TheLandJournal.com

Finding rural land may be easier for you than actually making use of it. Whether you are planning to build a first or second home, a retirement retreat, or even a clubhouse for your secret “Trees Smile When We Hug Them Society” (or TSWWHTS), once you have found the land of your dreams and before you actually cement your deal, you will have a little homework to do!

“We’ll just worry about this or that when the time comes” is a dangerous attitude to take. Big mistakes can lead to big disappointments and even to utter financial disaster, so don’t let yourself get sucked in by the view before you have looked into all the details.

First of all, learn how your chosen parcel is zoned and what you will be allowed to build on it. Laws vary widely from state to state, and even among counties within each state; depending on where you are and how much land you are buying, you may find that you really can’t build quite the homestead of your dreams on that special hillside parcel. And instead of drastically altering your plans, it may make more sense for you to move on and consider other, more hospitable properties where those extra bedrooms and bathrooms, the earth-dug stable, and the winery with panoramic views can be built without regulatory hassles.

And since the land is rural, there is an excellent chance that it won’t be connected to city waste and water, so you will have to put in an on-site well and septic system. Be sure especially to research that area’s quality of water and how far down you will likely need to go to reach enough of it, since in some areas drilling a well can be expensive; and of course you will want to factor that anticipated cost into the price of the land. Make certain, too, that there are no state or local restrictions that might trip you up, since in some areas water is so scarce that there are legal limits on how much you can take and what uses you can make of it. Where your septic system is concerned, it will be important that you have the advice of a seasoned local expert, since the best types of systems vary widely by area and mistakes made here can be costly.

Then before your plans are very far along, look over a topographical map of the area and try to find a recent survey. Older surveys may be incorrect, since the methods used for surveying rural land were until recently the very same methods that George Washington used in his surveying days; modern satellite-based methods are far more accurate. An old, inaccurate survey could mean that you will be paying taxes on more land than you own; it could mean that your fences are in the wrong places; or it even could mean that your new home’s living room will lie across your neighbor’s property line – and that will wear out a budding friendship pretty quickly! Knowing where your property lines are is so important that if there is no survey that you can trust, then you ought to negotiate the cost of a survey into the deal when you are making your offer.

Access is another issue that can trip up the buyers of rural land. Dirt roads may not be roads at all! Can you access the land that you like from a public road, or will you need an easement across someone else’s land? Are there easements already in place, and are they transferable to you? What might be your responsibilities in helping to maintain shared roads? Long rural roads can cost a lot of money to develop and maintain, so if keeping up your access might be costly, then that is something else to be factored into the price when you are making your offer.

Will the rights to the minerals under your land be transferred to you, or does someone else own them? Do you care? Chances are that it won’t matter much, but in some states if you don’t own those rights you may later find that someone else has the right to drill an oil well smack in front of your house.

And what about power? Does the land that you like have easy access to the power grid? If not, then you will have to bring power in, and this can be such a considerable cost that it is something else that must be factored into the price.

Even the zoning of the parcels around your land has to be investigated. Your land might be rural, but the parcel next to yours could be zoned industrial or commercial, and on its far flank it could have sufficient highway access to support a future Wal-Mart… but then again, out there in your rural haven, maybe easy access to shopping would not be a bad thing!

So now you have looked into zoning, access, water, power, mineral rights, lot lines, and who your new neighbors are. Now you really know your rural parcel, and you much better know what it is actually worth. So now you are ready to take a final long look at that spectacular view… and then you can sit down and write your offer with the confidence that from now on, this adventure is going to be nothing but fun!