[thecrit]

Hi All in Palm Coast/Flagler County!

My family owns some land in Palm Coast that is completely wooded, and I have been trying to gather information on the possibility of having it cleared to put a home on our site. I e-mailed one home builder in the area who told me that I should figure $25,000 dollars on top of the price of whatever home I choose for cutting down trees, getting permits, sewer hook up, etc.

Can you guys tell me if that quote is an inflated, and also what is the best way is to get info. on home building projects there? I e-mailed Flagler County for some other information, and have not heard back. I live in NY, so am tying to do some fact-finding long distance.

Any info. you could give me would be helpful.

Thanks!

[macguy]

Originally Posted by thecrit

Hi All in Palm Coast/Flagler County!

My family owns some land in Palm Coast that is completely wooded, and I have been trying to gather information on the possibility of having it cleared to put a home on our site. I e-mailed one home builder in the area who told me that I should figure $25,000 dollars on top of the price of whatever home I choose for cutting down trees, getting permits, sewer hook up, etc.

Can you guys tell me if that quote is an inflated, and also what is the best way is to get info. on home building projects there? I e-mailed Flagler County for some other information, and have not heard back. I live in NY, so am tying to do some fact-finding long distance.

Any info. you could give me would be helpful.

Thanks!

My guess is he may be low. Impact fees, maybe fill, (depending how good the land is it could cost tens of thousands alone). Not to mention the clearing of the land and all of a sudden that $15000.00 dream lot you bought years ago to build on and retire, cost you a fortune before you are done. You see them for sale all the time once people find the reality of actually building a house on it.
Impact fees - a hidden tax

If that land is at all low, holy cow, it could cost you a fortune and not even be worth building on. There is land like that all over Florida, it takes a developer to come in and do it. For a single home it can cost too much. I know more then a few who inherited land down here and had to just dump it. I am sorry to say, If your land is completely wooded with no improvements, I would bet it's low. How did you happen to get of this land?

[tallrick]

There's no way to judge the price without seeing the exact lot. As mentioned above, first check what it costs to bring in utilities, and if sewers are available, or is a septic tank necessary. With septic you will have to get the soil tested, and often get "approved" gravel for the job. Is the land on a road or established easment that is maintained? When I built my house I did not clear the lot, or fill it, I just cleared the site for the house and a narrow driveway, which I pushed around with my dozer. Mostly free fill from the contractor who was installing swimming pools. If money is an issue don't clear the lot and only fill the driveway and foundation area. Over time I have thinned out the pest plants and ended up with an environmentally friendly, pleasant place to live.

[macguy]

Originally Posted by tallrick

There's no way to judge the price without seeing the exact lot. As mentioned above, first check what it costs to bring in utilities, and if sewers are available, or is a septic tank necessary. With septic you will have to get the soil tested, and often get "approved" gravel for the job. Is the land on a road or established easment that is maintained? When I built my house I did not clear the lot, or fill it, I just cleared the site for the house and a narrow driveway, which I pushed around with my dozer. Mostly free fill from the contractor who was installing swimming pools. If money is an issue don't clear the lot and only fill the driveway and foundation area. Over time I have thinned out the pest plants and ended up with an environmentally friendly, pleasant place to live.

I sold a lot last year and had plenty of interest in it till they find out it would cost around $40,000 just to prep the lot to build on. People think you just buy land and build your dream house. Getting the land is easy, it is then when the dream turns into a nightmare.

[tallrick]

Exactly. Around here investors don't realize that they have to get approval to even get a permit here. Hooking up the water meter costs thousands, and there's the impact fee. Luckily it was a lot easier when I built. It's also funny how some land sellers avoid talking about what it really costs before the first concrete is poured.

[ssg II]

If you can tell me what street your lot is on, I would be happy to look at it for you. You can access information through the Flagler County Property Appraiser: Flagler County Property Appraiser's Office and see what's on the adjacent lots and their value.

I'm not a realtor. In fact, I'd rather not have anybody else move here, but.... I don't want to see anybody get ripped off, either. I work for a construction company that does business with the city of Palm Coast and I'm pretty familiar with the infrastructure. I can tell you if your lot is a swamp. If it is, 25k is probably very reasonable.

[nene39]

Originally Posted by thecrit

Hi All in Palm Coast/Flagler County!

My family owns some land in Palm Coast that is completely wooded, and I have been trying to gather information on the possibility of having it cleared to put a home on our site. I e-mailed one home builder in the area who told me that I should figure $25,000 dollars on top of the price of whatever home I choose for cutting down trees, getting permits, sewer hook up, etc.

Can you guys tell me if that quote is an inflated, and also what is the best way is to get info. on home building projects there? I e-mailed Flagler County for some other information, and have not heard back. I live in NY, so am tying to do some fact-finding long distance.

Any info. you could give me would be helpful.

Thanks!

Thought I'd let you know that there's no need to have the land cleared if you're thinking of building with a builder in Palm Coast. All the items you mentioned, with the possible exception of the impact fee, is included in the price they quote you, if you're building in an 80X125 lot. As far as the infrastructure, the whole of Palm Coast is a planned community, all the sewer and pipes are in, all that's needed is to be connected to it. All the lot buyers have paid, are still paying, and will pay for water and sewer, that's how they call it, prior to having the house built. If I remember right it is $3200 for a single family home, twice that for a duplex. If you have not paid ITT for it, the builder will bill you for the balance, and remit it to the city of Palm Coast.
Before you can build, however, the builder will want you to have the lot checked for debris, etc. underground, so the kind of foundation to be used can be determined. As Palm Coast was created out of many kinds of land, there are some lots that might require a lot of fill dirt, a modified foundation, etc., before the builder can build on it.
As there are no difference in price whether you go thru a builder directly or thru a realtor, not somebody who works at the model, although they possibly are also realtors, they work for him alone, not for you (you can go thru a real estate office for your own agent), and ask them to guide you thru the whole process. There are good realtors and bad ones, like in any other profession, but most of the old timers are real professional. They were already agents in Palm Coast before it was put in the map, which was just in the late 1990's, after the big fire, or you can ask residents you meet at Walmart or any place in Palm Coast, for a reputable realtor that they know or heard about.
PM me if I can be of more help....

[pirate girl]

You also need to have a bore test on the land if it's in an area that tends to be wet- last I heard they were about $300.

I recommend you contact Skyway Builders- they are great.