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Maybe Rock County doesn’t have any properties like the one you have in mind yet. In this situation, constructing a house on an empty plot of land might be the best move. But remember that buying land may come with more surprises than purchasing a home. These may include easements, zoning limitations, and environmental issues that could quickly transform your dream construction into a headache.
Follow these guidelines to prevent buyer’s remorse, whether you’re purchasing unoccupied land to build a home for your family or you intend to sell the property for a profit in the future.
Find the land with the aid of a real estate agent.
When buying property, working with a real estate agent makes handling aspects like negotiating, due diligence, and closing the deal more manageable. However, when purchasing land, it’s crucial to work with a land real estate company Rock County, MN, specializing in negotiating land deals. Use an agent with experience working with buyers and sellers in real estate transactions.
Take the environmental tests seriously.
A plot of land needs to go through tests and inspections to verify you know what you’re buying and that you’ll be able to build on it, much like a home inspection and background investigation on the house. Environmental testing looks for pollution from prior use in the soil.
For instance, it is impossible to construct residential dwellings on a former gas station or auto body shop site due to the higher likelihood of polluted soil there. Another issue is the possibility of floods on the property or unsuitable grounds for construction. Hire a specialist to evaluate this information to guarantee the outcomes.
Remember to complete the survey.
Additionally, you need to hire a surveyor to determine the borders of your land. If the parcel is in a neighborhood and has been unoccupied for a while, neighbors may have accidentally or purposely encroached over the property limits. It’s better to purchase land that has already had a survey, geology, and soil report performed. You can constantly update or redo the reports if they become outdated.
Don’t assume you can rezone your property.
There will be zones, laws, and ordinances set forth by your local governing body that restrict what can be built on any site or stipulate the requirements for constructing a safe structure. A potential buyer should first look at zoning because the rules could restrict their possibilities in ways they don’t like.
LandProz real estate LLC experts say it is advisable to retain your vision within the boundaries of the land rather than attempting to rezone it. Find land that will let you construct the home you want, but before finalizing the plans, be aware of the constraints on your plot.
Consider road access and utilities.
Last, but not least, it’s simple to take running water, power, and sewage access for granted, but with unoccupied land, these amenities aren’t always available. You want to know if it will cost money to run infrastructure to that land or if it’s already serviced depending on how developed the area is around the land.
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