High Sierra Topix

Well..with all the very smart people on this site..:)I thought I would check here.

We are looking at land to purchase for future use...probably 2 1/2 to 5 acres
Only having bought our home here in Tahoe..that is all the experience we have as far as buying real estate.

I was wondering if anyone here has purchased land before? And just what we need to ask to make sure it goes okay? What questions we need to ask that are important.

I know some basic questions as far as if we will need a water well or can tap into district water, septic, how close is the power..or is there even power close by..easements which I am still a bit confused about how they work, building codes for the area...

Since the land we are looking at is out of our area...we have to go through a realator that is from the area and that we really do not know much about...so that has me a bit worried compared to using our realator here that we have known for years.

So any advice..helpful tips, what we need to know when buying land I sure would appreciate.
Thanks everyone!

Anita

Good morning Anita,

Check zoning, can you do what you want to build/do what you want to with the land. Fire. Will a house or whatever, be close enough to the road or have a short driveway for emergency access. You know those laws changed a few years ago, so if you have a poor driveway or are too far from the main road they won't protect it or you may not be able to obtain insurance. What are the neighbors like? You have to pay to have your septic and water tested every so often now too, thanks to new laws. Provided this is in Kalifornia.

Take care,
Duane

Have your realtor make a referral to a local realtor.

Your regular realtor will appreciate it.

Ask realitor about wells in the area...average depth, feet to water, average cost to drill. Ask about water purity issues, and red flags/ any past industrial polution nearby.

Ask about Power Poles...how far to a hook up...who pays what?...(Can run a ton if 1/4 mile to the nearest existing line.)

Ask about roads...snow removal, upkeep.
Ask about fire regs...how much is required cut back...how high, burning regs.

Ask about any specific building code restrictions in area...height restrictions.

Ask about trash fees...city and county.
Ask about taxes and if any special incumbrances/ past liens.
Ask about zoning restrictions.

Visit neighbors adjacent to property in question and ask same questions...do not be surprised if answers differ.

If anywhere near a river or drainage, refer to FEMA flood zone maps. Keep in mind the maps were recently redone.

Yeah, part of my parcel is a flood plain. Since I am close to a creek which runs thru my property, testing for polluted water has to be done every five years I believe it is now, not so much the well I think. I visited with all my next door neighbors before I bought, not planned that way, but I wanted to look at it again and it was just out of town. Neighbors move too, so that quiet neighbor may become one with barking dogs.

Fire, if you plan on building, if a fire came thru, is the property well situated? Will it act as a funnel and funnel a fire up a draw or canyon to a building site? And like was mentioned, if you need a septic system, how does the ground there perk? Surface water too? Is a very, very expensive engineered septic system needed, especially where there is high ground water?

hikerduane wrote:Since I am close to a creek which runs thru my property, testing for polluted water has to be done every five years I believe it is now, not so much the well I think.

Not for now, anyway. Fairly recent CA legislation could change a few things (AB 32, I believe?). Not positive on that. Might only affect agriculture. But a smart move to be aware of that legislation just in case.

Thank you all so much for your helpful comments...I apologize for taking so long to reply back on my post
Our land search has been put on hold for the time..hopefully one day we can look again.
Thank you again!