions you may have prior to bidding.

What is a Special Warranty Deed?

A deed in which the grantor (Mission Equity Properties, LLC) warrants, or guarantees, the title only against defects arising during the period of his or her tenure and ownership of the property and not against defects existing before that time.

What is a Grant Deed?

A Grant Deed implies certain warranties. First, it implies that the grantor has not previously conveyed any title to the property to another. Second, it implies that the property is, at the time of the conveyance, free from any liens allowed to be placed on the property by the grantor or grantor's agent.

Is the Winning Bid the total price or a down payment?

Please see the contents of the auction.

Is a Winning Bid a commitment to buy?

Yes. If you are bidding on the property, we understand that you are purchasing it and have done your due diligence. We take bidders very seriously and report non-paying bidders to auction host sites. Reporting a non-paying bidder often banishes that bidder from the website. Please review here for more detail.

What is due diligence?

Due diligence is the research you, as the buyer, complete prior to making a bid. This includes questions to the County, or to Mission or a land site visit . We strongly encourage you to feel satisfied about your knowledge of the property before bidding.

Is there legal access to the property or is the property land-locked?

Legal access is generally disclosed in the title insurance policy and or the deed. Most of our property has legal access (which may be in the form of a road or an easement), but in some cases legal access is unclear or has never been established. This does not necessarily mean that there is no access the property. Generally an agreement can be arranged with adjacent landowners to allow access. This is typically not a problem if approached in an honest and straightforward manner. If the adjacent landowner is the State or Federal government gaining access can be a little more difficult but is not impossible. Generally if there is an existing road which goes through State or Federal land you can use it to access your property. Again, if approached in the right manner this is usually not a problem. In the rare case where access is not allowed to property a land attorney may be consulted. Ultimately, you have a right to access your property.

What is the property zoned?

Most of the property we have for sale is rural/agricultural in nature. Many of these areas are not subject to typical urban-like zoning restrictions. However, zoning does change frequently and it is the responsibility of the new owner to check with the appropriate county office to determine the official zoning of the property. Special note: This is a very important part of purchasing any property. As a bidder, please ask yourself how you intent to use this property and if the applicable zoning condition will allow you to do so. Please remember that zoning is not necessarily a permanent thing and can be successfully changed by petition.

Are there time limitations to build?

Unless specified in the posting, there are no time limits in which an owner must build on the property. Please check with the county on zoning issues associated with building.

Are the mineral rights included with the property?

In the Western United States it is very rare to have mineral rights associated with your property. Mineral rights are typically included in the legal description of the property on the deed. A bidder should not be concerned that the day after the property is purchased, a drilling rig will show up and dig up the land. Nearly all of the time, mineral rights to property in this area will never be explored. If this does happen, in most cases, the government has to compensate the landowner for any damage incurred. Mineral rights can also be purchased directly from the government.

Is someone available to help me locate the property?

We purchase property in bulk from many different sources. We do not offer this service due to the fact that it would add to our costs and therefore add to the sale price of the property. We go to great lengths to provide accurate information in our listings regarding the location of the land. We have a very high confidence level in the accuracy of the maps and driving directions provided in the listing. In most cases we have not visited the property. Roads may be in poor condition, and there are likely not road signs. We can provide GPS waypoints for the location of your property (GPS is very accurate but should not be used as the real location of a property line due to signal scrambling and the accuracy of different units). Please click on the following link for more information on how to locate your property.

Is the property staked or surveyed?

Smaller acreage property that is an a subdivision was likely surveyed sometime in the past (please refer to the plat map provided in the listing). As we have not visited most of these properties we do not know if the property corners are staked. This can vary greatly depending on when the subdivision was originally created. We recommend that you get the property surveyed if you want to know the exact location of your property. Larger acreage property has likely never been surveyed and is delineated by a simple legal description. Again we recommend that you get your property surveyed if you want to know the exact location of your property lines. Please refer to this link for an explanation of legal descriptions.

Can I drive to my property?

If there is a road to your property it will be explained in the driving directions in the listing. In most cases we have not visited the property and the condition of these roads can be very poor. Road signs may not be present. We strongly recommend a 4wd vehicle if you have to travel a long distance over unmaintained dirt roads. GPS is a great help in locating these properties.

How far away are utilities? What are my options for sewer/water/power/heat?

As we have not visited the property, it is very difficult to determine the status or utilities. Recently, utility alternatives are gaining popularity. Some call them “getting off of the grid". Septic tanks may be installed instead of hooking into a municipal sewer. Alternative ways of getting water include drilling a well or installing a large holding tank. Holding tanks (cisterns) are increasing in use throughout the rural areas of the west and in some areas these tanks can be serviced by water delivery trucks. Other options include tanks that can be temporarily loaded on the backs of trucks and taken into town once a month to be refilled. Alternative power sources can include gas generators or solar power. Propane can be used for heat. Please check with the appropriate county and state agencies on any zoning issues or permits associated with the above alternatives.

Are there water rights associated with the property?

Nearly all of the property we sell contains water rights where an owner may drill a well for personal use. This fact lies in the hands of local and state government authorities so it is pertinent to check with them prior to bidding. This is a highly debated issue and more often than not, a bidder will find several different answers to this question.

Is the picture in the listing of the property? Are the photographs provided in the listing of the property?

Again we likely have not visited the property. Pictures are representative of the area and are usually not of the lot. We go to great lengths to obtain photographs of the general area where the property is located.

Is the property in a flood zone?

Please check the official FEMA flood zone maps here. Please keep in mind that a large percentage of land has never been evaluated to determine flood zone designation. County and State governments may have additional flood zone information. Keep in mind that while property may be in, or partially within, a flood zone the restrictions can be fairly minimal depending on the designation. In other words just because property is in a flood zone does not necessarily mean that you could not build on it. It just means that you would need flood insurance.