First time buyer Lot - land buying questions (Cape Coral: HOA fees, crime)

[Thegood1]

Hello everyone
I have some questions about lot buying this is my first home buying ever .
My wife and I are moving to fort Myers area in October and we are looking to buy a first home .
I was looking at zillow and we are thinking about buying a lot and build our dream home on the lot .
The reasons that we are thinking about a lot is we love dogs and don't want to live in a place that limit you .
Also the homes today are so close to the neighbors and you don't have space .
Also we don't play golf or swim in the neighborhood pool ( we want our pool ) so we don't want to pay HOA fees of $300.
So we are looking online for lots to build the size of an 0.5 to 1 acres and there's couple of options but I don't know what do I need to know about buying a lot , questions:
1) Most of the lots are not smooth and full with trees to the point you can't see the surface,
so what will be the price to flatten the ground completely?
Is it something that we need to do before contacting a builder?
2) what do I need to check with the city about building permission? How do I clear the land ? And what are the fees to the city?
3) some adds say lot has survey what is that and do I need to get one for a lot that don't have one ? And what is the price for a survey and where do I get it ?
And do I get it before contacting a builder?
4) now I don't know also what does it means lot elevation?
5) do I need an inspector to look at the lot before I'm buying?
6) let's say the seller is asking 30k for the lot are there any other fees to pay ? City , lawyers, taxes , license to build and so on??
7) some of the adds say there's a electricity ,sewer and city water I guess that's a good thing ,but what if there is no electricity and water and sewer, how do I get it ? And is it something I need to take care of before contacting the builders?? And how much will it cost?
8) are there any type of lots that we need to avoid??

And if please you know something that I di asked but I have to know please tell me .

I'm so sorry it's so long I'm just trying to avoid making a mistake

Thank you so much for taking your time to help
Thanks Bill

[nhkev]

Originally Posted by Thegood1

Hello everyone
I have some questions about lot buying this is my first home buying ever .
My wife and I are moving to fort Myers area in October and we are looking to buy a first home .
I was looking at zillow and we are thinking about buying a lot and build our dream home on the lot .
The reasons that we are thinking about a lot is we love dogs and don't want to live in a place that limit you .
Also the homes today are so close to the neighbors and you don't have space .
Also we don't play golf or swim in the neighborhood pool ( we want our pool ) so we don't want to pay HOA fees of $300.
So we are looking online for lots to build the size of an 0.5 to 1 acres and there's couple of options but I don't know what do I need to know about buying a lot , questions:
1) Most of the lots are not smooth and full with trees to the point you can't see the surface,
so what will be the price to flatten the ground completely?
Is it something that we need to do before contacting a builder?
2) what do I need to check with the city about building permission? How do I clear the land ? And what are the fees to the city?
3) some adds say lot has survey what is that and do I need to get one for a lot that don't have one ? And what is the price for a survey and where do I get it ?
And do I get it before contacting a builder?
4) now I don't know also what does it means lot elevation?
5) do I need an inspector to look at the lot before I'm buying?
6) let's say the seller is asking 30k for the lot are there any other fees to pay ? City , lawyers, taxes , license to build and so on??
7) some of the adds say there's a electricity ,sewer and city water I guess that's a good thing ,but what if there is no electricity and water and sewer, how do I get it ? And is it something I need to take care of before contacting the builders?? And how much will it cost?
8) are there any type of lots that we need to avoid??

And if please you know something that I di asked but I have to know please tell me .

I'm so sorry it's so long I'm just trying to avoid making a mistake

Thank you so much for taking your time to help


Thanks Bill

you are asking the right kind of questions but for a first time home buyer I would strongly advise not to buy a lot and build on it. you'd be better looking for an existing home in an area you like or work with a builder that already owns the land and builds from start to finish. building a custom home has so many things to consider people write books on it. cannot all be answered in a simple reply

[StAugustine]

I'll answer your questions, but they reveal you really shouldn't be doing this since there are A LOT of marginal building lots on the market right now, unsavvy buyers stand a real chance at buying a headache. It is a caveat emptor market where the regulations and rules are thousands and thousands of pages.

1) Most of the lots are not smooth and full with trees to the point you can't see the surface,
so what will be the price to flatten the ground completely? Is it something that we need to do before contacting a builder?

Depends on how much work needs to be done. You can get a Bobcat and operator for about $100 an hour.
Its like any other project in the process of building your home. You can do it yourself or you can have a contractor do it, but if you have no idea what you're doing, it's usually wise to consult with whoever is expected to come next in the process and perform their work on top of the work done by the last guy.

2) what do I need to check with the city about building permission? How do I clear the land ? And what are the fees to the city?

Can't help you with region-specific info to Cape Coral but most places are the same. You have to go through the building permit process that involves plans, the Florida Building Code, impact fees, etc.

3) some adds say lot has survey what is that and do I need to get one for a lot that don't have one ? And what is the price for a survey and where do I get it ? And do I get it before contacting a builder?

A survey will run you from a few hundred bucks to thousands, depending on what you need. Your municipality may or may not have survey requirements prior to building, as far as boundary and elevation.
You should have a survey done before buying, never mind contacting a builder.

4) now I don't know also what does it means lot elevation?

The various elevations of your lot.

5) do I need an inspector to look at the lot before I'm buying?

You can hire land consultants but they're not quite as common as building/structural inspectors.

6) let's say the seller is asking 30k for the lot are there any other fees to pay ? City , lawyers, taxes , license to build and so on??

Yes. A lot. Google 'impact fees'.

7) some of the adds say there's a electricity ,sewer and city water I guess that's a good thing ,but what if there is no electricity and water and sewer, how do I get it ? And is it something I need to take care of before contacting the builders?? And how much will it cost?

It usually means there is power and sewer at the street. If there is no power/sewer, you have to pay to bring it in. Power, that means poles. Those are expensive. Sewer means septic. That's another permitting/building process.

8) are there any type of lots that we need to avoid??

Yes. A ton. Ones that have setback issues or wetlands issues or title issues or elevation issues or zoning issues or buildability issues.

A real nightmare of regulations has bulked up around land use over the past 40 years. Gone are the days of just 'buying a lot and building a house', in Florida anyway. A pristine lot might be another $20K-$50K shy of turning the first shovel of dirt in the building process.

[Thegood1]

Wow thanks guys for you quick reply.
And thanks staugustine for your detailed answer.
it's look like something I will stay away from .
My wife wants a custom house by Arthur Rotenburg 3500 sq feet 1 floor and for our budget under 850k including the lot .
There's not a lot of lots available from the builder .
They tolled us about verandah that there is lots is the 100k area that will put us in the house budget, but I look online and HOA are $265 a month this is ridiculous .
And probably we can't have more than 2-3 dogs and no fence and no 1000 more thing you can't do when living in a community. What are my options? Any one knows of a good place with gated community no need for a guard or a Good neighborhood safe with no gate but that we can build a gate surrounding the house to make it safe ?? With low HOA And no bs' rules from the HOA
Thanks for all you help

[StAugustine]

If you're in the 800K price range, you're funded well enough to get it done right.

The real pitfalls seem to be with owner-builders or lower income people who buy land not realizing what it takes to make it into a house.

[Thegood1]

Originally Posted by StAugustine

If you're in the 800K price range, you're funded well enough to get it done right.

The real pitfalls seem to be with owner-builders or lower income people who buy land not realizing what it takes to make it into a house.

So to look at a project like this ? ( buying a lot )
Any good and bad areas to avoid buying lots in ?
And if you can please answer my community question that I ask before I will appreciate the answer.
I really don't want to live in a community that charge $300 a month for stuff we will never use .

Thank you so much

[rikoshaprl]

First I would consider do I want waterfront, (gulf access or freshwater) or maybe golf course view. Then look at existing homes in the areas to see what taxes might be, what home values are. Look at the zoning. You may want to avoid commercial zones or high occupancy zones. Elevation can be raised by your contractor adding fill. The unincorporated areas have less restrictions than say Cape Coral, like if you want an RV or have a trailer of some kind. I doubt you will find the large lot you are looking for in Cape Coral anyway. Look at the crime maps for areas to avoid.

[JeffTumbarello]

Originally Posted by Thegood1

Wow thanks guys for you quick reply.
And thanks staugustine for your detailed answer.
it's look like something I will stay away from .
My wife wants a custom house by Arthur Rotenburg 3500 sq feet 1 floor and for our budget under 850k including the lot .
There's not a lot of lots available from the builder .
They tolled us about verandah that there is lots is the 100k area that will put us in the house budget, but I look online and HOA are $265 a month this is ridiculous .
And probably we can't have more than 2-3 dogs and no fence and no 1000 more thing you can't do when living in a community. What are my options? Any one knows of a good place with gated community no need for a guard or a Good neighborhood safe with no gate but that we can build a gate surrounding the house to make it safe ?? With low HOA And no bs' rules from the HOA
Thanks for all you help

A few questions you should be asking yourself.

What will my average day consist of doing?

What geographic areas help me to do that easier and faster?

If you have a lot of large dogs, your choice of gated communities get small.

A custom house is at least $200 a SQFT.

[iluvfl001]

I just messaged you with some more information and answers to your questions also I think I now the perfect community for you, I will send you another message with that community.