Buying and Selling a Mobile Home helpful consumer guides!
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To our Land Development Guide. If you are having ideas of buying land and putting a home on it, this guide will steer you in the right direction.
Perked ~ Zoning ~ The cost of clearing land ~ Road or Driveway ~ Survey and Staking the site ~ Footers ~ The Septic System ~ Well or water supply ~
Let’s start with the land, We shall assume that you have found a nice piece of property that is wooded and has never been cleared.
Step # 1..... The land needs to be “perked” to make sure that it is suitable for a drainage for your septic system. If you enter into a contract on a piece of property it is always a good idea to add the phrase “ Land to perk to customers satisfaction.” This little phrase will get you out of the contract if the land does not perk. I have seen many great priced pieces of property that will never perk!
The person selling it may say, “Aw shucks, if you put enough dirt on it, it’ll perk!” Well, sure, but at an average of $65.00 to $115.00 for a load of dirt you can see why it’s such a great price. The land is usually “perked” by the local county Health Dept. You will want to call for pricing.
Step # 2..... “Zoning”. It is vital that you check the local zoning in your area to see if the piece of property you have chosen can be used in the manner you wish.
Step # 3..... To place the home on your new piece of property your next concern should be “the cost of clearing the land”. Always get written estimates. If you are dealing with large tracts of land you may want to check with your local paper companies that will pay you for the timber on the land.
Step #4..... “Road or Driveway”. If you’re cutting down trees then most likely you will need a culvert for water to drain in a ditch and pass under your driveway. Marl, Rock or Concrete will be needed for a proper driveway. Just remember get written estimates.
Step # 5..... “Survey and staking the site”. In most cases when a piece of property is sold a survey goes hand in hand together. It is important to know every inch of your boundary lines because, if you put up a fence and it is accidentally on your neighbors property and he decides to paint it purple with pink polka dots there is usually nothing you can do about it.
Step # 6..... “Footers” are blocks of concrete poured into the ground that give your home added support to prevent the home from settling. Many financial institutions require footers as a part of the home set up. Check with your lender for requirements of your loan. PS Get written estimates.
Step # 7..... “The Septic System”. Depending on how the results on your perk test went you will be informed on how many field lines will need to be run from your septic tank and how large your tank needs to be.
This will also vary depending on how many bedrooms are in the home. If county or city septic service is available you will have to pay a tap-on fee and be responsible for the cost of running plumbing lines from the tap-in to your home. PS Get written estimates.
If the property perks, you are usually informed where the septic systems should be installed. This area should be staked off as well as where you intend to place your home. This way you have a positive vision of the layout of the property.
So, if you are going to have that nice circle driveway make sure it is not going over your septic field.
Step # 8..... “Well or water supply” If county water is available I always suggest to tap-on because many times I have placed beautiful homes on beautiful pieces of property that everyone in the world would be sure to enjoy.
That is until you smell that awful water coming from the faucet and the yellow stained basins in the home. There is usually a tap-on fee and once again the homeowner is responsible for plumbing lines from the home to the tap-on.
If you must have a well for your water supply be careful what you tell the well contractor! Don’t say, “Just go a 100 ft down, there’s got be good water there.” Ask for a deep well approximently 100 ft but I want good water flow! If it takes an extra 10 or so feet it will be well worth the expense, this will be very important when you are watering the lawn, using the dishwasher, washing clothes and bathing at the same time!
This covers the basic set up for the land; although every state and county differs in zoning codes and land, use guidelines and be sure to ask even “the stupid questions” to your local government offices!
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