You might think it’s easy to find land so you can build your house and in a way it is. The trick is finding the right piece of land that has everything you are looking for and is worth the money.
We made a list of all the towns we were willing to move to. I wanted to stay close to the seacoast- I love the beach! My husband wanted to be closer to the city- he loves the city. So we made a list of all the towns in between the beach and the city and we began to look for land. We wanted to make sure we paid a fair price for whatever land we found so we did a little research to find out what to expect to pay. The following link has a great list of home and land values! https://amp.usatoday.com/amp/39442329
We used NEREN to find available land in our chosen towns. This website only serves NH, VT, MA and ME. You could also use zillow or realtor.com. We found that the best way to assess the land was to physically go and look at it ourselves and then if it was something worth looking into contact the realtor. You want to find land that is not in a flood zone and that is relatively flat. If you purchase land in a flood zone is can affect the value of your home, increase your home owners insurance and sometimes it can negatively affect your financing. Finding land that is relatively flat can sometimes be difficult as this is highly desired land. You can use flat land a lot easier than land with a lot of hills. If you buy land that has a lot of low spots the water will naturally collect in those spots when it rains creating nice mud holes and possibly flooding of your home.
We looked at several pieces of land that we thought were priced fairly and the pictures looked great. When we showed up to look at the land though we noticed several lots were in flood zones, some were completely wet lands and one piece of land didn’t even have a road to access it! We would have had to put in a dirt road to access the land! Needless to say none of those worked out. One of the properties we checked out had an access road going through the property. We contacted the realtor since we were interested and she would not give us the details of the access road so we backed out. An access road can mean many things. It could be an easement for the power company or it could be for emergency access, it could be an right of way so that someone can reach their land if it’s land locked. You don’t know without the details, so whatever you do don’t buy land with an access road without getting the details in writing!
The land we wound up purchasing was partially under some high voltage power lines so there was a right of way attached to the land. We reviewed the details on the right of way deed and decided to move forward with the purchase as the terms were not bad and the property was otherwise perfect. We purchased 5.35 acres of flat land for $80,000 In 2015. Our property has a slight downwards taper which is great for when it rains as it naturally drains!
A right of way and an easement are slightly different and you should get a copy of the exact details before making a decision regarding the land. An easement is a written agreement allowing someone to use your property in an agreed upon way. So an easement between the property owner and a farmer could exist that specifically allows cows to graze a 15’X15’ area to the north of the driveway. Easements typically are very specific regarding size and locations. A right of way is a written agreement allowing someone to use your property for travel. For example if someone owns a parcel of land that has no access point to it (land locked) they would have a right of way through a portion of your land that they can use whenever they need to. Right of ways are very detailed as to their size and you cannot block the right of way in any manner.
At the end of the day you need to purchase land that is right for you. If you want property that has a lot of hills and gulleys that is your choice, just remember that along with those charming features you have potential for flooding or mud holes perfect for a piggy! It can be very exciting to find land and take this important step in building your dream home but make sure you keep your head on tight and make a good decision because this decision is quite literally the foundation of your new home!
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