[email protected]   |   (434) 260-1435
2110 Ivy Road   |   Charlottesville, VA 22903
facebook instagram
Story House Real Estate Story House Real Estate
Navigation
  • ABOUT US
    • Who We Are
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Philanthropy
    • Our Success Stories
      • Client Profiles
      • Client Testimonials
      • Press & Recognition
      • Our Sold Homes
    • Story House Blog
    • Newsletters
    • Join Our Team
  • SELL A HOME
    • How We Sell
    • Seller Profile
  • BUY A HOME
    • Buyer Profile
    • Our 10 Step Process
      • Consult Your REALTOR®
      • Arrange Your Financing
      • Find Your Home
      • Prepare a Purchase Offer
      • Contract for Your Home
      • Conduct Inspections
      • Finalize Your Financing
      • Prepare for Settlement
    • Buyer Profile
    • Our Listings
    • New Listings
    • Search All Active Listings
      • Search by County
      • Charlottesville Area Neighborhoods
  • LET’S CONNECT

Tips for Buying Unimproved Land

When the inventory gets tight, many home purchasers turn their attention to new construction opportunities. Buying a lot and building can be an easier proposition than you may think. Here are several tips for buying LAND and avoiding some headaches!

 

  1. GET A TOPO MAP

 

Before you even get in the car to drive by the lot or parcel, get a copy of a local topo map which will give you the elevations of land in your area. The contour lines indicate the elevation of a property – the closer they are together, the steeper the slope whereas the further they are apart, the flatter the land will be.  There are some great websites online where you can find the topography of a parcel and many times, the geographic information system (GIS) for your county or city should have this data. Some parcels of land aren’t buildable thanks to areas of critical slope, marshy low areas, or stream buffers that exist next to waterways.

 

 

  1. RESEARCH THE LAND

 

Many parcels of land have been carved up over time and have some interesting shapes and sizes. It is always a good idea to look at a parcel on the local GIS to get an idea of the overall shape. Maybe the parcel is landlocked within another parcel, maybe it doesn’t have an access point on a public or private road and has an easement running across another parcel. The parcel could have a body of water on part of the acreage or have critical slope that makes the parcel unbuildable. When you go under contract, you certainly want to have a title search done by a closing company or closing attorney. This will yield any liens on the land. You will also want to get a recent plat or survey. If the survey is old, then it is a good idea to get a new one as part of your escrow process. Does the parcel already have any existing infrastructure on it like a well or a septic system? If so, this may save you several thousand dollars of preparation costs that you can put back into your new home. In addition, is the parcel mainly wooded or is it cleared pasture land – a clear lot could potentially save you on excavation costs as your project is getting underway.  Have your REALTOR guide you through what other questions to ask.

 

  1. THINK ABOUT YOUR SITING

 

Even before you pull the trigger on putting an offer together on a parcel, you should give serious thought and research to your home site. Is it feasible to put the house where you want it to be on the land? How are you going to take full advantage of the views, privacy, how the sun moves across the sky, and most important where your driveway is located. A long driveway can add thousands of dollars to your project very quickly. If you have to cross any waterways with your entrance or driveway, you will more than likely have to get county approval. It is a good idea to get your builder involved in this process before you make an offer on the land.

 

  1. INCLUDE CONTINGENCIES TO PROTECT YOUR INVESTMENT

 

Make sure you protect yourself with some contingencies in your land offer. You don’t want to get stuck owning a piece of land that doesn’t sustain the house that you want to build. You should always include a study period which allows a soil engineer to test the land and ensure that it will perc for a drainfield. You should include a stipulation which gives you the option to drill a well and have a minimum gallons per minute that is appropriate for the neighborhood or topography. If you are in a neighborhood that has a Homeowner’s Association with an Architectural Review Board (ARB), you should ensure that your house plan will be accepted by them as a part of your land contract. There should be a contingency which asks for the transportation department and county approval of your driveway. These are just a few of many different contingencies that you could include to ensure that you have a great piece of land.

 

If you’re thinking about buying land this market cycle, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team! We’d love to give you even more great guidance on this process!

 

-Josh White, Realtor® and Sales Partner | Story House Real Estate


Posted on February 7, 2019

Categories

  • Achievements & Recognition
  • Affordability & Financing
  • Blog
  • Buying
  • Charlottesville Area
  • Charlottesville News
  • Charlottesville Real Estate
  • Choosing a Realtor
  • City of Charlottesville
  • Client Profiles
  • Client Testimonials
  • Community
  • First Time Homebuyer
  • Historic Charlottesville
  • Home Repair & Maintenance
  • Landscaping & Exterior
  • Lifestyle
  • Market Reports
  • National Real Estate
  • New Construction
  • Our Favorite Things
  • Real Estate 101
  • Real Estate News and Info
  • Selling
  • Short Sale & Foreclosure 101
  • Sold Homes
  • Staging to Sell
  • Uncategorized

Contact Us

    Subscribe to Newsletter
    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

    View

    Mar 27

    Open
    Spring has sprung!! 🌸

Huge props to our sellers for getting everything prepped and ready for what was another busy week of showings, some VERY busy open houses, and the amazing outcome of lots of offers coming in!

Shoutout to our team and their hard work resulting in a grand total of…

💥 4 listings under contract in 5 days
💥 130 open-house attendees
💥 19 total offers
💥 and ALL of the homes going under contract ABOVE listing price!

If you’re looking for a selling experience like this, don’t hesitate to reach out to our team! 📲 (434) 260-1435!

#StoryHouseRE #StoryHouseRealEstate #evidenceofsuccess  #Charlottesvillerealestate #housingmarket #2023housingmarket #realestate #realtor #realestateagent #home #realestatebroker #homebuyers #realestatetips #Charlottesville #realestatemarket #housingmarket #Charlottesvillerealestate #beyourownlandlord
    View

    Mar 24

    Open
    🏡 Featured Listing | 575 David Road, Charlottesville, Virginia 22902 | MLS #638917 | $600,000 | 🛏️ 3 bed 🛁 2.5 bath | 🏘️ Marshall Manor

HIGHLIGHTS:

🌟 Brick colonial home
🌟 Situated on a private 1.09-acre cul-de-sac lot
🌟 Within Albemarle’s Marshall Manor neighborhood (no HOA!)
🌟 Three picturesque wood-burning brick fireplaces
🌟 Gorgeous hardwood floors
🌟 A spacious upstairs primary suite
🌟 A versatile partly-finished walk-out basement
🌟 Perfectly located just minutes from local wineries
🌟 8 minutes from Monticello High School
🌟 10 minutes from 5th Street Station (Wegmans, Alamo, restaurants)
🌟 15 minutes from UVA/the hospital

📩 Email showings@storyhousere.com with any questions and/or interest!

#featuredlisting #Charlottesvillerealestate #StoryHouseRealEstate #StoryHouseRE #startyournextstory #Charlottesville #startyourstorywithus
    View

    Mar 24

    Open
    🎉 We’ve got a super exciting lineup of events coming your way this week!

Between the return of the Charlottesville Ten Miler, Boar’s Head Resort’s third annual Blues, Brews, and BBQ festival, and a variety of fun things going on in and around Charlottesville, it’s going to be a great weekend ahead!

Check them all out above! 👆 👆 

#localevents #Charlottesvilleevents #Charlottesville #local #weekend #weekendevents #storyhouserealestate #storyhousere
    View

    Mar 23

    Open
    JUST LISTED | THREE NEW HOMES 🎈

🏠 3428 Rowcross Street, Crozet, Virginia 22932 | MLS#639742 | $575,000 | 🛏️ 3 bed 🛁 3.5 bath | 🎉 OPEN HOUSE Sunday, March 26th from 1 PM - 3 PM, hosted by Abby!

🏠 175 Agatha Ridge Lane, Crozet, Virginia 22932 | MLS#639652 | $909,000 | 🛏️ 4 bed 🛁 3.5 bath | 🎉 OPEN HOUSE Sunday, March 26th from 12 PM - 2 PM, hosted by Josh!

🏠 2201 Stargate Lane, Charlottesville, Virginia 22911 | MLS#639636 | $375,000 | 🛏️ 3 bed 🛁 2 bath | 🎉 OPEN HOUSE Sunday, March 26th from 12 PM - 2 PM, hosted by Zoya!

📩 Email showings@storyhouseRE.com with questions! Showings begin by appointment on Friday, March 24th.

#justlisted #Charlottesvillerealestate #StoryHouseRealEstate #StoryHouseRE #startyournextstory #Charlottesville #startyourstorywithus #newlisting
    View

    Mar 23

    Open
    🏠 Do you know where to begin when thinking about buying or selling? Our listing partner, Madison, is sharing the first 4 steps!

👉 Reach out to us!

👉 Schedule a walkthrough!

👉 Receive pricing recommendations

👉 The search begins!

Do you have questions about the buying or selling process? Drop them below!

#StoryHouseRE #StoryHouseRealEstate #Buying #Selling #RealEstateCharlottesville #realestate #realtor #realestateagent #realtorlife #dreamhome #realestatelife #charlottesville #cville #charlottesvilleva #movingtoCharlottesville #storyhouse #startyourstory #soldbystoryhouse #yournextchapter
    Story House Real Estate logo
    STORY HOUSE REAL ESTATE
    2110 Ivy Road
    Charlottesville, VA 22903
    Phone: (434) 260-1435
    facebook instagram
    LICENSED TO SELL REAL ESTATE IN THE COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA
    REALTOR icon Equal Housing icon
    © 2021 Story House Real Estate. All Rights Reserved.