5 Things To Do Before Buying Land

Visit the property and do a complete walk-through.

This is vitally important, especially if you are not local to the area in which you intend to purchase. Even if you are 1000 miles away from your dream homestead, go visit it in person. It is not enough to simply trust your realtor to steer you in the right direction. If you want to be truly self-sufficient, YOU need to make sure the property is what you need and want. There were plenty of properties we pulled up online and fell in love with “virtually”. We’d look at the GIS maps and pore through the photos in the listing, thinking it was perfect. If possible, walk it with a copy of the plat. The owner of the property should also walk it with you, if possible. They will usually have a deeper knowledge of the boundary lines and landmarks, not to mention the history of a property and any neighborly disputes.

We walked our property with the previous owner a couple of times and found tremendous value in it.

Check deed restrictions.

You want to check for any deed restrictions that may limit what you can and can’t do on your property, and find out exactly how binding these limits are. If you’re working with a realtor they will usually be provided with this information. Even if they are, do your due diligence and check the OFFICIAL property deed at your county clerk’s office. You may encounter:

-Minimum or maximum dwelling square footages -Rules against outbuildings or auxiliary structures -Limits on building styles and materials you can use -Other limits pertaining to how and what you can build

Check on mineral, timber, water, and access rights.

You need to know if your property comes with its mineral, timber, water, and access rights or if they have been sold off by a previous property owner. You may buy the property with or without them, but you need to understand the risks. We did have a mineral rights issue that could have ruined our plans to buy our property, but we were able to resolve it within the timeframe of our offer to buy without jumping any other legal hurdles. Your best course of action is to check with a property rights lawyer in your county and state to make sure you don’t jeopardize your dreams over legal technicalities.

Verify zoning and ordinances. If you want to build a house on your land, you need to make absolutely sure of what your property’s zoning type and associated ordinances dictate about what you can or cannot build. The same is true if you will want to add auxiliary structures like sheds, barns, tiny houses, wind turbines, solar panels, etc. There may be square footage requirements for permits, types of structures that are not allowed, boundary setback requirements, and more. Every state, county, and municipality is very different, so be sure to check with your local government(s) to ensure you don’t jeopardize a future building project on your homestead.

Double-check the money.

If you’re paying cash, make sure your money is secure and accessible so your transaction can go smoothly. What about land leases or owner-financing? Make sure you have signed any appropriate documents and have reviewed them with a lawyer or someone who is well-versed in these transactions in your area. The last thing you want is to lose the opportunity to buy your land because of lost money or shady business practices.

If you are interested to buy a land, you can contact us in our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Texas-Home-and-Land-Buyers-LLC-105275077681729/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel&eid=ARBNnjvzISbGbjiTBsHT-bySGDYcM9jxcfgqwohbuQyTpuew8BHMnZkaeiTc6xCxHHzUz3rjJdl9gHm4