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Buying Land For Building A Home Versus Buying A House

June 8, 2020/36 Comments/in [Your] Land Blog, Top Posts of 2020

Whether you’re considering buying an existing home or purchasing a tract of land on which to build a new home, both options require considerable research. Both options also have some important differences you should be aware of so that you can make an informed decision.

The Major Difference Between Buying Land For Building A Home and Buying a House

One of the differences between the two is how the loans are structured. Mortgages come in a range of options to suit your needs and budget, but there are much fewer options for purchasing land. Many land loans must be fully paid within three to five years.

Interest rates and down payments are also usually higher on land loans than on mortgages. A typical down payment can range from 20-50%. However, some banks will allow a lower down payment if you have an excellent credit score. Securing a lower interest rate is a lot tougher, though, as land only loans are riskier for the lender since there really isn’t any collateral, such as a home. Therefore, lenders are less inclined to offer lower interest rates.

One of the benefits of purchasing land with cash is that the amount you pay for the land can be used as a down payment towards your construction loan when you’re ready to start building your home. Lenders can also include your land purchase within your construction loan in some cases.

Most experts recommend purchasing the land with cash, if you have it. A land specialist can advise you on your options, and a financial advisor can assist you in liquidating assets or arranging finance options.

Reasons to Consider Buying Land

In many areas, today’s housing market is a rather competitive one. New homes are being snatched up before they’re even finished being built. Older homes can come with older home problems. If the current housing market just isn’t offering what you need, then purchasing land and having your own home built according to your specifications may be a much more viable option.

Buying rural land also affords you more freedom and less intrusion from nearby neighbors and costly HOAs. If you like the idea of being able to do more of what you want on your land without neighborhood covenants and restrictions, then once again, buying your own private land is probably a good choice for you.

Important Considerations When Buying Land

You’ll need to figure out if your budget allows a purchase of land and building a home. Aside from construction costs, you’ll also have to consider additional costs including, but not limited to, permits, fees, land adjustments – if needed, and the cost of running water, sewer, and utility lines to the home. The guidance of a land professional is vital to this process.

How to Find Land to Buy For Building A Home

When seeking land to purchase, you’ll want to retain the services of a qualified rural land agent as opposed to a residential real estate agent. A real estate agent without the education or experience handling land transactions can end up either wasting your time, costing you a lot of money, or both. Start searching for a qualified agent near you or browse properties listed by qualified agents to get started. Be sure to interview the agents that you’re considering to confirm they’ve got the experience necessary to help you reach your goals.

The Importance of Using a Qualified Land Agent When Buying Land

A qualified land agent will have the knowledge and experience to help you maximize the value of your land transaction. Land agents will be able to provide you with important information, resources, and a network of land experts that a traditional real estate agent likely would not have access to in their role. Additionally, they’ll save you a lot of money because they’re well aware of the costs, paperwork, and legalities of a land purchase. Some of the other important ways a qualified land agent can help you include:

They’ll have information on zoning laws detailing what can and can’t be done on the land you wish to purchase.
They’ll have information on city ordinances you would have to adhere to.
They can help you hire a professional land surveyor should you need one.
They can help you estimate the utility costs for running water and electric to your new home.
They will have information on easements.
They can tell you if the lot you intend to purchase falls within a floodplain.
They can help you with permits before the construction of your home.

Below is a checklist with some suggestions for potential land buyers to be educated about when looking to purchase land for the first time. Please keep in mind this list is not exhaustive, and anyone considering to purchase land to build a home on should work with a specialized land consultant in their area before buying land.

Checklist For Land Buyers

Zoning & Permits
Special Tax Assessments
Easements & Deed Restrictions
Property Boundaries
Water Rights & Soil Productivity
Future Land Use Planning
Crop & Timber Yields
Well water quality and flow
Road & Driveway Maintenance
Fire & Ambulance Services
Electricity and High Speed Internet Options
Flood Zones
Past & Present Land Use
Adjacent properties’ land uses
Past Logging Practices
Surveys
Topography & Geo hazards
Property Taxes & Associated Deferrals
Hardship & Farm Help Dwellings
Financing Options for Rural Property
Market Valuations & Inspections
Sale Negotiations

Remember, as with any major purchase, it’s also important to do your own due diligence and use a qualified land agent, like an Accredited Land Consultant, to assist with your purchase. Ask plenty of questions, consider the value of nearby homes, and plan your budget accordingly so that you will have a better idea whether purchasing land is the right option for you. Rural Property is a segment of Real Estate that requires a different level of education and experience from the professionals that advise buyers and sellers.

The Road To Buying Your First Rural Home

June 3, 2020/2 Comments/in [Your] Land Blog

The COVID-19 pandemic has convinced many people that they don’t want to continue living in urban areas with high population densities. Millennials were already starting to move away from cities, but the pandemic has piqued their interest and encouraged many to consider buying their first rural home.

If you plan to be buying your first rural home soon, you will need to do some research that makes the process easier. In many cases, buying a rural home, especially if it sits on a few acres of land, is different than buying a home in a city or suburb. The following recommendations should help you learn more about your options and choose a country home you’ll love.

Know How You Can Use the Land Once You Own It

Typically, rural land has fewer restrictions than urban and suburban properties. Don’t assume that you can do anything you want after buying your first rural home, though. Even if local laws let you set up a residential hobby farm, they may prevent you from owning certain animals or using specific farming practices.

Use this list of important questions to help you choose a piece of land that fits your expectations.

Know What Features You Want From Your Rural Land

You should also look for features that will meet your specific needs and wants to get the most out of your property. For example, it makes sense to buy a rural home on wooded property if you want to hunt, hike, or use it for many other recreational purposes.

There are many potential features to consider before buying your first rural property. A pond or lake provides great entertainment for swimmers and fishers. Hilly land doesn’t suit many crops, but cows can enjoy it. A large plot of well-drained soil could make an excellent spot for a family garden or even growing produce for a farmer’s market.

Also, ask questions about whether the area has good broadband internet access. A poor internet connection can make it difficult to work remotely, enjoy your favorite media, and stay in touch with friends. Unfortunately, many rural areas have broadband deficiencies. Don’t assume you will get a fast internet connection just because the property has a town nearby.

Know What Types of Insurance You Will Need

In the city, most people choose standard homeowners’ insurance policies that cover hazards like fire, damage from storms, and personal liability. You may need more coverage for things like crop protection (if you plan to grow crops), additional liability insurance (if you plan to let people hunt on your land), and property insurance that covers other structures like barns and tractors.

Think about how you plan to use the property so you can get an insurance policy that keeps you protected.

Determine How Much Effort You Are Willing To Put Into the Home

Maintaining a rural home, and the land it is on, can take a lot of time and effort. Suddenly, you have much more to do than mow a small backyard and plant a few flowers. In addition to the usual maintenance that comes with owning a home, proper maintenance for your rural home could include:

Clearing acres of growth around your house or mowing a sizable lawn.
Establishing a fence line that helps you and neighbors avoid conflicts.
Repairing damage to barns, sheds, fences, and other structures on the property.
Tending to the plants and animals on your hobby farm daily, if you have one.
Managing common pests living on the surrounding land.
Clearing large driveways of snow if living in cooler climates.

You might also need to think about ways to keep predators away from your house, especially if you have children or small animals. A herding dog could help, but that means adding a furry member to your family, which comes with its own effort and expense.

Think About How Long You Plan to Keep the House and Land

Is this a property that you want to live on for a few years or several decades? The answer matters quite a bit. If you only want to live there for a few years, you probably don’t need to develop the property much. Instead, you could turn a profit from selling the raw land.

If you plan to spend many years in the home, you need to think more carefully about your wants and needs. Adding gardens, cottages, and other features could increase your enjoyment significantly. You could even set aside a section of the property for paying guests. Visiting the countryside can help city-dwellers de-stress, so you could use your land as a new income source by advertising your cottages as a vacation spot.

Hire an Accredited Land Consultant Before Buying Your First Rural Home

You don’t want to use a standard real estate agent when buying a rural property. Instead, you should get help from an Accredited Land Consultant (ALC). ALCs must take at least 104 hours of courses, get approved by a committee of active ALCs, adhere to a strict code of ethics, and show a history of successful sales before they can obtain accreditation from the REALTORS® Land Institute. No matter what type of rural land you want, an ALC can narrow your search to options that best fit your needs.

ALCs have a lot of connections, so they can introduce you to a large pool of sellers. If you decide to sell your land later, you can reach out to your ALC to benefit from his or her connections to potential buyers.

As more people think about buying rural homes, prices will likely increase. If you think you want to make the move, start exploring your options by finding and talking to an ALC near you.

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Land

March 19, 2020/3 Comments/in [Your] Land Blog

Buying land forces you to make a lot of choices. Unfortunately, people who don’t have much experience buying land rarely know how to avoid common mistakes. And even experienced buyers can make mistakes.

Check out these pitfalls to avoid so you can make informed decisions the next time you are in the market buying land.

1. Choosing the Wrong Type of Funding Source

You have several funding options when buying land. If you have exceptional credit, then you might find that a conventional bank or credit union will lend you money.

Another option is going through the Farm Credit System. “The Farm Credit System (FCS) in the United States is a nationwide network of borrower-owned lending institutions and specialized service organizations. The Farm Credit System provides more than $304 billion in loans, leases, and related services to farmers, ranchers, rural homeowners, aquatic producers, timber harvesters, agribusinesses, and agricultural and rural utility cooperatives.

Congress established the Farm Credit System in 1916 to provide a reliable source of credit for farmers and ranchers. Today, the Farm Credit System provides more than one-third of the credit needed by those who live and work in rural America.”

Don’t assume that you have to rely on a bank and a loan, though. Crowdfunding has become a popular alternative to traditional investing.

Explore as many options as possible to make sure your funding best meets your needs.

2. Accepting High Interest Rates That Increase the Land’s Price

If you decide to get a loan for buying land, look for a lender that will give you a low interest rate. The more interest you have to pay, the higher the land’s overall price becomes.

Putting in extra effort to find a low-interest loan can help you save a lot of money. Even a couple of percentage points will affect how much you spend.

Land loans usually have short repayment schedules, so you will need to repay the lender within five years. Let’s say you borrow $100,000 at 3% interest. At the end of five years, you will have spent about $7,812 on interest.

At 6%, the total interest comes to nearly $16,000. The extra 3% more than doubles your interest payments.

Fight for a lower interest rate when buying land. Otherwise, you will find it much more difficult to repay the loan or earn a profit from the property.

3. Not Inspecting A Property Before Buying Land

Never purchase land before you have it inspected by a professional. The features that you look for will depend on how you plan to use the land. For example, you need to test the soil before you can turn the property into a farm.

Other essential factors to inspect before buying land include:

Access to the property
The area’s topography
How the neighbors use their land
Whether the land is in a flood plain

Additionally, you need to hire a surveyor who can show you the property lines. Don’t rely on an old map that shows where one property ends and a different one begins. An inaccuracy could eventually cost you a lot of money, so don’t take any risks.

4. Failing to Get the Right Insurance Policies

Don’t start buying land without getting insurance policies that will protect your investment. Talk to your land consultant to determine what policies you’ll need. Then, determine whether you need additional policies designed for specific uses of land. Below are a few common types of policies landowners can take out.

Title Insurance

Ideally, your property has an accurate history showing who owns the land. Mistakes happen, though. With title insurance, you get protection from:

Delinquent tax bills from former owners
Unpaid mortgages from former owners
Forged documents
Hidden mortgages
Clerical errors
Easement problems
Claims from the children or spouses of previous owners

Buying land without getting title insurance is a big gamble. You could lose ownership without getting anything in return.

General Liability Insurance

Anyone who gets hurt on your property can sue you for damages. It’s a problem that all landowners face. The possibility of injury becomes even more significant when you buy land for hunting or agricultural uses.

General liability will pay for your legal protection. Instead of paying a high-priced lawyer, you give your insurance company a relatively small amount of money to avoid court.

Property Insurance

If you plan to build structures or store equipment on your land, then you should property insurance. Property insurance can help cover structures and equipment like barns, vehicles, and tractors.

Crop Insurance

Investing in agriculture can lead to exceptional long-term profits. Unfortunately, you can’t predict how the weather several years from now will affect your crops. Crop insurance can help protect you from significant financial loss caused by unforeseen conditions.

Talk to crop insurance providers about Revenue Protection and Revenue Protection – Harvest Price Exclusion policies to help you decide which option works best for you.

5. Working With the Wrong Type of Agent When Buying Land

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that all real estate agents have the same level of experience in doing land transactions – in fact, most have never done a land transaction. Land transactions are different from buying a home. When buying land, you need to find a land consultant in your area with experience working in your market doing the type of land transactions that are similar to the type of land you are trying to buy.

You can easily ensure that you get help from a qualified land professional by using an agent with the elite Accredited Land Consultant (ALC) Designation.

Getting It Right: Mineral, Oil, and Property Rights

March 10, 2020/5 Comments/in [Your] Land Blog

When you buy land, you might assume that your property rights give you ownership of everything below your feet. That’s not always the case, though. While you have surface rights, someone else may have mineral rights to its metals, oil, natural gas, and other commodities.

If you currently own land, then you may need to have someone research its previous ownership rights to determine whether you own the mineral rights or not. Ideally, though, you will know your surface rights and mineral rights before you buy land.

Owning Land Doesn’t Always Mean You Own What is in the Land

When surface and mineral rights get separated, you need to know it affects your property and ownership.

Surface Property Rights

Surface rights only apply to the surface of the land. When you purchase a piece of property, you always get surface rights for the plot of land. Surface rights do not apply to anything below the surface of the property.

Mineral and Oil Rights

Mineral rights apply to ownership of anything below a property’s surface. It often refers to more materials than minerals like copper, gold, and silver. It can also refer to oil and gas rights.

When someone owns mineral rights, they get to access and harvest commodities below the land’s surface. Drilling, mining, and other harvesting options often disrupt the surface. That may not seem fair to the person who buys property. Still, the owner of mineral rights can, within reason, make changes to the surface while accessing sub-surface minerals.

In some cases, companies can access commodities without disturbing the surface. For example, a company may use horizontal drilling to extract oil and gas from the land.

Leasing and Selling Mineral Rights on Your Land

It’s possible to earn money by leasing or selling your land’s mineral rights. In 2013, landowners made about $22 billion from their mineral rights.

When selling mineral rights, you give someone or a company absolute ownership of the commodities in your land. Unless you have the opportunity to repurchase the rights, your property rights will never include ownership of oil, coal, and natural gas. Depending on the terms of your sale, you may get a lump sum from the buyer or receive a percentage of the money earned when the owner sells the oil, natural gas, or other commodity.

Some people assume that leasing their mineral rights gives them more advantages than selling the rights. The benefits and disadvantages depend on the terms that you and the other party reach.

After you lease mineral rights, the new owner may extract everything of value. If that happens, then you may lose future opportunities to make money from the mineral rights. Leasing can also mean that you don’t get any money unless the new owner finds and makes money from commodities in your land.

By leasing, you get your mineral rights back after a determined amount of time. You also run the risk of making less money and losing the opportunity to earn money from the land in the future.

Things to consider before selling or leasing mineral rights include:

How it will affect your taxes.
How accessing the minerals, oil, or natural gas will affect your land.
Whether removing the commodities will make your land’s surface sink.
Whether drilling or digging will affect wildlife or water near your property.
Clauses that define things like where drilling can occur and who will pay to repair any damage caused to the land’s surface.

Before you agree to lease or sell rights, make sure to work with a qualified land consultant in your market who can refer you to a lawyer with plenty of experience in these areas. You will need an expert to explain the details and help guide your decision.

Ideally, You Should Know Your Property Rights Before You Buy Land

When you buy land, earlier property rights agreements still apply. If a previous owner sold the mineral rights, you are stuck with the conditions of that deal.

You can learn more about your rights before buying property by performing a title search or Mineral Rights Search. Plenty of title companies offer services that will help you understand your property rights.

It’s important to remember that title searches don’t always find all of the information relevant to your land. Some experts recommend assuming that you don’t own mineral rights when you buy property. If anyone has sold the rights in the past, then you will not own the mineral, oil, gas, and other commodities beneath your feet. When land gets sold to dozens or even hundreds of different people, it’s easy to miss an instance when one of those owners sold the rights.

If you want to buy a piece of land, start by finding a land consultant in your area who can give you accurate information about surface and mineral rights in your state. The rules in one area aren’t always the same as those in other places.

A Checklist For Evaluating Land To Purchase

November 14, 2019/11 Comments/in [Your] Land Blog

I was recently reading an article about tasks to perform after buying a tract of land. I decided to develop a list of topics to consider for those evaluating land to purchase before buying any land to help when comparing properties to ensure you buy the best property. We have all heard about buyer’s remorse, so it is important to consider the following before you make that important purchase.

1. Access – How is the property accessed? You may have road frontage or an easement. Is the easement prescriptive or deeded? I would not be comfortable buying a tract with a prescriptive easement and long term verbal agreements are often forgotten about by inheriting heirs. These prescriptive easements can be converted to a legal or deeded easement, but be prepared for a court battle and legal fees.

I work in a county where there are a lot of transitional properties, so access is key. The county requires that each parcel of land have at least 50 feet of road frontage on a county road or state highway. If you are buying for investment purposes and are planning to subdivide the property, lots of road frontage is important. Check with the local county planning and zoning folks beforehand.

2. Flood Plain – These are soils that typically flood after a huge rain event and it affects the utility of the property. I used to manage 85,000 acres of land for a timber company. We categorized property by inoperable and operable acres. The inoperable property was generally Streamside Management Zones and Flood Plains. The utility of the property affects the value. This information is readily available and your real estate agent should provide this information.

Also these areas will not support a conventional septic system. If you are buying land to build a house or cabin, know where these flood prone areas are prior to your purchase.

3. Topography – I have written a blog post about Topographic Maps. Like flood plains, topography can affect the utility of the property. Very steep property is not conducive to farming and logging. Be sure to look at topo maps of the property and nothing can substitute walking the property. Take a close look before you make that important purchase.

4. Neighbors – With all the technology out there, it is pretty easy to determine who your neighbors are. I can access this information from the tax assessor website. You might be interested to know if they live on the property or if they are absentee landowners. Could you imagine buying a tract of land to learn later that a waste management company owns the property next door? A little work up front can save you lots of heart ache later on.

5. Property lines – I have written a blog post about maintaining your property lines. All landowners should mark and walk your property lines on a regular basis. It is a good idea to know where they are, especially before you buy. If a neighbor is encroaching on the property you need to alleviate the problem. Property lines that are maintained and painted provide a visual aid to your neighbors so everyone is on the same page and knows where the property lines are!

6. Soils – In certain areas of the country, soils and soil productivity drive price. Farming (tillable acres) land is evaluated on the productivity of the soils. Most of the property in West Central Georgia is timberland and this can be evaluated based on Site Index. When buying timberland, operable acres and site index should be considered.

7. Survey – This is huge! I will tell you about two tracts of land I have been involved with recently. These are real life stories. I was contacted by a landowner who had property in Harris County, GA. They solicited my help on a timber sale and later contacted me to sell the property. The tax assessor showed 170 acres and I told them they had more and suggested having the property surveyed before selling. The survey yielded 213 acres…advantage Seller!

In another situation, I was contacted by a Family Limited Partnership. The property had been in the family for 3 generations. The property was beautiful and the timber was over 60 years old. The family had an old plat from the 1920s from Columbus Power and Electric who built Lake Harding. The lake is now owned by Georgia Power and they own up to the 525 foot elevation. They were paying taxes on 236 acres. I estimated about 185 acres and arranged to have the property surveyed. The survey yielded 176.6 acres.

If you buy or inherit property, have a survey, you need to know what you own. These are both also a great examples of why it is important to work with a real estate agent that specializes in land transactions in your area.

8. Timber Cruise – Timber cruises are important when buying timberland. First of all the amount and type of timber helps when valuing the property. Secondly, the timber cruise will help when conducting cost allocation on the property. This is the process where you assign value to the timber and the dirt. Cost allocation will save you lots of money when the time comes to thin or harvest your trees. You will pay taxes on the capital gain (revenue less depletion).

Interested in purchasing a land property? Land transactions require specialized expertise from an agent, like an Accredited Land Consultant (ALC), with experience and education in the industry! Find A Land Consultant near you for expert advice.

This post was originally published on The Dirt Blog.

Kent Morris, ALC, is a Registered Forester and Associate Broker who has experience in fields such as timber appraisals, harvesting, thinnings, and timber sales.

How To Pick The Perfect Agent for Your Land

September 20, 2018/in [Your] Land Blog, RLI Post, The Voices of Land

You’ve found the perfect property to buy, sell, invest, or manage. There’s only one thing missing — the agent. Finding the right agent can be harder than finding the right property. Land transactions require specialized expertise so it is important to do your research when choosing an agent. Here are some tips to find the best real estate agent to help with your land real estate transaction.

1. Go Beyond Google

Google can be a great place to start, but there are many land-specific search engines, such as Find a Land Consultant that will tailor your search for your specific need and ensure you find a qualified agent.

What’s great about the Find A Land Consultant Tool search tool is that you can pick and choose exactly what you need for your land sale or purchase. You can select service specialties, such as conservation easements, investment management, tax deferred 1031 exchanges, and mineral rights, using the ‘Advanced Search’ functionality. You can also search for agents who specialize in ranch land, residential or commercial land, vineyards, farmland, timberland, and more.

2: Expertise

Nothing beats boots-in-the-dirt experience. It’s the best way to know the ins and outs of the industry. Someone with years of experience under their belt will know what common issues to look out for and the tricks of the trade to get you the best sale possible.

Looking at an agent’s expertise and history in land, especially if that experience is in doing transactions for your type of property, also lets you know if they are the right fit for you. There are many agents who have years of experience but still may not be right for handling your transactions.

For example, say an agent has spent 25+ years strictly selling massive commercial properties, and you have a 20-acre ranch. Even though the agent has decades of experience and probably is great at what he or she does, chances are you’ll want to work with a different agent. Take a look at their website and other listings or give their office a call to get a sense of what their strengths are and if they fit your needs.

3: Designations Matter

Achieving any designation requires time, hard work, and money. Almost every designation also requires continuing education to keep up with the latest in land news, laws, tech, and more. This is a guarantee that the agent will be up-to-date on all things land.

Jonathan Goode, ALC (who, by the way, specializes in agricultural/farmland, commercial land, and appraisals, just to name a few!) knows how important designations are in the land industry.

“These agents are demonstrating that they take seriously their commitment to excellence in their profession. Having these designations may not mean much to potential buyers, but it does show that they have worked hard to gain knowledge and proficiency in the discipline of land. Agents that are Realtors® have agreed to operate by and be bound to a Code of Ethics, which helps protect landowners in land transactions,” he said in a guest post for LandThink. They are also certified to have a high level of expertise in various aspects of land due to their completion of a rigorous education program, like RLI’s LAND University.

4. Marketing and Visibility

How an agent markets their property is important. Check out their websites and other listings. If you see their listings have been sitting on the market for a while, chances are yours won’t be flying off the shelves.

You’ll also want to think about their visibility. Do their listings show up during Google searches, or do you need to dig through pages before you find them? Do they have an active and engaged following on their social sites? Is their website updated regularly? Do they use drone video and high-resolution photos to market the properties?

“Pay close attention to how well an agent markets their listings online,” says Goode. “Recent statistics show that over 80% of buyers preview properties online before getting in their car and driving to look at land. You will get an idea about how much effort an agent will put into advertising your listing. Will your land be visible to potential buyers? It needs to be in this market so that ALL possible buyers are aware that you have a quality piece of land for sale.

5. Ask Questions That You Couldn’t Find Answered On Their Website

Most agents have almost everything you need to know on their website. You can find:

• how long they’ve been in the industry
• testimonials
• credentials
• specialties
• location
• listing examples
• And more in just a few simple clicks.

If you aren’t able to find those answers online, ask when you call them. You’ll also want to ask questions about your specific property and what their rates are.

The right agent will get you the best price for your land and smooth out the complicated process of buying and selling land. There’s a whole world of agents. Make sure you work with the best in the business – Find A Land Consultant near you to get started!

About the Author: Laura Barker is a freelance writer based out of California for the REALTORS® Land Institute. She has been with RLI since October 2017.