Thinking About Buying Land? 10+ Things to Know Before You Leap
One of my husband’s and my dreams was to one day own land. Together, we’ve been looking for at least 5 years, with my husband also looking well before we were ever together. (We’ve been together for 11 years to put that in perspective) I’ll say that on this journey, we’ve learned a lot. Buying land can be one of the most rewarding — and complex — investments you’ll ever make though. This was something we didn’t want to skimp on, or make too many compromises. We knew we wanted mountain views, and we knew exactly what area we wanted to buy in. Then it was just a matter of finding it.
We started our journey only a year after we bought our house. Thinking back on it, it sounds crazy. We just bought a house and now we’re looking for a plot of land?? This all started in 2020 when the world was getting ready to shutdown. There was lots of talk about a shutdown and we never knew if it would truly happen.
And then it did.
But our dream was to just buy a plot and eventually after some time build something on it. We weren’t in a rush to build something because we already had a house.
This would be a long-term investment.
So what did we learn along the way that we can pass along to you? This is the blog post is for anyone who’s dreaming of one day buying land or in the process of buying land. Whether you dream of building a forever home, starting a homestead, or owning a peaceful retreat surrounded by nature, understanding the ins and outs of buying land is essential before taking the leap.
This post will guide you through what to look for, what to avoid, and how to make smart choices so that your dream property doesn’t turn into an unexpected headache.
This post is all about buying land — from how to buy land to what makes it a good investment.
Table of Contents
Understand Why You’re Buying Land
Ok, so this might be very obvious. But you definitely need to understand your why before you purchase a property. Before anything else, ask yourself what your end goal is. Are you buying land to build a house? To farm, invest, or simply hold onto as property value grows? Is this going to be a property that you eventually rent out the house that you build on? Is this a secondary property or is this your future main property?
Your answer will shape every decision — from location to zoning to utilities. For instance, buying land to build a house will require different considerations than buying land for cheap as an investment. There’s plenty of cheap land out there, but that’s very much dependent on where it’s located. It may be in a very rural area. It might take a while to get to amenities like a grocery store, a gym (if that’s important to you), a hospital, or even just a doctor. Hey, accidents happen and so does illness!
Tip: Write down your top reasons for purchasing land. This will help you narrow your search and stay focused on what really matters. What are your must-haves? Do you need arable land that you can eventually farm or just have a small garden? What can you do without?
Resources for Finding Land
The first thing to do in order to buy land is to first find land to look at. There are lots of resources to look at properties before physically going. However, I must warn you…
Lots of properties look way nicer in photos than in-person.
It’s not that the photos are deceiving. They’re actual photos of the properties, but there’s a lot that can be out of view. For example, the realtor probably didn’t take a picture of the busy road it’s located on. It might not be evident that the property is close to a huge wall sound barrier for a major highway on the opposite side. There may be huge power lines near or even on the property. Or someone’s house is actually an eye sore to the spectacular view you see in the photos.
These are all very real things that we encountered, and you probably will too. But don’t be dissuaded, these are all very useful tools to have. So let’s take a look! Some of these you may already be familiar with because they’re used to search for houses.
Realtor.com
In my opinion, this is one of the best apps to use. You can use it either on your computer or download the app. This one is the best one for doing research and probably the most up-to-date. It has a map feature that you can zoom in on to get a good look at the surrounding area. A couple of things we looked out for were huge power lines, large bodies of water, and busy roads. There are also features for the following: flood map, risk for fire, and noise rating (if it’s a noisy area or not, and therefore sound pollution). Although there are many people who are homesteaders that look for bodies of water on the property, we were definitely not keen on having any whatsoever. We definitely didn’t want to be in an area where we’d have to worry about flooding.
If you’re looking for just land with no house on it, there’s a filter that’s easy to use. You can simply filter by ‘land’. Or if you’re looking for a farm, you can find that option too.
Zillow
Zillow is another good option to use, and can be used either on a computer or your phone. There’s an app that you can download on your phone. In my opinion, Zillow isn’t as up-to-date, and it doesn’t have some of the features that Realtor.com has. For example, it doesn’t have a flood, fire, or noise map. So frequently, I’d have to flip back and forth between Zillow and Realtor.com.
Land.com
Land.com is specifically for looking for land, but you can also look for farms, ranches, acreage, and country homes. There are filters right on its homepage to search by city, and look for unique properties like vineyards, poultry farms, hobby farms, and hunting land for sale. There is also a search feature by activities, like land close to skiing, golfing, and land with an airstrip.
Ok, you get the point. There are lots of different ways to filter. As far as how up-to-date this website is, I’m not really sure. In our search, we didn’t really use this site. Not because it’s not a good site, but we just didn’t see the need to.
LandWatch
This website is similar to Land.com. It makes sense because it’s part of the Land.com network They both have similar filter and search options. What’s interesting an unique about it is that it has ‘rural land analytics’. The rural land analytics help you to find comparable pieces of land to the one you’re considering buying. Per the linked site, you can, “[b]rowse agricultural land sales across the U.S. View sale price, sale date, acreage, land use, buyer and seller names, and GIS data for each sale, and build a comparable sales report,” (AcreValue).
New York Land & Lakes
I would’ve loved to have used this website! It’s truly unique website and is for purchasing land in New York State. There are one or two feature properties on it at a time. Meaning, they only sell one or two properties at a time, and these are usually farm liquidations. Currently, they have properties that were repossessions. Each of the featured properties are divvied up into smaller parcels. These plots can either be just raw land, land with vineyard or orchards, plots with a house on it, and other types of parcels.
Why is this website so unique and an awesome tool to use?
“They have what’s called their “Buyer’s Protection Plan”. The “Buyer’s Protection Plan” includes:
“All approvals from Federal, State and Local agencies
A new survey so you know exactly how much land you are buying and where the boundaries are
Soils Tests and Engineering reports to ensure you can build on the land
Clear title
Title in the form of a Warranty Deed
Protective covenants – Everlasting protection written into the deed to each parcel”, (New York Land & Lakes).
Figure Out Where You Want to Buy
It’s time to start doing some actual recon work. Think about where you’d like to buy land. If you’re not sure where, first start thinking about which state you’d like to live in. Are you staying in the state you currently reside in, or are you going to now be looking out of state? Looking out of state is going to need so more time dedicated because of travel time (obviously)…unless you happen to live right over the state border.
Next pinpoint where in the state you think would be a good fit. As I’ve mentioned before, what you see online may not actually reflect where you would really want to live. I can’t tell you how many towns we visited that just didn’t fit what we were looking for. But it was worth it because we were able to narrow down exactly where we wanted to buy.
Don’t just go for the “cheap” land. There could be various reasons why that land is cheap that aren’t just because it’s in a rural area.
Research Zoning Laws, Land Use Restrictions, and Local Ordinances
One of the biggest surprises new land buyers face comes from zoning restrictions. Every piece of land falls under specific zoning codes that determine how it can be used — residential, agricultural, commercial, or recreational. Some other examples that you may find are restrictions that govern the height of the building you can construct, the number of buildings and their sizes, their construction, the percentage of the lot that must be occupied, etc.
Building homes like a tiny house may even be prohibited. So before purchasing, check with your county or local zoning office to ensure your plans are allowed. If you’re buying land to build a house, you’ll need to confirm the parcel is zoned for residential use and that building permits are available.
Another factor to be aware of are the local ordinances. If you’re looking to farm and/or have farm animals, check to make sure you’re even allowed. In my current location, we’re not allowed to keep any sort of poultry out on our property, which is a major bummer. However, where my parents live, having backyard chickens is becoming more and more popular, and it’s allowed.
Raw, Unimproved, or Improved Land
There are really three main types of land that you’re going to run into: raw, unimproved, or improved land. What do each of these types of properties look like?
Raw Land
Raw land is land that’s completely untouched. It hasn’t been cleared, there are no utilities on it – absolutely nothing has been done with it. This type of land could be very wooded and will need to be cleared, depending on what your plans are.
Unimproved Land
Improved Land
Evaluate Access, Roads, and Easements
A major issue with building land may be that the property is landlocked. It may be a wonderful property, but it can quickly become a nightmare with trying to even access it. Without a recorded easement or public access road, you might not have legal rights to enter your own property.
For those that might not be aware of easements, “an easement generally takes the form of a right attached to one piece of land (the dominant land) to use another piece of land (the servient land) in a particular way,” The New Oxford Companion to Law
Before you sign anything, be sure to verify the following:
- There’s a legal, recorded access route
- If there isn’t can you obtain one.
- Roads are maintained, especially in rural or snowy areas (more on this below!)
- You understand any easements that grant other parties access through your property
Landlocked plots are particularly difficult for sellers to sell because there’s no guarantee that an easement will be allowed. Such pieces of properties come about when a larger piece of property is broken up. So always do you due diligence with these sorts of properties.
Check Utilities and Infrastructure
Ok, here’s where things can get expensive. This is not to deter you in any way from buying raw land, or semi-improved land (land that has some sort of improvement like a driveway or utility). You may be all gung ho to have an off grid property. However, that might not be allowed in the area you’re looking to buy. For example, in our current home, even though we have solar panels, we’re required by law to be connected to the grid. That doesn’t mean every town or state has this requirement.
When buying raw land, it’s easy to overlook the cost of bringing in power, water, and internet. Determine whether the land already has access to:
- Electricity or nearby power lines
- A well or municipal water hookup
- Septic system or sewer line
- Reliable cell service or internet
These additions can cost tens of thousands of dollars, so factor them into your budget early.
Septic Systems
Something we also learned during the process – watersheds and regulations. If the property is in a designated watershed, you may be required to put in a special type of septic system. This adds thousands of dollars onto the expense of an already costly system. A typical septic system will normally cost up to $10,000. However, a specialized and more complex system can cost up to $20,000 or more.
What is also strange about septic systems is that they’re designed by how many bedrooms a house will have, not by how many bathrooms it has.
Electricity or Nearby Power Lines
One thing to look for is whether there’s any electricity already on the property, and if not, is there a line to connect to at the road. If you need to bring electricity onto the property, you’re going to have to determine how many feet back your structure will be. In some areas, the electric company may allow you to tie into the grid for free if it’s under a certain amount of feet from the electric pole. For example, they may allow you to tie in if the line is only about 500 feet. But anything after 500 feet could be thousands of dollars.
One other factor that may contribute to cost, if a new electric pole has to be put in, is what type of material needs to be dug through. Something else to keep in mind is whether the electric line will be run above or below ground. If it needs to be run below ground, be aware that this is another cost.
When electric is being installed consider the following that may need to be done:
- Installation of an electric pole or poles
- Excavation and trenching (if the electric is being underground)
- Meter pole
- Permits
- Delivery charges
- Labor and installation costs
During the electric installation, you’ll be working with the power company, an electrician, and an inspector. Refer to Home Guide’s post about what the costs could look like.
Well Water or Municipal Water
Find out if the property is connected to municipal water or if a well will need to be dug. If it’s already connected to municipal water, then you have nothing to worry about. But if you need a well, be sure to plan for that. According to an article from Leaf Home, as of 2024, this can range anywhere from “$3,000 to $15,000, depending on various factors such as location, well depth, and geological conditions”. https://www.leafhome.com/blog/water-solutions/how-much-does-it-cost-to-drill-a-well
Reliable Cell Service and Internet
Having access to cell service is a really important to take into consideration. In case you have an emergency for example, you’ll want to be able to reach emergency services. You’ll also have to factor in access to the internet if you plan on being further connected. In more rural areas, internet provider options may not be as abundant, and internet speed can be slow.
One option to consider is Starlink. Plug in the address of where you need service and see what speeds and plans are available.
Analyze the Land’s Topography and Soil
The lay of the land affects everything — from drainage and construction to what crops you can grow. Ask the seller or local extension office for a soil test, especially if you plan to start a garden or farm. This includes testing soil where there was previously a farm. Lots of farms have previously sprayed herbicides and pesticides. So you’ll want to know if that’s the case for the piece of land you intend to buy. Basically, you’ll have to investigate any previous use of chemicals. There’s always the possibility of remediating the land if you have the time and money to do so. It’ll also be important to know the soil type on the property.
Avoid land that’s too steep, rocky, or flood-prone unless you’re prepared for added construction costs or erosion control.
Another consideration is if the land is surrounded by other farmland. You’ll want to know what kind of farming practices they have, if that’s important to you. If they spray their land with pesticides and herbicides, you’ll want to know that for chemical drift onto your property.
Budget for More Than the Purchase Price
The cost of buying land goes well beyond the sticker price. The cost will also be dependent on when you want to start doing anything with the land. You may consider buying land for now to secure it, save money, and building in 5 years.
Factor in additional expenses that may include the following:
- Survey and soil testing
- Title search
- Legal fees
- Utility installation
- Property taxes and insurance
- Realtor fees
It’s easy to underestimate these costs, especially if you’re focused on buying land for cheap. But these expenses can make or break your project’s success.
Confirm Property Boundaries and Get a Land Survey
Never skip a professional survey. Ask the realtor for the property if they have a survey. That’s honestly one of the things they should easily have on hand when they’re selling land. It ensures the boundaries are accurate, helps avoid disputes with neighbors, and confirms what’s legally yours. A licensed surveyor can mark those details clearly with metal markers.
You’ll want to know if there’s anything of importance marked on the survey, like protected wetlands. Aspects such as wetlands may have restrictions pertaining to construction. If what you’re building will impact wetlands on the property, permits need to be obtained from regulatory agencies. Such notations on the survey can have a significant impact and alter any plans you may have.
Consider Future Development and Location Trends
When evaluating whether buying land is a good investment, look beyond the land itself. Check local development plans, upcoming infrastructure projects, and school districts. For example, there is a lot of talk and projects going on in upstate New York with solar farms. These solar farms can have a detrimental impact on property values and the local ecosystem.
Be aware if there are areas that are experiencing steady population growth and new amenities. This may or may not be a good thing, depending on what your needs and wants are. More amenities and population growth can bring increased value to properties. This is a very good things for resale value if you intend to sell the property in the future. Conversely, remote areas might offer privacy but limited resale value.
Pro Tip: Review your county’s “Future Land Use” map to see what’s planned for the surrounding area. It can help you spot hidden opportunities — or avoid unwanted surprises.
Secure Financing (It’s Different Than a Home Loan)
Buying land often requires a different type of financing than buying a home. Many traditional mortgage lenders won’t offer standard loans for undeveloped land.
Options include:
- Land loans (usually shorter-term, higher interest)
- Construction-to-permanent loans (if you plan to build soon)
- Seller financing (common for rural properties)
- Farm loans – if you’re looking to eventually farm, consider getting a farm loan. However, it’s important to note that some of these loans may require a minimum amount of acreage.
- Search for farm loans through agencies like the United States Agricultural Department (USDA) or Farm Credit East.
If you require a loan from a lender, a down payment of between 15% to 35% will usually be required. These down payment requirements are set by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), but private lenders could be more strict with what’s required. Typically you’ll see that raw land will require a down payment of at least 35%. Unimproved land needs a minimum of 25% down, while improved land requires 15%, (Lending Tree).
Visit the Property in Every Season
A piece of land can look perfect in summer but tell a very different story in winter. Visiting the property multiple times throughout the year reveals how the environment changes — from water drainage and sunlight exposure to noise levels and local wildlife.
It’s one of the most important steps in buying land how to avoid future regrets.
Publicly Maintained, Partially Maintained, or Privately Maintained Roads
Bonus: Build Relationships with Local Experts
When you’re serious about buying land, surround yourself with people who understand the process — real estate agents specializing in land, local surveyors, and county officials. Their insights can save you time, money, and stress.
Final Thoughts
The best piece of advice I can offer is to talk to multiple contractors if you need to put in infrastructure. Get multiple quotes and don’t just settle for the first price you hear. Buying land can be one of the most empowering decisions you’ll ever make — a tangible step toward independence, creativity, and future growth. But like any investment, it pays to go in informed.
By understanding your goals, researching thoroughly, and budgeting realistically, you can find a piece of property that not only fits your dreams but also holds long-term value.
Whether you’re buying land and building a house, purchasing acreage for farming, or simply exploring buying land for cheap, remember — the best investment is the one that aligns with your vision and lifestyle.
This post was all about buying land.
Resources
Bermudez, R. (2024, June 3). Land Loans: Everything a Buyer Needs To Know. Lending Tree. https://www.lendingtree.com/home/mortgage/how-to-get-a-land-loan/#:~:text=Land%20loans%20can%20come%20from,at%20least%20a%20700%20score.
Cane, P. and Conaghan, J. (2009). The New Oxford Companion to Law. Oxford University Press. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780199290543.001.0001/acref-9780199290543-e-703?rskey=t8UkS6&result=5
Carlson, J. (2023, May 6). Utility pole installation costs. Home Guide. https://homeguide.com/costs/utility-or-power-pole-installation-cost#:~:text=Getting%20estimates-,Utility%20pole%20installation%20costs,a%20house%20or%20mobile%20home.
Home. New York Land & Lakes. (2025, November 10). https://newyorklandlakes.com/
Mason, S. (2025, August 25). How Much Does it Cost to Drill a Well? Leaf Home. https://www.leafhome.com/blog/water-solutions/how-much-does-it-cost-to-drill-a-well
