I think there are ways to make slopes more useable but all kinds of factors enter into that decision . I like the dense brush it makes anice backdrop for landscping if you are concerned with snakes they don't actully care much about that you do there I have garter snales in my yard which BTW I like since tey eat lots of stuff I don't wan in my yard. They run over the gravel , the sid ewalk no problem. Colld you maybe post a drawing of the whole lot to give us a bit of context . A nice retaining wall could work as a bit of deterrent but not perfect. Can you aslo include the steepness of the slope in your drawing. A bit of info as to budget is always helpful

You're in the South - bugs and reptiles of all kinds should be anticipated. When friends lived in the Tampa Bay area for awhile there was a biting fly species present in the yard that was so bad they ended up spraying the whole place with insecticide. When I visited a relative in the Orlando area a residence hotel she liked to use had had a rattlesnake appear in the swimming pool on a prior occasion. And the time she and I were booked into this facility together an alligator was living in the stormwater retention pond out front. And floating near the hotel each evening, pointing itself at the building - eventually I learned an earlier guest had been feeding it chicken parts. This in a typical commercial setting with lots of buildings and pavement all around, significantly less vegetation than before the current level of development. So the unmown grass leading to a patch of woods you are asking about here will have plenty of potential to generate unwanted encounters. Including things that will even come into the house, without being invited in beforehand.

Though this nuisance animal home page does not mention them if you use the search box it displays near the top to search for snakes lots of pages about snakes in Georgia come up.

Nuisance Animals | UGA Cooperative Extension

Perhaps inquire with the realtor and neighbors about what habitat is typically found there to get a better sense.

Terracing is commonly done to make slopes useful. With wild spaces comes wild creatures of all sizes. Yes is the general answer to all your questions. Money is all that is needed to create 'a useful space'. Nature is another challenge and is inconsistently successful.

What ci_lantro said. And maybe some cats to keep the population of small rodents (snake food) down.

We are selling a family property on acreage, with a lake and bordering a forest preserve. A fellow stopped by recently to ask about the property, and wondered if there is wildlife (yes!) and if it is a problem. He has dogs, so I don’t think deer will be a problem. And he asked if there was ”wildlife” in the lake that was a problem. I assured him there were no sharks.

I’m sure there are snakes but we have never seen them. Turtles, frogs, chipmunks, rabbits, and of course if you have those you will have hawks, coyotes, and foxes, and though I haven’t seen them, I know that there are or have been muskrats, raccoons, opossums, skunks. It’s just nature. Heck, we live in a regular neighborhood and have all of those, including the deer.

What can you do with landscape that borders ”urban jungle”? Certified Wildlife Habitat. Rather than thinking about pests, think about what the jungle space is doing for you: cleaning your air, mitigating extreme temperatures in your lot, offering homes for creatures that will keep mosquitoes down and eat mice.

As pretty and private as that wooded area is, in all sincerity, if the thought of snakes or pests near your house bothers you that much ... pass on this house. Because yes they are there and yes they will make their way to (and even into) your house.

Life is too short to live where you are not comfortable.

I don't mean that as a criticism, but as an observation to think about.

What part of Georgia? Is there water back in the wooded area? Yes, there will be critters that will wander into your yard. Coyotes, snakes, foxes, bear, deer, gators and more can be found in Georgia.

Yes on snakes. However I have two dogs that mark the cleared area of my property in the woods and I have not seen snakes for awhile. My neighbors have. You’ll want snake gear: tall-enough work boots and snake-proof gaiters. There are also chemical barriers you can sprinkle around the perimeter. My neighbors have an outdoor cat that probably comes on our property from time to time.

Double yes on insects. They are the biggest problem. I am dealing with them one type of insect at a time. The gnats are the worst - I put a black mosquito net over my head when I walk the dogs in the summer.

Yes on everything else: lizards, frogs, occasional deer, squirrels of course, birds, some animals I don’t even know about but my dogs smell them.

Regarding alligators and bears: it depends where you live. You can google locations. I don’t worry about alligators or bears where I am.

Property in the woods belongs to all nature’s inhabitants. You can try to teach them to stay in the woods and away from your house. That takes a little bit of time. When the house is vacant, they take over. As you live in and around the house and make the house less attractive to them, they tend to recede into the woods.

You CAN get used to it if you really want to. I moved from an essentially animal and bug-free environment into the woods. The privacy is amazing! (And addictive.) The nature show and concerts are always peaceful and entertaining. The country roads are beautiful.

You just have to adjust and be tolerant, and work on solutions one at a time.

The good news: in winter, most of the pests go away. For me, that lasts about 5-1/2 months. Can’t wait.

I don't mind snakes and wrapped a pet black snake around my neck in high school under one of those big cowl collar sweaters. My boyfriend was scared to death of them, so it was a great joke at the time. Recently lost one of our vermin catching snakes. He got in the chicken coop, ate an egg and then couldn't shimmy through the chicken wire to escape. When we found him he'd been dead a while! Gross for a few days and we miss him. Seen lots of rats/mice since he departed this life! Hope one of his relatives returns to pick up where he left off. If you're afraid of snakes there is a product called Snake-Away that works similar to tick granules. You toss it in the area, but be careful if you have outdoor pets. Terraced landscaping can work for your slope. Ideas at this link. https://www.houzz.com/photos/query/terraced-slope/nqrwns

I would be more worried about the 2-legged critters that might wander over from the house you can see through the woods! ;-)

Over the years we've lived in areas with rabbits, skunk, groundhogs, chipmunks, moles, hawks, coyote, bobcat, deer, bears, mountain lions, snakes ... and all of them were in major metro areas. Our current location has rabbits, bobcats, coyotes, bald eagles and the worst, alligators.

Put a 6 ft fence around your property with chicken wire added on the lower section ... it might keep some things out.

I'd be more concerned about what might be built on that property in the future.

Nature finds a way.

Any future development in those woods will displace creatures that live there and they'll be looking for new homes, possibly in your yard.

i knew of someone whobought property in georgia that turned out to be so infested with alligators thst he had to abandon it.

Chicken wire and snakes is not a good combination. A snake can get caught up, becomes very frightened, is difficult to see and WHAM, he's got you on the leg. My mum and dad had some chicken wire around or near a tomato plant (in suburbia). Maybe I saw him subconsciously, or maybe I didn't, but I for some reason didn't want to approach the plant to grab some tomatoes. Later on mum told me there was a dead snake in the wire.

And we had some chicken wire near our pond to stop leaves from the Liquidambar falling in. Luckily we saw that snake and arranged for a snake man to come and take him away. Unfortunately the snake man couldn't save the snake. (Too tightly trapped.) (We're also in suburbia BTW)

... You CAN get used to it if you really want to. ...

If you go for it, ease into being closer to nature by looking for the pretty, fluttery, safe stuff: birds and butterflies. Good guidebooks will help you identify what you see which enhances your enjoyment of it. Peterson's Field Guide to Birds, and Audobon's Guide to Butterflies -- buy hard copies and note when/where you see them.

Being in Texas, home of just about every poisonous critter there is, I’ve had to learn to be cautious outside … and it just becomes second nature. If I’m weeding, I use a rake to rustle the bushes/plants I can’t see under first. We don’t let grass get too tall anywhere or keep anything piled up outside. Don’t stick hands or feet into or under anything you can’t see. We’re very careful walking around in the dark. Besides snakes, we have deadly spiders and scorpions, and are very careful when reaching under or around anything. Things like that.

We can’t control nature, so we just try to co-exist peacefully. I call animal control for any poisonous snakes that are in the yard; they come remove and relocate. This has only happened a few times, it’s rare. They relocate Rattlers, Copperheads, and Cottonmouths. I had a Rattlesnake mama have little rattler babies under our deck once. :D

I know it can seem scary, but nature really is a beautiful thing. And wild critters want to avoid us, too. :) It’s just a matter of respecting that some animals can be a danger, but not letting fear ruin your enjoyment of being outside.

Right now, I wish the snakes would scare off the @#*& armadillo that’s destroying our front yard! :D

Your setting looks wonderful. I’d call in a landscape pro for advice about the slope.

Congratulations on your house!

Yes, you have animals there. They show up in the middle of heavily concrete urban areas, and for sure are where there is more habitat for them. If they are a problem or not depends on the beholder. You can look up what wildlife is in the area- google up wildlife Georgia, or wildlife in the county the property is in. If there is a nature center near, they would be an excellent source of information specific to your area.

And the slope. What do you mean by useable? Some folks would consider it so just as a grass slope to look at and keep mowed or perhaps go wild. Do you want space for kids to play, animals to roam? Space for sitting outside or entertaining? Want food gardening, pretty gardening, both- or maybe landscaping that isn't so much gardening time required?

i just found a bunch of info on google on how to snake-proof your yard. Lots of different solutions.

I have to think about the chicken wire problem before I build a fence. I was thinking about a wire cattle fence for the dogs with 2”x4” openings. (A large fenced area makes other fence options cost-prohibitive.) I may have to put something at the bottom as a barrier for the snakes. Apparently there are snake fencing solutions, as well as other options.

One thing about snakes … they will only strike if threatened. They need their venom for hunting prey (not us) and eating, they don’t want to waste it. They’re such fascinating animals and aren’t a threat, again, unless under extreme duress and fear for their own life.

We walk by them often during hikes and they just try to stay invisible. It usually takes accidentally stepping on one or poking at it to get bit.

And I have never found a successful way to keep them out of the yard permanently. They mostly stay away because of activity, the yard isn’t habitable to them, etc. One in a yard is usually just passing through.

I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but those same critters that might live in the wooded area also live in typical suburban areas. There is no escaping snakes, deer, raccoons, bugs, skunks, etc.

Having lived in the NE and backing up to a wooded area I can add a few things

1 the woods will grow and encroach on your property so you will always be fighting it back

2 I saw everything but ”wooly mammoths” come out of the woods.

3 I was only 45 mins away from NYC and I loved the quiet and the privacy but you have think about what you can live with

What does the current owners say about your concerns? Did you ask them?