Priority One Real Estate Blog

This would have to be one of the most frustrating circumstances to find yourself in!

You have been search for months, maybe even years, for that perfect property to build your dream home, or a family compound, or maybe just as an investment opportunity. You finally located that perfect place, and you jumped on it. You have envisioined your home, the privacy, the peace and quiet, THEN you find out the bad news.

Sorry, you can’t get a building permit for that property. Or, unfortunately that property isn’t allowed more than 1 or two water taps, and you needed 5-10 for your plans. Or maybe after closing, you suddenly find out there isn’t a good site for a septic syetem on the entire property.

Believe it or not, these are all common mistakes made when purchasing a larger parcel of property. Yes, there may be a city water line at the front of the property, but if the utility district is experiencing strains on the system, they may require you to spend a fortune to upgrade their line for them in order to get service. Sound far fetched? It should, but unfortunately it has happened before, and it can happen again.

So how do you avoid making these mistakes?

1. Always make sure you have a good due diligence period put into your offer which will allow you time to do the proper investigating you need to do. For water, you may need a few weeks to make application for verification of service to the engineering dept at the utility district. So be sure your due diligence period is long enough. I’d suggest 30-60 days depending on the area you are in. In some places, these need to be longer, even up to 180 days.
2. Call the local Planning and Zoning office and ask them specific questions. Some counties, like here in Sumner County TN, require a minimum road frontage in order to obtain a building permit. If you buy a farm that doesn’t meet that minimum, or happens to have access only by an older easement, you may find yourself simply owning a piece of land with no way to build that dream home.
3. Contact local experts in each field. A Soil Scientist and Surveyor are great places to start. If City Water isn’t available and a well digging is your option, find an expert who can let you know if the property has a good water table. A great Realtor will be a good starting point to make these connections if they specialize in selling larger land parcels.
4. Don’t be afraid to walk away. Simple as that. If something isn’t right, don’t “bet the farm on it.” Seriously! You have a dream and a plan, be sure that the property is going to allow you to see that dream become reality.

If you are looking for a larger parcel of property in the Middle TN area, we’d love to put our experience to work for you. There are several great opportunities in Sumner County and surrounding areas that may be perfect for you.

Click here to connect to one of our Agents and lets get started on your land hunt journey together.