Is it possible to buy a big land where there is a small very old house and build 2 or 3 houses? (McLean: for sale, real estate)

[LuvVA]

Is it possible to buy a big land where there is a very old house(small too) and build 2 or 3 single family houses?

I see there is a big land available where they have a small house (very old).
It's part of a community.

I want to demolish and build 2-3 single family homes.
Is it even possible to demolish one house and build 2 or 3 homes? I mean from HOA/county approval point of view, not from size point of view.

Any tips on this is greatly appreciated.

[NovaOne]

Yes, this is possible. However, you need details on specific parcels in order to begin a feasibility study. What you are attempting to do is a subdivision. It sounds to me like you have zero experience with this sort of thing so my initial reaction is for you to not consider this and leave it to the pros.

[LuvVA]

That's right, I have Zero experience.

But, everyone who started anything new, first didn't have experience. Thanks for your suggestion. I thought about too but also thought why not? If it worked out fine, it will be awesome.

The reason why I started this thread here is to get tips from so many people who have similar experience.

[dmv101010]

depends on what the land is zoned for

[BT Lover]

Your best bet is finding a realtor that can help you along the way. There are many out there that invest themselves and are a wealth of knowledge. In the end, it will come down to the amount of money you can spend. It is so easy to have ideas about how to do this, but having the resources to make this a reality isn't for most people. If you are new to this, it may make more sense to invest in a parcel with a builder, but again, a realtor will be your best resource for that.

[Lokko]

Have you considered Lucketts? check out these:

ST Clair Ln, Leesburg, VA 20175 is For Sale - Zillow

Stumptown Rd, Leesburg, VA 20175 is For Sale - Zillow

[sullyguy]

These two houses in Fairfax were built on a single parcel of land that had been subdivided: Two for One

[Forehead]

When I was very young (about four) my family lived in the Franklin Forest section of McLean...Massachusetts Avenue for those familiar with the area. Nice little winding foresty neighborhood. Anyway, they had about a half acre, maybe a little more, with a small cape cod type house on it. They decided to move in the early-mid 80's to another house in the McLean/Falls church area, and they sold the place rather than hanging onto it.

I found out recently that my father had wanted to hang onto the place long term to rent, but after having long discussion about it with my mother, they decided to sell. The guy that bought it from them lived in the little cape cod for 20 years or so, then leveled it, sub-divided the property, and built two large homes in a front and back setup. He then sold each one for just under 1 million.

Depending on who tells the story, my father may have wept a little when he found out. Strong men also cry Mr. Lebowski.

Anyway, if getting rich if your angle, it depends on the price of the land, the location, and whether you can jump through all the hoops to make the process work for you. It might work out for you, go for it if you can stomach the ups and downs that come with real estate.

[LuvVA]

Originally Posted by BT Lover

Your best bet is finding a realtor that can help you along the way. There are many out there that invest themselves and are a wealth of knowledge. In the end, it will come down to the amount of money you can spend. It is so easy to have ideas about how to do this, but having the resources to make this a reality isn't for most people. If you are new to this, it may make more sense to invest in a parcel with a builder, but again, a realtor will be your best resource for that.

Thanks.

I already have a Realtor but this is for buying a house. Since I am in the market for a while and couldn't find the one I like within my budget.

I came across this place and just thought about building 2 or 3 houses in that big land (of course with friend's help who will be co-buyers). This way, I could get a brand new house in the area I wanted.

I wanted to gain some knowledge before approaching my realtor.

What is that 'parcel' you and other poster mentioned?

Thanks.

[sullyguy]

Originally Posted by LuvVA

What is that 'parcel' you and other poster mentioned?

That is the land - a parcel of land.

You do your research to see if the land CAN be subdivided, then buy it and subdivide it. Some areas have "apparently large" parcels of land, until you find out that the MINIMUM parcel is restricted to, say, 5 acres so "...that 8 acre parcel of land is stuck at 8 acres...".

BTW - if you DO buy land there are a number of ways to build your dream house(s) - stick, kit, modular.

Stick - built from lumber, etc, onsite.

Kit - partially built at a factory, shipped to final location.

Modular - almost entirely built at a factory, shipped to final location.

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My house certainly, and probably quite a few in Sully Station, were "kit built" in that walls and, say, roofing elements were premade and shipped to location, erected, then covered over.

The two houses in the link image I gave were modular. Large sections of the houses were entirely built and semi-finished at a factory, then shipped by massive truck to the sites where they were stacked and attached to one another.

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In all cases, of course, you have a large hand in designing what the final houses will look like when you alone are the purchaser (in my case, of course, my house is part of a tract, not an individual effort).