Miles here with Wilco Land. Are you looking into a land investment but have some questions about our properties or another vacant listings out there? Take a look at some of the things I address below. I know it doesn’t give you concrete answers right now but hopefully it gives you an idea of where to look and gets the juices flowing for your due diligence. I’m available to talk deal breaking questions on our listings anytime by phone or text at 605-250-1256 or through email at [email protected]
Are there building and septic requirements? Can I camp and RV on this land? Land use questions..
- For land use, building and development, the county offices listed above and the website links listed for each county are great resources to start with. Where you can find contact info to assist with your questions, plenty of helpful links, and usually an area where you can find zoning definitions.
- When it comes to development/building, there can be a lot that goes into that. Zoning definitions is a great starting point, and since everyone’s plans are different, it may be helpful to discuss your plans with the county planning/building/development office in the county the land is located. Where they may have resources or knowledge around septic, water, and power for development.
- Another resource for building/development, could be a local contractor or company. Just like I said with the well drilling companies in the water section, these local business are the ones working directly in the area. You never know if they’ve worked next door or have insight to the area to share with you.
- Note: Most of our listings should have the zoning listed inside, if not, just ask!
Is there water to the property? Water table depth?
- A lot of our land offerings are rural, so more often than not, you’ll be looking into a well or other alternative options. However, we do sell in-town parcels of land as well, so if it’s something in a developed area make sure to ask us in case we know of a possible water source in the area.
- Water table depth and feasibility for a well… Aerial imagery helps me out when it comes to this. When I see nearby homes or development, it’s usually a good sign for me, that leads me to believe those properties are able to get water… Next, does a google search yield any results for local well drilling companies? Those could be resources to call and ask about the area. Who knows, maybe one of those companies has worked on a neighboring parcel in the past, or is very familiar with the area and can offer some insight to well depth and pricing.
How about power to a property?
- The land we sell is vacant/undeveloped for the most part. So the properties will often times have power lines running by on the road or very close in proximity, yet nothing established on the said lot itself. Again, aerial imagery is a helpful indicator for me because if I see development/homes nearby. To me that is typically a good sign those other properties have had success running power run to their lot or potentially generating it with alternative methods.
- Off-Grid properties… We do also offer a number of properties off the grid, where power is distant and folks will explore alternative options.
- There are times we have notes on how close power lines are to a property and other times we don’t. If the latter is the case, then visiting a piece of land may be the best way to determine the nearest power source.
Access/Easements?
- Wanting to go visit a property but can’t find the address? Often times vacant rural land does not have a registered address yet, so using GPS coordinates, plat maps, and google maps/earth will help navigate your way there. Inside this blog (Steps 1 & 2) I share some tips and a video on how to locate a property. See here those tips here: https://wilcolandllc.com/land-education/
- There will be times when properties have questionable access because it’s so remote, and other times properties will clearly have dirt or paved roads to access. We try our best to list our photographers access notes inside the listing. If there’s no information on property access inside the listing and access appears to be non-existent at first glance or questionable/difficult at best, simply send us an email and we’ll see what we can find on that and may have new details to share.
- Legal easements are typically yielded during a title search or by searching through recorded documents with the said county assessor/recorder’s office. We do our best to list anything we see in legal descriptions or knowledge from title reports inside the listing on our site. If you don’t see anything about access and that’s in question for you, send us an email and we’ll see what we can find.
Is the land marked out? How will I know if I’m on the property?
- This varies from property to property. Sometimes land will have corner markers in the ground or stakes showing where the property boundaries are. Other times, there may be no indication of where the property boundaries area. The aerial images highlighting the property in our listings and google earth/maps link, along with the GPS coordinates we list and plat/tax map, will provide a good depiction of the property layout. These GIS programs we use to get that info are extremely helpful but are not always 100% accurate. Therefore, if you plan to build or invest a lot of money into the land, I always suggest getting a surveyor out there to stake out the boundaries. Usually the county has a surveyor for the area, or a quick google search should yield some results.
- Here’s a helpful article explaining the aerial imagery and coordinates: See here those tips here: https://wilcolandllc.com/land-education/
What does our due diligence at Wilco Land consist of?
- Reasons why people buy land and what they consider important in that decision varies. At Wilco Land, two things we place emphasis on is the market value and making sure we are obtaining a “marketable title”
- Any other information we find during our due diligence stage, is information we want to share with you. We try to share everything we know online, but there’s times we learn more about the property later in time. So if in doubt, just ask. We’ll check our desks for any relevant documents or notes on the subject.
Why can’t Wilco answer all of my questions right now? Isn’t that what a “seller” is supposed to do?
- We do want to help!! If you’re highly interested in a property and need an extra hand, send me an email at [email protected] – we’ll set up a time to talk and dive into those make or break factors in your land purchase.
- Our business model differs from what most might perceive as the traditional way of buying a piece of real estate. Why? Because our goal is to provide land at lower prices than anywhere else. Land ownership should be simple and affordable. Seriously, put the listed price aside and tell us what number it takes to make a property purchase worth it for YOU. In almost all cases, we’re able to work together to come to a price/terms, where both parties walk away happy in the value received.
- To make the above possible, Wilco Land, like every other business, can’t specialize in everything, so our core focus is in niche areas such as data collection, techy systems, and making information visible online. Using the information provided on our site and the resources each county offers, we place the power in the end consumer (“Buyers”) hands to decide if a property is right for them. Sure, this might mean more work on the “buyers” side, but the goal is to make up for that with a lower price and a willingness to explore meeting you at your preferred price/terms.
Why am I sharing this? Because it’s our responsibility as a small business to be transparent and honest with you.
Ready to start your due diligence? Make sure to check out the County “cheat sheet” with links and resources to every county here:
*Disclaimer: I do not consider myself an expert or someone of legal counsel when it comes to offering due diligence advice. I’m here to help and know a thing or two from doing this over the years but everyone has different wants and needs when it comes to making a land purchase, so ultimately it’s the buyers responsibility to perform their own due diligence about what they consider important factors in their decision making process or simply, reach out to us for help!*
