mbarrassing, especially where income is not guaranteed or may
be jeopardized through a drastic reduction at critical periods or as the
result of emergency expenses in the family, such as are entailed by
serious illness.

_Taxes._--One of the factors that is frequently overlooked in the purchase
of a residence in the country is the cost of meeting taxes. Since taxes
must be met if the property is to be held, it is highly important that
the location be one in which tax rates are not excessive. On the other
hand, an exceedingly low tax rate may indicate lack of progressiveness in
the community and lack of facilities which from many angles would lessen
the value of the tract as a place of residence. In most localities, the
tax rate is based principally upon the costs of building and maintaining
highways and schools. Good facilities in both of these respects are highly
desirable, and yet excessive expenditures in either direction may so
advance the tax rate as to make them expensive luxuries.

In many rural communities, taxing districts are burdened with the costs of
building monumental schools or a very elaborate system of roads,
undertaken at some time through the flotation of bond issues. The
establishment of a sinking fund for payment of interest and amortization
of these bonds frequently constitutes a very heavy drain upon the
residents of the district. It is, therefore, necessary to determine not
only the tax rate in the locality under consideration, but also to know
definitely what are the current charges for maintenance of government.
Taxing methods vary so widely, even in adjoining districts, that the only
method of determining the annual charges for taxes is to secure from the
present owner or from the local tax assessor the definite payments that
must be made.

As a means of saving trouble later, an investigation should be made of the
property under consideration to make sure that taxes have been paid to the
date of purchase. This is distinctly the obligation of the owner. Unpaid
taxes constitute a lien on the property, and an investigation of the
status of the tax payments is essential in protecting the proposed
investment.

_The Title and Survey._--A great deal of possible trouble can be
eliminated by making sure that the title is clear. An investigation should
be made along this line by an attorney or agency equipped to secure
information from appropriate county offices. Very often the owner has had
a recen