Wife and I have decided that we likely want to build our next home as it'll likely be the one we stay in at least until we retire in god knows how many decades. We'd like to build so we can get exactly what we want and not have to worry about growing out of it. We'd also like a decent amount of land to spread out and put up various outbuildings and whatnot. Ideally I'd like at least 3 acres of build-able/usable land.

The main problem is that open land in our area of the state is relatively scarce, and especially in the town where we're looking a lot of the 2 acre+ lots of land tend to get snatched by developers and subdivided. Anyone have any advice on what to look for/signs of what to avoid? The town uses town water and private septic throughout, gas is spotty in town and there's good electric access throughout. I found one plot currently that is around 9 1/2 acres but has been on Zillow for almost 200 days and is in foreclosure which has me curious. It does state it has two build-able/sub-dividable lots on it. So I would assume that it's not just dead land and would pass a perc test and meets environmental standards.

From looking at who the listing agent is and a house on the same area that was just built, it appears that some developer must have attempted to build a subdivision and the developer either went TU or walked away from the rest of it. I was going to contact the broker but I wanted to post here first.

This may be none of my business, but this would be a good opportunity to escape MA....buying land in a more free state for the future. I got out a long time ago.

As much as I'd like to, it's not possible with my wife's work. And in a way mine as well. We'd be in Arizona already if we could.

Understood.

Just off the cuff and in no particular order the first general things that come to mind are zoning laws which will dictate what you can and cannot build, city/county codes that dictate how and who must build or repair whatever you build, construction cost averages for the area, tax base on property, school districts, location-location-location, general neighborhood (i.e., are nearby houses occupied by owners or renters or lots of apartments nearby, any government supported housing near by, trailers or other indications of transient neighborhoods, any half-way houses or drug rehab centers), crime statistics for city or neighborhood, water quality standards (also distance to nearest fire hydrant as that affects insurance rates), what type of fire department services the area and what is their response time, what type of law enforcement will be protecting your area, traveling distance to work place, local medical facilities, insurance rates for area. If septic tanks are required don't assume area will pass perk test.

Check neighboring well depths and wetland restrictions.

I guess I would wait until I was less than decades from retirement before I bought land to build. Maybe it could be in Arizona then.

One way to deal with this is find a builder that will buy the lot for you and build your home. My fiancé works with a builder that does this all the time. This way you don’t have to deal with making sure the lot is buildable. The builder will do that. It also helps with financing as you can get a conventional mortgage rather than a construction loan. If you are interested in the Westminster/Leominster area let me know. I could give you the best realtor around that works directly with a builder.

I have a cousin who teaches at the Berkley School of Music and lives in Squam Lake where he has a studio. He commutes down to Boston 2 days a week for his classes and I believe he has a student apartment nearby.

While not an ideal situation you may want to consider doing something similar. Build your house in a nice scenic area where land is sort of cheap and keep a small cheap apartment in town to provide a bed during the work week. Yeah, I know a cheap apartment in Boston really isn't cheap. However 3 acres of land anywhere close to Boston will likely run 1/2 million or more.

Find a good, hungry realtor that will turn over rocks until he or she finds something that works for you. Someone who is not only interested in their friends and the gravy.

How far the nearest hookups for water, sewage, electricity, and cable is a huge factor when buying a lot. It cost a lot just to go a block these days. Most municipalities around here don't allow new septic system within the city limits these days. Make sure you can still build a septic system if that is what you have in mind.

Look at the years ahead tied to the area/jobs, then evaluate how far out a tolerable commute would be. Land is cheaper a ways out.

We have a high & dry 5 acres, drivable to work options. I bought 10 acres here, sold the other 5 essentially on the day we closed. That sale brought the price of the more desirable 5 down to $22.5k. Had I wanted to wait longer, this 5 would of been free.

Just to cast that wide net, keep an eye out for properties already with a dwelling. You can always revamp & change things. If any kids are in the picture(or may be) give schools a thought. Keep an eye on taxes, always getting squeezed for more.

I sold vacant land in MI years ago. A potential buyer thought my price was high, great buildable, sandy high ground. He ended up buying lowland, then trucked in enough sand to negate any cost savings. Often the septic can have a wide price swing based on ground conditions, $8k+.

I am betting that a builder tried to get permits and was denied and walked away.

In MA at the moment if you can break ground it is sold.

Buying in MA and waiting to build is dicey.

I have seem dozens of people in MA go from land rich on paper to having unbuildable land in the stroke of a bureaucrats pen.

Getting building permits can be a nightmare.

Then environmental wackos are on the town/city boards with nothing better to do than stop development.

Lets not forget if you have a spotted salamander or a specific turtle on you land you are not building because you have just been declared an endangered species habitat.

The only way to buy land in MA is to buy on a pending permit basis. Then you have 2 years to build.

Be aware it can cost thousands of dollars to get permits.

You need to map the wetlands, go through the conservation committee, go through the zoning board, then the building department.

It may be easier to find a builder with a lot and get him to custom build a house.

Because of the political climate, builders in MA are rushing to get everything into the ground as fast as they can.

The are very afraid of regulations being proposed that will make building almost impossible at least impossible to make a profit.

One of the reasons that there is nothing below 1 million in CA for a shack, is the soft cost overhead to get anything developed.

It is not uncommon in CA to take a decade for permits.

Build so that the potential exists to split the land. We bought acreage over 20 years ago. We were told by the county that our land will never be divideable; we built as if that would change. It did. We now own a rare item in a very hot real estate market.

Silent

If 2 acre lots aren't available I would do as sourdough did, look for a larger tract to buy then sell part.
As far as permits and restrictions in MA I have no advice. Here in rural WV there are no building permits required, no inspectors, no board of review, setbacks, zoning, etc. Build what you choose. The only permit required is for your septic.

Lets start with the basics. Buying raw land is very difficult anywhere unless you can stroke the check yourself.
Financing undeveloped land usually requires around 1/2 down payment.
If you can do that, you would want to put it under contract with the contingencies that it can be built on, pass the tests needed and you can get a permit. Since it's already in foreclosure, most or all of those may not be possible.
With that in mind, the price would have to be very low in relation to it's potential value to offset the tremendous risks.
Only after you say these things can happen is it worth thinking any further down the road.

I don't know your area, but in some areas it's easier and about the same price to buy the land you want with a small dated house on it that you can either rent out until the time comes to build, just expand the existing house to what you want, or mow it down and build new......

quote:

Originally posted by old rugged cross:
Find a good, hungry realtor that will turn over rocks until he or she finds something that works for you. Someone who is not only interested in their friends and the gravy.

This or find one that does it to get out of the house. The one we found when we bought our property would go anywhere in the state to help us find what we wanted. He sent us 5-10 listings on Sunday, we pared them down to a couple by Tuesday, he would go look at them during the week and send pictures and we would go see 2-3 on Saturdays until we found what we wanted.

Be careful when buying raw land, especially if it has been on the market for a while. There is probably an issue or it is over-priced. A buddy of mine bought 10 acres in a local city here and after he owned it the city told him he could not have egress into it from the road it was on. So he ended up going to the developer that owned the land behind him and had to work a deal to trade his land, or most of it, for a 4 acre parcel that had access through the subdivision there.

After all that was done he started building and they found boulders, lots and lots of them. He had to do expensive geo testing to the ground and after the civil engineer brought him a plan he was too deep in to back out. After spending a lot more money than he planned to on all the testing, boring and installing of geo-mats to stabilize the ground, he was able to build. Retired last year and he is happy but he wishes he never bought the first piece of property.

quote:

Originally posted by frayedends:
One way to deal with this is find a builder that will buy the lot for you and build your home. My fiancé works with a builder that does this all the time. This way you don’t have to deal with making sure the lot is buildable. The builder will do that. It also helps with financing as you can get a conventional mortgage rather than a construction loan. If you are interested in the Westminster/Leominster area let me know. I could give you the best realtor around that works directly with a builder.

This is what I’d probably do. Double check current materials costs though...construction costs have been climbing. Good lots sell very quickly (I”m on the MA line in NH) 200 days in this market would give me some level of concern unless it was originally over priced. Be careful of wetlands, ledge, restrictions/zoning and setbacks/sidelines if doing detached structures. If a foreclosure, do your due diligence on that front as well. Good luck in your search!