The Many Factors Involved in Buying Land
The Many Factors Involved in Buying Land
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The Many Factors Involved in Buying Land

Here’s what you should know before you decide to buy land.

Finding and purchasing land can get pretty complicated if you don’t know what you’re doing, but don’t let that scare you off from becoming a landowner. Today I’ll be sharing the steps you’ll want to take if you decide to buy land. 

First, you’ll want to find a geographically competent agent who knows land. They’ll check out Schedule B on the preliminary title report for the parcel you’re interested in, and they’ll know the zoning, codes, covenants, and restrictions for the parcel.

Next, you want to get a licensed, bonded, and insured general contractor. This professional will assess the site in a variety of ways, and they’ll inspect a number of different reports. This includes the seller’s geotechnical report, which is a report about the soil. You want the foundation to be solid, impacted soil so that your home doesn’t sink into the ground. This report costs about $3,200, so ask the seller to do it in the purchase contract. 

They’ll also go through the soils test, or the site investigation report. You don’t need it if the sewer goes to the property; for outlying areas, though, you need a perc test (or site investigation report) to ensure the site percs properly. This all has to do with conventional septic or alternative systems. An alternative system can cost $30,000 or more, while a general septic system can cost around $8,000 to $10,000.

Find a geographically competent agent who knows land.

You’ll also want to get a flood status report and provide it to your contractor. They understand the codes, can look at the flood map, and figure out the cost of a flood impact on the parcel. Additionally, you want utility verification, which includes serve letters from APS or the city. Make sure you get this in writing. A parcel may appear to have utilities at the property, but when you go check it out, you find that these utilities are across the street. You’d then need to bore underneath the street to bring utilities to your parcel, which can be expensive.

There are a lot of factors involved in buying land, and I’d be happy to give you more information about how to begin the process. If you have any questions or would like to learn more, feel free to reach out to me. I look forward to hearing from you soon.