Steps On Selling Raw Land
I have 10 acres of Raw Land, that I would like to sub-divide into lots and sell.
However, I have never owned Raw Land before, so I am unsure on How to go about getting the land set-up for selling.
The Land is Zoned Residential. There are several Single Family Homes in the area.
The 10 acres are recorded as 1 parcal of land. Would I need to determine the number of lots that I would like to sell, then record each lot at the Tax Acc. office.
I need advice on having a pert test done all the way to recording the land.
Any and all advice needed.
Thanks in Advance,
AAO[ Edited by aao on Date 02/18/2004 ]
Every State and every County has a different set of requirements. I think here in Calif it is just about the worst.
I start by going to County and City Planning and check the Master Plan to see what they think is the correct type of development for your land. I then read up on the regulations. Here you record a soil test, Perc test for waste disposal and all that good stuff. Then based on that you do a subdivision map and you show the division of all the lots you are going to creat. Also you include the little goodies that City or County may require. Like a tiny strip park or a doggie park who knows and you never know until you start. I figure my cost on a ten acre parcel to produce about 40 small lots 50 by 135 or so. My cost around $4,000 a lot. If I am lucky and they do not have some strange requirement.
I would check very carefully before starting you may decide to keep the parcels large and in keeping with the other developments in the area. A developer usualy should conform to what has happened before.
There is an area in Glendale, lovely gentle rolling country. Dying to do a development of about 3500 sq. ft. houses. Only one problem. Full sewage treatment is required and must be supplied in the planning by the developer. Stop finish the end.
Check carefully before you begin.
Good luck Lucius
When having a perc test performed, does each lot have to have a perc test or just for the entire parcel. Should I sub-divide the land first, and record 40 different lots under my name at the court house. The Area is set-up for Single Family Homes, There are a couple of Manufactured homes in the Area, but most of the other homes adjacent to the property are Single Family Homes. All the Homes in the area are set-up on Septic Tanks.
[ Edited by aao on Date 02/18/2004 ][ Edited by aao on Date 02/18/2004 ]
As already stated every State and every County has different rules and regulations. Talk to your County planning/zoning department about thier subdivision rules. Also, talk to the County Health Department about what is reguired for septic tanks. More then likely they want take perc test but will require different level soil test for each phase of the project.
A good surveyor who does alot of work in your County will probally know the answers to most of your questions.
Some additional thoughts...
One of the first things that has to be done is perc testing. No sense doing a subdivision for, say 20 lots, if there aren't at least 20 places that perc. Your should hire a local civil engineer & surveyor who can explain what has to be done, in what order, and give you a sense of the municipal subdivision approval process in that municipality.
As has been stated, each municipality operates different with different subdivision ordinance requirements and different zoning ordinances. Nail down the current zoning of the property first. This will tell you, among other things, the land use permitted, minimum lot size, min. lot width, etc.
As a land seller, what you want to do is gather enough information with the help of your engr (and a real estate attorney) that will answer questions like: how many lots, what would the new construction sell for here, what are the site improvement costs, how long will it take to subdivide. Then you can better estimate the value of your property, if you want to sell to builders who would then take the land in its subdivided form and install the streets, curbs, etc.
If no public sewer is available I highly doubt you will be able to get a 40 lot yield out of your 10 acres. That would equate to just under 11,000 sq. ft. lots and I would be highly surprised if your county allows such small lots on septic...unless they will let you do community septic but then you have homeowner association issues/fees. Most places I have developed in the SE require at least 25,500 sq. ft. lots for septic tanks. I suspect that at best you are looking at around 15-17lots, assuming you do not loose much density to the road and all soils are good and will pass soil testing. if they allow individual homes on septic with 11,000 sq. ft. lots that would almost be frightening, at least from a public health point of view. Also, find out what kind of soil testing the county health dept requires. Where I build they do not allow a simple perk test anymore. We have to do a level 3 soil survey where a soil scientist basically comes out and bores holes on a grid across the property and creates a soil classification map for the property. If you want to get a good idea of how the soils for the overall property look, you could do a level 2 survey which is the same as a level 3 but with fewer borings per acre.
Quote:
On 2004-02-18 05:21, aao wrote:
When having a perc test performed, does each lot have to have a perc test or just for the entire parcel. Should I sub-divide the land first, and record 40 different lots under my name at the court house. The Area is set-up for Single Family Homes, There are a couple of Manufactured homes in the Area, but most of the other homes adjacent to the property are Single Family Homes. All the Homes in the area are set-up on Septic Tanks.
<font size=-1>[ Edited by aao on Date 02/18/2004 ]</font>
<font size=-1>[ Edited by aao on Date 02/18/2004 ]</font>
I suspect in the land you wish to develop has no town sewage and you need septic systems it follows that you have no munincipal water supply. Theat would mean a well needs to be drilled on each lot.
With size (small) lots you envision you may not be able to meet the distance requirement, number of feet the well must be from the drain field.
Heck slice it into two parcels, make a couple of bucks and move on. Don't think trying to develop such a small parcel will worth the headaches of dealing with the county and the health dept. Good Luck!