If you’re in the market for off-grid land for sale and escaping the city life, then you’re going to need to navigate the unknown! Here’s some tools and tips you might find helpful before going on your next adventure into the unknown 🙂 

 

– Google is your best friend. 

– Check out USFS Maps: https://www.fs.fed.us/visit/maps

– Check out BLM maps: https://www.blm.gov/maps

– Use GPS coordinates in google earth and maps and study more than one access option > Quick tutorial video here: How to use GPS & Google Earth in locating rural land

– Look on county websites for ‘GIS’ mapping programs they provide.. Most states/counties have sites that allow you to search by the Parcel or Account ID to pull up the property of interest on a GIS map and look at different layers, roads, parcel lines, landowners, etc. 

– Buy a Garmin, Onyx, or some sort of navigation tool besides your cell phone. 

– Contact the seller for any tips or advice 

– CalTopo provides a nice mapping system: CalTopo Maps

 

And don’t forget to tell a friend where you’re going! 

 

Adventure on your OWN land, 

Miles McLaughlin
www.WilcoLandLLC.com 

Save some time and use these zoning/code links when you’re wondering what a property can be used for… This is an important part of your due diligence. In general, the zoning of a property will determine what can and can’t be done on the land. When looking at properties for us to buy at Wilco Land, I often refer to this.

 

In Oregon:

– Crook County: View Zoning Definitions Here

– Deschutes County: View Zoning Definitions Here

– Jackson County: View Zoning PDF(1) & View Zoning PDF(2)

– Klamath County: View Zoning Code Page Here

In Northern California:

– Siskiyou County: View Zoning Definitions Here

– Shasta County: View Zoning Definitions Here

– Lassen County: View Zoning Definitions Here

– Lake County: View Zoning Definitions Here

– Calaveras County: View zoning definitions here

In Colorado:

– Fremont County: View Zoning Definitions Here

– Custer County: View Zoning Definitions Here & View Zoning Map Here

– Gunnison County: View Land Use Codes & View Land Use Resolutions

PS I also have different planning, zoning, development office pages (contact info and more) plus some local well drillers, and companies that I list in a blog on our site, which I’ll keep adding new material to over time. -> Click to view

 

I’m sure you’ve got much better and more creative ways to take advantage of a piece of raw/vacant land than I do, but if you’re interested in hearing a few ideas I have, then keep reading! This is for all those out there already a landowner and those planning to become one someday.

1. Rent or Lease – Own the asset, and use it as another income stream. There’s plenty of folks looking to use something for just a weekend to escape on a vacation. Other ideas included alternative energy leases for wind turbines and solar energy, and leases for cell towers.

2. Recreation, Hunting, Camping – Get outside and enjoy a night under the stars, set up a hunting base or build that epic dirt bike course you’ve dreamt about.

3. Resell – If you can acquire a piece of land at the right price and are local to an area you might be able to flip that property as-is for a small profit or even small improvements that can add to your margins.

4. Building – Plain and simple. Custom build an acreage to your liking.

5. Homestead, Farming, Ranching – Many of these vacant rural properties would be great areas for hobby farming and homestead life.

6. Storage – We could all use some extra storage space in our lives.

Whatever you have up your sleeve, at the end of the day the land asset itself holds value and it’s even better if you are able to generate money from that asset over time. These six ideas are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to what you can do with a piece of land.

Thanks for reading!

Doing your homework aka due diligence before investing in land shouldn’t be a burden! Here’s a cheat sheet we use at Wilco Land. This should provide you a good starting point and offer some clarity to common questions. If you’re still not finding what you need before deciding on a land investment or have suggestions to share, please reach out to me at miles@wilcolandllc.com

Siskiyou County, California

– Siskiyou County Community Development: Click to go Community Development Homepage

– Zoning Information: Click to go Directly to Zoning

– Well Drilling: A few local services to explore are Enloe Drilling & Pumps, Inc. and Shasta Drilling, Inc. and here is a list provided by the County of Siskiyou with more business: Click to view

Shasta County, California

– Shasta County Resource Department: Click to go to Resource Department Homepage

– Shasta County Planning Division: Click to go to Planning Homepage

– Zoning information: Click to go Directly to Zoning Definitions

– Well Drilling: There are more to be found but a couple local businesses that offers Wells are Foster Well Drilling and Shasta Drilling, Inc. at prices of ~$30-$45 per ft.

– Solar Installation Services: There are more to explore but one local business in Shasta County offering this service is Ulrich Energy and Solar

Crook County, Oregon

– Crook County Community Development Main Page: Click to head to the County Homepage for Development

– Crook County Zoning Page: Click to see County Codes and Zoning

Fremont County, Colorado

– Fremont County Planning and Zoning Page: Click to head to the Homepage

– Fremont County Zoning Resolution PDF: Click to Browse This Document

– Fremont County/Canon City Zoning & Planning FAQ (very helpful!): Click to take a look

– Fremont County/Canon City Zoning Regulations Table of Contents: Click to View

Lassen County, California

– Lassen County Building and Planning Division: Click to go to Building and Planning Homepage

– Zoning Information: Click to go to Zoning Definitions

Mendocino County, California

– Mendocino County Planning and Building Services: Click to go to Building and Planning Services Homepage

– County “Land Use” Link: Click to Head to Land Use Topics

– Mendocino Town Zoning Code PDF from the county website: Click to view zoning

– Building Regulation Info: Click to view

– Property Zoning Search: Click to Search by Parcel Assessors Number

Deschutes County, Oregon

– Deschutes County Community Development Homepage: Click to go to Community Development

– Zoning and Definitions: Click to View

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 miles@wilcolandllc.com

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 miles@wilcolandllc.com – 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!*

It’s never too early to start making plans for your dream property. For me, that dream consists of 20 acres outside city limits, with a lot of tree coverage and a small prairie lake in my front yard for fishing and boating. Someplace, I can design a Morton building to my liking. By the way, have you seen some of those hobby garages, homes, ranches people have designed? This is the COOLEST new tend in building. Take a look online here: https://mortonbuildings.com/projects/hobby-building

First things first, visualize the goal. What do I envision this property looking like. Am I set on a specific location or just looking for a certain terrain/landscape and views. The latter will should make my search much easier. Do I want a stick built house, Morton building, tiny home, RV, or full blown mansion. Do I plan to homestead and have livestock? If so, zoning of the land and acreage will matter down the road.

I need to make a plan of action and break down what steps I will take to make this dream a reality. So often I find myself, and others failing to create a manageable plan of action when it comes to a goal, new hobby, new years resolution, etc. Keyword: manageable. It’s easy for goals to seem impossible and overwhelming when it’s not broken down into achievable steps that allow you to make progress over time.

Knowing your budget and finding the right piece of land is the first step. Ok, so you found something on the surface that passes the eye test. If it were me, I’d visit the neighborhood and drive around to get a feel for where I’d be living. Next, I’d call the county and check on the zoning of the property. What is permitted and are there exceptions? Sometimes looking at neighboring properties can give you a good idea as well. Moving on to who’s going to build this dream property for me and where do I even start with development? Talk with the county building department, call local builders/well companies/developers, ask the locals how they got started. Find the steps it takes to develop and resources to help.

Developing your dream property shouldn’t be a burden. Sure, it’s going to take some work, but will turn out to be a fun and rewarding project. There are tons of free resources and people out there who are there to assist you along the way, so don’t be afraid to pick up the phone and ask lots of questions!

Best of luck!
Miles McLaughlin
Wilco Land