Thinking of buying land and building a house, what to consider (Penn: sales, rentals)

[sci]

My wife and I have been looking at a few houses with property in the Hamlin/Lake Ariel area. Are considering buying land and building our own house. Being for Long Island where everything is existing housing on predetermined lots, we don't really know to judge one properties value compared to anothers.
What we do know to look for is the size of the property and its distance from town and highways. We also look at the contour of the land and its access to water in the way of wetlands and streams.
What other thinks should we consider about the actual "lay of the land"? What is the permit process like to apply to build a new house? Is every area build-able ? What is the average cost to install a well and a septic system?
Any thoughts and comments from someone who decided to build as apposed to buying an existing house? We would be most likely doing the actual building ourselves,so that the actual building process is not the problem but just trying to get ideas as what questions to ask before buying land. Thanks

[mathjak107]

consider every obstacle the builder hits increases your costs.

our friend bought land and had a home built. the foundation area had issues with water from underground ..

it took moths longer than expected. more equipment was needed and things like porta potty rentals just kept adding to the builders extra costs. the house went 100k over budget. they will never recover those costs if they sell.

to much of a headache when things go wrong.

[jimazee]

...and

I am not familiar with that specific area, but there is a lot of rock underlying some parts of NEPA, which can increase costs a lot as foundations, septic, driveway, and utility trenches are built.

This is all doable, but if the neighbors and surrounding terrain look/are rocky (besides just looking, talk to them and excavators if you can) either test or simply add some extra $$$ to the excavation estimates, or even modify site placement and/or house plans to better fit.

How much extra? ...it depends. Try getting an excavator or two to help assess the site plan and estimate costs.

You may also be well off (no pun...) to call some local well driller(s) and septic installers (usually are also excavation contractors) to get some budgetary estimates (it will ALWAYS 'depend'). If you describe the general area you are looking at, they should be more familiar with the underground and will likely be interested in your business.

Then if you can, add +10-20% to your best estimate for a lot of the stuff...

[PAhippo]

before buying, as part of the sales agreement, specify a perc test has to done. That will tell you if you can put in a conventional septic system or if you need to install a sand lot. Then see if zoning will allow a sandlot system.

Even before that, see if local zoning will let you build on that site. A lot of areas require a minimum of 2 acres.

Check with PennDot to see if they'll let you put in a driveway to access the property. Their goal is to prevent any more 'hidden driveways'. Again this can be part of the sales agreement.

When estimating costs, find out where the closest electric pole is. And make sure it belongs to the company that'll be your provider. Then you'll have to figure out where your house will be so they can give you a figure for installing the line. Brace yourself because this will not be cheap!



Speaking of zoning: see if there's laws governing the size and/or type of house and where it can or can't be in relation to property lines.

Probably other stuff I can't think of at the moment.

[fisheye]

You might want to hold off and look at any land during or immediately after a very heavy rain storm or period of flooding. That way you can see if there are any low areas or natural runoff streams that cross the new property. If you evaluate property during a draught; you will not see potential problems.

You also want to look long and hard at the neighbors. You don't want houses in different stages of disrepair. You want a neighborhood that is maintained. Bad neighbors can bring down your property (value or worse) - you don't want to loose money.

PAhippo also gave you good advice.

If you do go this route; check back with us during the purchasing and building stages and we might be able to offer you other advice.

[sci]

I plan on doing most of the work myself from excavation to framing to roof to finish so except for more time needed changes and adjustments are just something else to figure out. Its a great idea to look for the amount of visible rocks to get an idea as to what to expect when digging the foundation. Do most people selling land agree to a perk test as a condition of sale?
At what stage do you contact penndot about the driveway , before making an offer?
Who determines what is needed for a septic system, the town or another agency?
Any idea what the average well costs?
Looking for about 20 acres so house placement is flexable, does the town have any say in its placement or style?
I know some of these questions may seem alittle moronic but here[ long island] you can't take anything for granted. They even require you now to get a permit to cut down a tree on your own property now so its better to ask question [even stupid ones] before you have problems.

[thecoalman]

Originally Posted by sci

Looking for about 20 acres so house placement is flexable, does the town have any say in its placement or style?

If it's private land the only thing they are going to be concerned about is how it is far away from the property line and that's feet...

Since you're buying 20 acres look into the "Clean and Green" program.


Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

They even require you now to get a permit to cut down a tree on your own property now so its better to ask question [even stupid ones] before you have problems.

Such laws exist here in some boroughs/towns but specifically trees on the tree lawn. You won;t have that problem on private land.

[fisheye]

Wells can go for $10K to $20K - depending on how deep and who does the drilling. I suggest that you check out this company: Knight Well Drilling-Commercial & Residential Wells & Water Treatment They recently did some work for us and we found them to be very honest and efficient.

On the Clean and Green: If you plan on purchasing 20 acres you would also have the option of only putting half under the program if you so desired. I believe that you need ten acres to qualify (I think).

[PAhippo]

another thing-check to see if there are any farms in the area. Cows are picturesque on the hillside only if the wind is in the right direction.

more than one person has bought beautiful country land and regretted it for the smell factor. A few yrs ago, some idyots even tried to sue the farmer. Didn't fly-the farm was there 1st. Nearly broke the farmer paying for lawyers tho'.

[jimazee]

1) You may want to check if the land is being used for recreational activities, especially trail riding on quads or cycles etc. This can be annoying to discover and deal with after purchase.

2) Some remote properties may not be capable of getting land based hi speed Internet (cable, DSL..) using today's technology. It is worth checking if you care...