| The 8 Golden Rules for Buying a Building Lot. How | | | | wetlands and requires setbacks from this area for |
| you can avoid common mistake many people make | | | | your building. This is a complex topic and we |
| buying land. | | | | suggest that you spend a few hundred dollars before |
| We often have come across someone who has | | | | purchasing your property and hiring an expert in the |
| recently purchased their lot and then ask us standard | | | | field that will review your potential property and |
| questions like “Where do you think I should | | | | provide valuable feedback. |
| build?” “What about my utilities?” | | | | 5. Other Utilities (Power, Phone, Cable, and Internet) |
| “How big a house or footprint can I have?” | | | | – Unless you are planning to go completely |
| and quite a few others that should be asked or | | | | wireless with cell phone, satellites, and solar you need |
| considered prior to purchasing a lot. | | | | to contact the local utility companies and find out |
| Here are our 8 golden rules for buying land: | | | | about access to your property and the associated |
| 1. Is it in city limits or in an unincorporated part of the | | | | costs. You’d be surprised at how much it can |
| county? Often times when you are looking at | | | | cost to bring power just a few hundred feet to your |
| property within city limits, the utilities including sewer | | | | property or convert the lines to underground. |
| are already in place, whereas outside of city limits, | | | | It’s often good to know if you have access to |
| often times there is no cable, no power, no sewer, | | | | natural gas or if you will be using a service for |
| no water, and no driveway. Each one of these | | | | propane tanks. This may also factor into your |
| items needs to be addressed. | | | | decision. |
| 2. You need to know if the land “percs” for | | | | 6. Setbacks – Every jurisdiction has their own set |
| an onsite septic system, what type of septic system | | | | of rules for setbacks from property lines. If you are |
| will need to be installed, and how much it will cost. | | | | buying a large parcel it may not be as important, but |
| If you are planning on building a 4-bedroom home and | | | | a smaller parcel in the city can exclude you from |
| the property can only install a 2-bedroom septic | | | | using the house plan you want based on the |
| system, the property is not worth much. You need | | | | setbacks and the foundation footprint you end up |
| to know this before closing on your purchase. | | | | with. Often times, they also may have rules based |
| Within days of making an offer, or prior to making an | | | | on the ratio of impervious surface with the overall |
| offer, you should ask the current homeowner if he | | | | square footage of house or even the ratio of the |
| has any documentation of a perc test and septic | | | | square footage of the house with the total square |
| design and when that design expires. Often times | | | | footage of the lot. Be sure to check your local |
| you will need to hire someone to conduct a test and | | | | zoning office to verify you can build the house you |
| make your offer contingent upon this factor. | | | | want. |
| 3. Is there water available? The biggest mistake | | | | 7. You see it all the time as you drive around: |
| you can do is find a great price on a property, find | | | | Houses are not taking advantage of their view and |
| that it percs, but find out later that it will cost tens | | | | facing the wrong way simply because of the |
| of thousands of dollars to drill 200 feet down to | | | | driveway access and location of the garage. You |
| install a water well. Although you cannot be 100% | | | | are selecting a lot on certain factors, but mostly |
| sure without an actual drilling, an experienced local | | | | location. Did you buy the house because of its |
| drilling company can provide you information of lots | | | | amazing view of the mountains to the East, or |
| nearby and their drilling depths and associated costs. | | | | maybe the water views to the West? Make sure |
| They usually have standardized bids with variables | | | | that the house plan you select maximizes your view |
| that include depth that can provide you a general | | | | and you design the position of the house to take |
| price range of the associated costs. You also have | | | | advantage of this, this would include reviewing your |
| to watch out for having enough pressure to install a | | | | driveway access. If you are in a rural area, you |
| sprinkler system inside your house. Many | | | | may have to apply for driveway access in a certain |
| municipalities include this in the building code for rural | | | | location and the county will have to approve the |
| areas where fire trucks may not have easy access. | | | | location. |
| 4. Wetlands – In King County, Washington, and | | | | 8. Hire a real estate with experience with the type of |
| probably a few others, it is required that you have a | | | | property you are looking for. |
| “Critical Areas Designation” completed by the | | | | We hope this helps in making your lot purchasing |
| county. The county comes out and takes a look at | | | | process and you can avoid the many pitfalls people |
| your property and designates certain areas as | | | | make buying land. |