Buying Land What You Need To Know

Buying Land What You Need To Know – Buying land is not as easy as buying a house, but it is not difficult either. The important thing is to make sure you have done all your due diligence before closing on the property. Having been there, done that (with the guidance of our very helpful local building department), these are my real-life, money-saving, stress-reducing tips on what to look for and how if you’re buying land. Want to know when it’s time to move.

This was the feeling my husband and I had in 2018 after unsuccessfully house hunting for over a year. We were searching in a challenging market, hoping to score the unicorn of real estate: a fixer-upper with good bones, plenty of space, a budget to build a home on a wide-open, beautiful property. But that’s what we could actually afford once we took into account remodeling costs.

Buying Land What You Need To Know

That fixer-upper didn’t exist in Bend, Oregon — at least not without spending exorbitant amounts of money to settle for something. So we changed gears and decided to explore the land.

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Our logic: We’ll spend about the same amount of money remodeling an old house as we will building a new house. The math was all in favor of custom building, and we found our dream home the first time around.

It’s an attractive proposition, but buying land is not as easy as buying a house. (No problem really

Once we decided to focus our search on land, it took us another eight months to find the right property. In another post, I wrote more about how we found the land (with tips on how you can find land, too).

You have to check it out if you’re in the market to buy land (or if you’re just curious about how we evaluated the land we’re building our home on).

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My husband and I set out alone in search of land. We had a specific type of land in mind (fairly flat and open and clear of some trees) and a specific type of house we wanted to build (simple lines without a lot of cutouts) so that we could avoid the expense of building a complex. Can. Because of this, we opted to find the land first and then interview the architect while we were in escrow.

It is extremely difficult to build at the location you want. If you live in an area that is very hilly, densely forested, located on a coastline, or has similar unique or intriguing features, you may want to seek the help of an architect or builder before you start looking at properties. .

By hiring a professional first, you can rely on their expertise to guide you toward better or less expensive options. A knowledgeable architect or builder will be able to tell you whether the land is challenging to design or build around, and hopefully steer you away from costly mistakes.

Your goal is to create the most energy-efficient home possible. If you want to eventually achieve a net-zero home or a home that meets certain energy-efficiency standards, it’s a good idea to start the journey with an architect or builder with experience in that industry.

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There are two reasons for this: First, they can help you choose a parcel that will maximize energy-efficient construction methods. Second, they can give you a better idea of ​​how much things will cost to build so you can budget appropriately for land (and not waste time looking at properties you can’t develop).

You want an expert and partner in the process and a full-service custom home experience. Does the idea of ​​finding land (and making sure it’s buildable) seem too daunting to tackle alone? Talk to a builder! Some builders like to be part of the planning from the beginning and will visit potential locations with you.

When you contract with a builder like this, they will help you find the right piece of land and may even provide in-house design and engineering services.

If this type of one-stop shop appeals to you, look into design-build firms. These full-service companies perform the roles of architects, contractors, and construction companies under one roof, significantly streamlining the process as they overlap the design and construction phases of the project.

Things You Should Know About Buying Land

Keep reading to find out what you should consider when buying land – including the things no one talks about!

When doing your due diligence, the most important factor to consider before purchasing land is its location. In real estate, location trumps all other attributes because, well, if you don’t love where you live (or feel it’s too complicated to make it happen), it doesn’t matter if you. Can afford it or not.

Which municipality does the land belong to? Here in Bend, Oregon, land is either part of the city of Bend or part of Deschutes County, and each has its own set of building requirements, building fees, and public services (like road maintenance and mail delivery).

In our experience, land outside the city limits was much easier and less expensive to develop, although it was generally not valued as well as land within the city. We generally enjoy low taxes but we are not allowed to vote on certain city ballot measures that may affect us. For us, the deal made sense for these and many other reasons.

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Does the community have potential for future growth? You should consider not only where all your neighbors are, but also where

Many new landowners are surprised when they purchase their plot and suddenly discover that an apartment complex is being built across the street. Be sure to check what the current zoning requirements are for your neighborhood, and don’t be afraid to talk to neighbors (who often have little knowledge of what’s going on in the community).

Are there any zoning restrictions? In addition to finding out what is allowed to be built in the neighborhood, you should also know what can be built.

Allowed. Some zoning laws may restrict the type of house you can build, the number of chickens you can keep, or whether you can add an ADU or other outbuildings on the property.

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There will also be some property related setbacks that you need to follow, which can greatly affect the shape and direction of your house. In our case, we also had to consider the solar setback from our home, which dictated how high we could build on our land.

Are there HOAs, CC&Rs, or deed restrictions? Zoning isn’t the only potential limit on what you can build on your land. If you’re buying land in a subdivision, there may be covenants that state what color you can paint your house, what type of landscaping you can do, or what style of fencing you can install. may allow.

Not to mention, established communities may have membership or association fees that ultimately make your monthly mortgage very high.

Some subdivisions may also have deed restrictions regarding removing trees, obstructing a neighbor’s view, or parking an RV in your own driveway. If you are considering purchasing a lot, obtain copies of all these documents in advance and read them carefully.

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How is the neighbourhood? Sometimes this isn’t something you can determine right away, which is why I recommend visiting the property in the morning, day, and night to get a feel for the neighborhood. If possible, visit on the worst day, when it’s packed with local traffic or after a major storm.

See how neat (or not) the front yard is. Chat up neighbors who walk their dogs and ask them what it’s like to live there. Tell them you are thinking of buying land for construction. We’ve moved away from home because of what we learn about neighborhoods.

And really study what’s nearby (zooming into Google satellite view really helps here). Is there a landfill a few miles away where the wind can blow in a certain direction and make your house smelly? Is there a noisy Motocross track in the neighbors backyard? Are there any open spaces near the property where people are allowed to shoot?

Are you near a facility? Calculate how long it takes to drive to schools, grocery stores, parks, trails or your favorite spots. If you think you’ve found your dream property, but it makes your everyday commute longer, be honest with yourself about whether that extra 30 minutes is worth it (especially if you live in a snowy climate. ).

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This is an area that many people don’t think too deeply about, but in my opinion, the orientation of the lot is everything (especially if you’re hoping to build an energy-efficient home).

What size is the lot? A square lot will give you many options for building and landscaping, while an odd-shaped lot will be more challenging to develop.

Take our plot, for example: it’s wedge-shaped, which means there’s really only one place we can put our house if we want a big and spacious backyard. Luckily, we like to build our home a bit back from the road, so the narrow end of the lot was perfect for our driveway.

In which direction is the land oriented? What really sold us on our property was the ample south-facing exposure, which allowed

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