What to consider when buying an undeveloped lot

Question

Hi all,

I am looking at buying an undeveloped lot (Single Family Dwelling Zone) in an A- location. However, the seller explicitly states that he does not guarantee suitability of the lot for construction of a residence or construction of a driveway.

My questions therefore are:

- What do I need to check & do before buying the lot? (I'd like to put an A-frame on it, see: https://www.madihome.com/, there's a sanitary main but no water or driveway)

- The closest water main is ~60m away

- The closest street is ~60m away. The driveway would have to be build in between developed lots.

Thanks so much!

Rainer

Matthew Bailey · Answer

@Rainer Otte @Rainer Otte I’m a land investor and I buy and sell parcels of vacant land, if this lot doesn’t have road access (ie there are properties between it and a county maintained road) then it’s what is called landlocked.  You’ll need to look at the deed to verify there are easements that give you access and utility right of ways.  Just because you can physically get to the lot doesn’t mean you can legally put a driveway and utilities across other people’s land.  This has red flag written all over it.  Call the county recorders office and get the deed from them.  You’ll also want to talk to the utility companies to see what it’ll cost to get water lines run to the property.  You can also truck in water and have a water tank in some areas.  Sounds like you don’t need to worry about a perc test or septic system.  Make sure it’s out of a floodplain and it’s not in a wetlands area.  Also also, you ought to be able to get this significantly cheaper than comparable lots that have road access.  Make sure you do your homework and don’t jump the gun, lots of potential issues here.

Matthew Bailey · Answer

@Rainer Otte I’m a land investor and I buy and sell parcels of vacant land, if this lot doesn’t have road access (ie there are properties between it and a county maintained road) then it’s what is called landlocked.  You’ll need to look at the deed to verify there are easements that give you access and utility right of ways.  Just because you can physically get to the lot doesn’t mean you can legally put a driveway and utilities across other people’s land.  This has red flag written all over it.  Call the county recorders office and get the deed from them.  You’ll also want to talk to the utility companies to see what it’ll cost to get water lines run to the property.  You can also truck in water and have a water tank in some areas.  You’ll probably want to perc test the property to make sure it’s suitable for a septic system.  Make sure it’s out of a floodplain and it’s not in a wetlands area.  Also also, you ought to be able to get this significantly cheaper than comparable lots that have road access.  Make sure you do your homework and don’t jump the gun, lots of potential issues here.

Rainer Otte · Answer

@Rachel H. Ok, thanks! I’ll try that and go from there.

Matthew Bailey · Answer

@Rainer Otte I’m a land investor and I buy and sell parcels of vacant land, if this lot doesn’t have road access (ie there are properties between it and a county maintained road) then it’s what is called landlocked.  You’ll need to look at the deed to verify there are easements that give you access and utility right of ways.  Just because you can physically get to the lot doesn’t mean you can legally put a driveway and utilities across other people’s land.  This has red flag written all over it.  Call the county recorders office and get the deed from them.  You’ll also want to talk to the utility companies to see what it’ll cost to get water lines run to the property.  You can also truck in water and have a water tank in some areas.  You’ll probably want to perc test the property to make sure it’s suitable for a septic system.  Make sure it’s out of a floodplain and it’s not in a wetlands area.  Also also, you ought to be able to get this significantly cheaper than comparable lots that have road access.  Make sure you do your homework and don’t jump the gun, lots of potential issues here.

Matthew Bailey · Answer

@Matthew Bailey darn BP app lol

Rachel H. · Answer

@Rainer Otte I'd check with your local zoning office regarding anything you want to do with the lot. If there are questions they are not able to answer, they can probably direct you to someone who can. Good luck!

What to consider when buying an undeveloped lot

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