Skip to content
  • There are no suggestions because the search field is empty.

How Do I Buy Land to Build a House On?

The order of operations for buying a building lot without getting stuck with one you can't build on.

Buy the lot after you know what you want to build on it, and write your due diligence into the purchase agreement. The most expensive mistake in custom building is buying a parcel first and discovering afterward that it won't support the home you had in mind.

The order that works

  1. Know roughly what you're building. Footprint, one story or two, basement or not, and rough budget.
  2. Identify the area and the constraints. School district, commute, acreage, whether public utilities matter to you.
  3. Find candidate parcels. Listings, developments, and word of mouth. We work with developers and landowners across the region.
  4. Get a builder's opinion before you offer. Fifteen minutes of a builder looking at a parcel can save months.
  5. Write an offer with due diligence contingencies.
  6. Do the diligence during the contingency period.
  7. Close, then design in earnest.

Contingencies worth including

  • Soil evaluation and septic feasibility, if the parcel isn't on public sewer. In Ohio a soil evaluation is required before a septic permit can be issued, and not every parcel passes. See soil evaluations in Ohio.
  • Water availability, whether that's a public tap or a well.
  • Zoning and permitted use confirmation from the jurisdiction.
  • Survey, confirming boundaries, easements and acreage.
  • Buildable envelope, confirming that setbacks leave room for your footprint.
  • Access, legal and physical, including whether a driveway permit is obtainable.
  • Financing, if you need a lot loan.

What to verify before closing

  • Zoning, setbacks and any overlay districts
  • Utility availability and distance to connection points. See utilities
  • Floodplain and wetland status
  • Recorded easements and deed restrictions
  • Topography and drainage. See sloped lots
  • Road frontage and whether the road is public or private
  • Mineral, oil and gas rights, which are separated from surface rights on a lot of Ohio parcels

Budget beyond the purchase price

Site work, utility runs, a long driveway or a septic system can rival the difference between two parcels' asking prices. The cheap lot is not always the cheap lot. See site preparation and what to look for.

Looking at a parcel? Send us the address and we'll tell you what we see.