Questions to Ask When Buying Land
For buyers looking at a vacant lot or acreage: how to check legal access, boundaries, zoning and deed restrictions, septic and water, the cost of bringing utilities in, floodplain and wetland limits, taxes, and what the neighbours are doing.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Is there legal, recorded access to the parcel from a public road, and what does the deed say about it?
Why ask it
Driving in on a track that has always been used is not the same as holding a recorded right of way, and a parcel without legal access is difficult to build on, to insure, and to finance. Ask for the deed and any easement document by name, and have a title professional confirm the access is recorded rather than assumed.
Who maintains the access road, is there a written agreement, and is it kept clear in winter?
Why ask it
Without a written maintenance agreement, a shared private road is repaired by whoever cares most, and the newest owner is often expected to be that person. Grading, gravel, and snow clearing are recurring bills that nobody is obliged to split. Ask what was spent on the road in the last two years and by whom, and whether emergency vehicles and delivery trucks can use it year round.
When was the parcel last surveyed, and will you walk the boundary with me and show me the corners?
Why ask it
Fences, tree lines, and mown edges frequently sit in the wrong place, and buyers routinely purchase less usable land than they thought. Walking the lines with the seller also surfaces encroachments, neighbour storage, and informal trails that a plat view will never show you.
What is the zoning, the minimum lot size, and the setbacks, and what would I need to build what I have in mind?
Why ask it
Zoning sets what may be built and how close to the lines, and a large parcel can have a small buildable envelope once setbacks, slopes, and wetlands are subtracted. Ask the planning department directly rather than the seller, and describe your actual plan, including outbuildings, a shop, or a second dwelling.
Are there deed restrictions, covenants, or an association, separate from the zoning?
Why ask it
Private covenants can be stricter than public zoning and can control house size, materials, animals, vehicles, and how long you may take to build. They run with the land and are enforceable by neighbours, so ask for a copy of the recorded document rather than a summary of what is usually allowed.
Do the mineral, oil and gas, water, and timber rights transfer with the land?
Why ask it
Rights can be severed and sold separately, sometimes generations ago, and whoever holds them may have the right to come onto the surface to use them. Ask what the title work shows on severed rights and any existing leases, because this changes both what you can do and what the land is worth.
What easements cross the property: utility, access, drainage, pipeline, or conservation?
Why ask it
An easement is someone else's right on your land, and its width and location can rule out your intended building site. Ask for a copy of each one and check it against a survey, since a pipeline or power line easement usually prohibits structures and sometimes even trees.
Has a percolation test or soil evaluation been done for septic, and would the county approve a system for the size of house I want?
Why ask it
If the soil will not support a conventional septic system, an engineered alternative can add a substantial cost, and in some cases no permit is available at all. Ask the health department what is on file for the parcel and what the permit process requires, because a passing test on a neighbouring lot proves nothing about this one.
What do wells cost in this area, how deep are they, and what is the water quality?
Why ask it
Depth, yield, and treatment needs vary within a short distance, so ask a local driller rather than the seller, and ask about neighbours who had to drill twice. Water with high iron, sulphur, or arsenic is drinkable after treatment but the equipment and maintenance are a permanent cost.
How far away is electrical service, and what would the utility charge to bring power to a building site?
Why ask it
Utilities quote line extensions by distance and terrain, and the figure for a site a few hundred feet from the nearest pole can rival the price of the land. Call the utility with the parcel number and ask for a written estimate, then ask whether the run would need easements from neighbours.
Which internet and mobile providers actually serve this parcel, and does the postal service deliver here?
Why ask it
Coverage maps overstate rural service badly, so ask a neighbour what they use and what speed they get rather than trusting a provider's map. If you would work from home, this question decides whether the property is usable, and satellite service plus a signal booster is a cost worth pricing now.
Is any part of the land in a floodplain, a wetland, or protected habitat, and has a delineation ever been done?
Why ask it
Wetland boundaries are determined by soil and vegetation rather than by standing water, so a dry looking area in summer can still be regulated and unbuildable. Check the flood maps yourself, and if the parcel has low ground, budget for a delineation before you commit to a building location.
How does the ground lie, how much of it is genuinely buildable, and where does water go after heavy rain?
Why ask it
Slope drives the cost of a driveway, a foundation, and a septic field, and a parcel that sheds water onto a neighbour or collects it against a building site creates permanent problems. Walk it after rain if you can, and look for drainage ditches, culverts, and the direction the land falls.
Is the land currently under an agricultural or forestry tax classification, and would my use trigger rollback taxes?
Why ask it
Preferential assessment for farming or forestry lowers the tax bill, and in many jurisdictions taking land out of that use triggers back taxes for several prior years, payable by the current owner. Ask the assessor how much the rollback would be, because it is a real cost that the seller has enjoyed and you would pay.
What are the current property taxes, and what would they be at my purchase price and intended use?
Why ask it
Raw land is often assessed far below what a house on it would be, so the seller's tax bill is not a guide to yours. The assessor can tell you how a sale and a change of use would be treated, which matters if you plan to hold the land for years before building.
What has this land been used for, and were there ever fuel tanks, dumping, old buildings, wells, or spraying?
Why ask it
Old farm dumps, buried tanks, abandoned wells, and long term pesticide use are all common on rural parcels and can complicate a build or a loan. Abandoned wells in particular need proper decommissioning, and an old foundation or septic field may sit exactly where you wanted to put something.
Who owns the land around it, what do they do with it, and is anything planned nearby?
Why ask it
A quiet parcel can sit next to a hunting lease, a quarry, a poultry operation, a shooting range, or land already approved for development. Ask the planning department what applications are pending in the area, and visit at different times of day and days of the week before deciding.
Are there unpaid taxes, liens, judgements, or any boundary or fence dispute, and will I get title insurance?
Why ask it
Rural titles carry more history than suburban ones: old easements, heirs' interests, unreleased liens, and gaps in the record. Insist on a full title search and a policy rather than accepting a quitclaim deed, and ask directly whether any neighbour has ever disputed a line.
What permits would a driveway need, and what would it cost to build one to the building site?
Why ask it
A driveway entrance onto a public road usually needs a permit, a culvert, and sight distance, and the road authority can refuse an entrance at the point you wanted it. On a long or steep approach the driveway can be one of the largest single costs of developing the parcel.
How far are the fire service and emergency responders, and is there a hydrant or water source nearby?
Why ask it
Distance to a fire station and to a water supply feeds directly into insurance rates, and some rural areas carry a subscription fee for fire protection. Ask a local insurer what a house on this parcel would cost to insure before you assume a figure.
Will you allow a diligence period for a survey, soil testing, and title work, and would you consider seller financing?
Why ask it
Land loans typically require a larger deposit and shorter terms than a mortgage, so seller financing is more common here and worth raising. A seller unwilling to allow time for a survey and a perc test is asking you to buy the two things most likely to determine whether the land can be used at all.
Evaluating a Piece of Land
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Verify With the Authorities, Not the Seller
Take the parcel number to four offices
Planning or zoning tells you what may be built and how close to the lines. The health department holds septic records and permit requirements. The assessor explains taxes, preferential classification, and rollback exposure. The road authority covers driveway permits and who maintains the access. Half an hour each replaces weeks of assumption.
Get written quotes for the things that cost real money
Ask the electric utility for a line extension estimate, a well driller for a typical depth and price in that area, and an excavator for a driveway and building pad figure. Add the septic system, whether conventional or engineered. Together these often exceed the price of the land, and every one of them is knowable before you buy.
Commission a survey and a title search
A current survey shows the corners, the easements, and any encroachment, and a full title search finds severed mineral rights, old liens, and heirs' interests. On rural land these are not formalities. They are the two documents most likely to change the deal.
Walk the whole parcel, more than once
Walk the boundary, the low ground, and the intended building site, and go back after heavy rain and at a different time of day. Look for standing water, wetland vegetation, drainage from neighbouring land, old dumps, foundations, well casings, survey markers, and evidence of vehicle access others are using.
Whether You Can Actually Build
Access first, everything else after
Without recorded legal access there may be no permit, no loan, and no insurance, and negotiating an easement from a neighbour after purchase is expensive and sometimes impossible. Confirm access in the record before you spend money on anything else.
Work out the buildable area, not the acreage
Subtract setbacks, easements, wetlands, floodplain, steep slopes, and the area required for a septic field and its replacement reserve. A ten acre parcel with a stream, a pipeline easement, and a bluff can offer a smaller usable footprint than a level suburban lot.
Sort water and waste before design
The septic evaluation dictates where the house can go and how many bedrooms are permitted, and the well has to sit a required distance from the septic field. Design around those two constraints rather than choosing a view and hoping the systems fit.
Price the whole project, not the land
Land price, closing costs, survey, testing, driveway, utility extension, well, septic, permits, and site preparation together form the real number before a single wall goes up. Write them all down with quoted figures, and add a contingency, because rural site work regularly finds rock or water.
Where Buyers Get Caught
Assuming access because a track exists
Long use is not the same as a recorded right, and the neighbour who has tolerated it may not be the neighbour you get. This single issue is what makes some cheap parcels cheap.
Buying before the soil is tested
A failed perc test can make a parcel unbuildable for a conventional house, and an engineered system can cost several times a standard one. Make the purchase conditional on a passing evaluation for the size of home you intend.
Missing the rollback tax on agricultural land
Taking land out of a farm or forestry classification can trigger back taxes for prior years, payable at the point the use changes. Ask the assessor for the figure and negotiate who bears it.
Forgetting the cost of getting power in
A line extension quote is free to ask for and can run into tens of thousands. Buyers regularly discover it after closing, then hold unusable land for years.
Not looking at the neighbours
Adjoining use governs how the land feels to live on: noise, dust, smell, traffic, and hunting. Check what is permitted next door as well as what is there now, since agricultural and industrial uses can arrive without notice to you.
Documents and Reports to Gather
- Deed, legal description, and any recorded access easement
- A current survey showing corners, easements, and encroachments
- Full title search and a commitment for title insurance
- Recorded covenants, deed restrictions, or association documents
- Zoning verification, setback requirements, and any variance history
- Septic evaluation or perc test results, and health department requirements
- Written line extension estimate from the electric utility
- Well driller's estimate of depth and cost, plus local water quality reports
- Flood maps for the parcel, and any wetland delineation
- Current tax bill, assessment classification, and rollback tax exposure
- Driveway or culvert permit requirements from the road authority
- Written road maintenance agreement for any shared private road
- Records of severed mineral, oil and gas, water, or timber rights, and any active lease