A Step-by-Step Plan for How to Buy Land

For as long as I can remember, I’ve felt this quiet tug toward land — open skies, mountain views, a big garden, maybe even a few animals one day. But like so many families, we’re living in a suburban neighborhood right now, raising a little one, working, gardening in small spaces, and dreaming of something more. It’s about reconsidering priorities and wanting to slow down more. To get away from the rat race.

Throughout my professional career, I’ve worked in retail, pharmaceuticals, and in healthcare. And although my most recent job was not as stressful, as all of my previous ones, it still caused me to question a lot.

But to bring us all back to reality on wanting more in this life, you don’t wake up one morning magically ready to buy land. I mean, unless you really do have all of those funds. You prepare for it slowly, intentionally, often long before you ever walk a property line.

Some of my more recent posts have touched upon some of what you’ll read below, but I really wanted to make a more detailed post this time around. There is a lot to know about acquiring land, and much of it you won’t find out about until you’re actually in the think of it. So if you’re looking for more details, this post is for you. My goal isn’t to repeat what I’ve already discussed in my previous posts but to provide new information.

This post is all about how to buy land.

Power company trucks installing electricity lines on rural land, showing the process of bringing utilities to undeveloped property.

Table of Contents

How to Buy Land

There are so many things that need to be taken care of before buying land. Just like buying a house, it requires a lot of research and due diligence. The fact is that, according to lenders, buying land is much more risky than buying a plot with infrastructure (house, driveway, etc) already on it. Costs can quickly spiral out of control and more times than not, you’ll come across sellers that never did anything with the property. This isn’t necessarily because something is wrong with the land, but maybe they didn’t do the due diligence they should have before purchasing. Some may have bought it just as an investment to hold onto long-term. Who knows?

Per the USDA, the whole process of buying land can be broken down into 6 steps:

Make a game plan: Just as anything in life, especially something that’s an investment like land, you need to come up with a plan. If you’re planning to make this a business venture later in the process, the USDA states that this is the most critical part of the process. Create a business plan. If you’re looking for help for writing one, they also include resources for that too! If you plan on looking into the USDA for a loan, this will be a required step in securing the loan.
Visit the land you want to potentially buy: This can be both exciting and exhausting (depending on how long you’ve been looking). You definitely need to visit potential properties. I think, and many would probably agree, that buying something “site unseen”, is way too risky.
Fund your purchase: Figure out how exactly you’re going to buy the land. There are so many different ways to do this, but it doesn’t have to involve a huge down payment.
Build your dream: This should’ve been part of your plan. Once you purchase the property, what are you going to do with it?
Start selling (optional): If you’re looking to make a business venture, like have a farm, with your land purchase, then this would be the next step in the process. You’d start selling goods and/or services at this point.
Maintain your investment: Whatever you choose to do with your land, it’ll require maintenance. I’d say this is even important even if you don’t plan on doing anything with it for a while. Any sort of clearing you do on the land will need to be kept that way.

With the above steps in mind, this should hopefully provide you a rough draft of how the process will go. After readying this post, my hope is that you’ll walk away with a clearer picture and action plan as to what your next steps will be.

Please note that I’m not an expert on buying land. These are merely suggestions about what to look into and not at all financial advice.

Why Land Can Be a Good Investment

Not every piece of land is worth investing in. That’s why it’s super important to do your due diligence and thoroughly research where you’re buying. Land can be a very good investment not just on your family’s current needs but also for its future needs. It’s a way to possibly provide a legacy to your children and their children. It’s something that can be potentially passed down.

You might be thinking that it could be a burden to pass this down to your children. What if this is something they don’t want?

Although you could be right – they may not want the land for a number of reasons. Maybe it’s too expensive for them to hold onto. Maybe it’s not in a good location for work, or maybe it’s too much upkeep. There could be so many reasons. In spite of that, I think it’s still a great option. It gives them the ability to sell it in the future should they choose to. Whether you think this is a good thing or not is debatable.

Step 1: Make a Game Plan

The very first step you need to do to make all of this happen is to come up with a plan.

Is this going to be a future business? This could be a farm where you raise meat or sell produce. Maybe it’ll be a flower farm or an AirBnB.

Will this be your future home? If so, what are you going to do about your current living situation? Are you going to sell your current home or stop renting and move onto your land while you build?

Questions like these are good to get the juices flowing for creating your dream.

Get Clear on Why You Want Land

Part of this process of coming up with a game plan determining why. you’re doing all of this. This is definitely a repeat from my previous post. But I want to really stress that your why is really important. Your why is going to help keep you focused and provide you with something to look forward to. It’s going to help you prioritize and make your dreams a reality. It’s something you can actually plan for.

It may not be achievable tomorrow, or next month, or even next year. But keeping your eyes on the prize, makes it a bit easier. And because it may not be something achieved immediately, patience needs to be learned. Because the process and continual looking can get really frustrating. Later in this post we’ll talk about creating a timeline.

Step 2: Research Locations, Visit Properties, and Decide Where to Buy

Once you’ve thought out why you’re going to buy land and have a plan in place, it’s time to start researching. Start thinking about potential locations. In my first post about buying land, I suggested some sites and apps to use to start looking. These are super easy to use and some of them have some good tools within them.

Before we bought land, we spent years driving backroads, exploring small towns, and comparing different areas. This is one of the most important steps — and the most fun.

Here are some considerations of what to look into:

Commute time and access to amenities: how far away is the property from work and school, if you have children? How far do you have to travel to get to stores, especially the grocery store? What about getting to a hospital or even just to go to the doctor? How far away from a fire station is the land? What about other amenities you currently rely on?
Road maintenance: we discussed this in my past couple of posts about buying land. Is it on a road that’s fully maintained by the town? Are owners living on the road responsible for part of its maintenance, or is it fully your responsibility?
School districts: One of the great features about Realtor.com (no, I’m not sponsored by them!) is that it shows school ratings. This is such a useful tool for anyone who’s a parent and wants to know how the schools in the area stand. At least in my experience, many of the more rural areas we looked at did not have very good schools. So this is definitely something to carefully consider.
Community vibe: What’s the vibe of the local community? Does it provide a sense of belonging?
Climate and elevation: Knowing the climate is not just important for gardening. If the property is at a higher elevation or somewhere further north, you may need to worry about things like snow loads and wind. Knowing the elevation can also be important for access, feasibility in building in a given area, insurance costs, flood risks, and more.

Even if you’re not ready financially, you can still travel around to scope out areas. It makes for some nice weekend trips and gives you a reason to stay there for a more in depth look. Try staying in an area as if you were a resident. Could you live there? Get an idea of what land sells for in that area.

Two utility workers kneel on the ground beside an open green electrical box while installing or repairing equipment on a rural property, surrounded by dirt, rocks, and trees under bright sunlight.

Where to Gauge Pricing and Unconventional Ways to Buy Land

There are many different resources out there to get an idea, or gauge, pricing for property. In a previous post, I mentioned some different sites like Realtor.com and Zillow, to do some research on. However, here are some more resources. Some of these could be considered unconventional ways to acquire land.

Real Estate Agencies

Take advantage of real estate agencies. There is so much information that you can get from realtors for free. For instance, you can have them help you look for comparable plots in a given location.

Bureau for Land Management

Check with government agencies about properties for sale. A good resource is the Bureau for Land Management, or BLM. This government agency manages and sell undeveloped lands that have no improvements. To find out information about land for sale, contact a local BLM office.

General Services Administration

The General Services Administration, or GSA, is another government agency through which you can consider buying land. This would be considered an unconventional way to acquire it since most people looking to buy prefer using Realtor.com, real estate agencies, and other mainstream methods. The GSA sells excess federal properties, which includes undeveloped land. This includes lands that have also been seized.

GSA Auctions

This is the GSA’s Office of Real Property Disposition (RPD). Its responsibility is to “reduc[e] the number of underutilized federal assets to better invest federal taxpayer money,” (GSA). The website further explains that some of the ways it does this is by “selling surplus federal land, improvements to land, and rights to land,” (GSA).

US Treasury auctions

Another auction site through the government that states they hold over 300 yearly auctions. These auctions come from property that was forfeited due to federal law violations.

US Department of Agriculture

Ok, so this is very interesting because I never knew that the Department of Agriculture (USDA) sell properties through their Rural Development. The more you know! They explain how to buy property through the USDA and have listed, single family homes, multi-family homes, and farms and ranches.

How you find your land can influence how your fund the purchase in terms of getting loans.

Find Out the Reality of Land (Before You Buy Anything)

This is another subject I touched upon briefly in my previous blog post. Before you buy land, there’s quite a bit you should learn about it. Some topics you should learn about is:

If there are any certain types of homes you won’t be able to build in the area you want to buy. For example, some towns don’t allow tiny homes (homes under a certain square footage). The reason for this is because tiny homes may not be seen as permanent structures but rather temporary, according to zoning and building codes. There are usually a minimum square footage that needs to be built in a given area in order to be considered a permanent dwelling.
Learn about zoning codes: they dictate how the land can be used. This is important if you plan on farming, but aren’t allowed to have livestock.
Some lots require expensive wells or septic systems
There may be land that isn’t buildable. We ran into this issue and it explained why the land was cheaper. The land wasn’t buildable because of water. If I remember correctly the water table was too high and therefore building in that location wasn’t possible. Some land may not be buildable and can only be used for things like hunting.
Areas can have wildfire risk, flooding risk, or seasonal inaccessibility. Seasonal inaccessibility can be caused by heavy snow falls or a road may be impassable because of mud during the spring. Some land may even say ‘seasonal access only’.

There are also other ways to educate yourself prior to buying besides looking into topics like the above.

Join Facebook groups for counties you’re interested in
Follow local realtors
Subscribe to county planning board newsletters
Search for local ordinances
Read state building codes
Learn where to get a land survey
Practice reading maps for topography, slope, wetlands, watershed, and access

Learn What Makes Land Buildable

Learning about what makes a land buildable and when it’s not is also an area to be knowledgeable in. This is determined by a number of things like:

Soil type

“Different soil types have varying load-bearing capacities, which directly impact the stability of your custom home’s foundation. For example, heavy clay soils can expand and contract with moisture changes, while sandy soils often lack the strength to support significant weight. Understanding your soil’s properties is essential to ensure the land is prepared for a durable, long-lasting structure,” (Kaiser).

Not only can soil type be an issue but there could be extremely large rocks, which can make it difficult to build. The rocks not only make it hard to build but can make it very costly.

Perc tests

If a location fails a perc test, it may make the lot unbuildable.

For those that don’t know, a percolation, or perc, test is used to assess the drainage rate of soil. This is specifically used in order to put in a septic system if a property isn’t hook up to the municipal sewer system. In more rural areas, septic systems are used. A septic system is an underground water treatment system. It consists of a septic tank which holds and separates waste, and usually a drain field, also known as a leach field, that disperses liquid. You have to have some sort of way to remove waste from the household. Other options are compostable toilets, but you’ll also have to figure out where water will go from the shower, dishwasher (if you have one), etc.

Slope and grading

Depending on the sloping and grade of the slope, it may render the land unbuildable. This could be for a number of reasons such as steepness, soil instability, and regulatory stability. Of course, land can be graded, but that too comes at a cost.

Water access

Having access to water is obviously critical if you’re planning on building on your property. How will you water your garden or take a shower if you don’t have access to it? In rural areas, you may be required to drill a well in order to access water. Drilling a well doesn’t guarantee that there will be water. If a property doesn’t already have a well drilled, you’re taking a risk to have it done yourself, which can be costly. If a well can’t be drilled in one area of the property, you may have to try to drill another one. This all adds up to cost.

Road access

I touched upon this subject in my last post about buying land but road access is also important. Some land is landlocked and therefore requires an easement. An easement is a right away using another person’s property, but might not always be possible. If you don’t require an easement and have access with a road, it’ll be important to find out how it’s maintained – fully maintained by the town, partially maintained, or if it’s a private road.

Deed or covenant restrictions

A deed or covenant can have restrictions on how the land is used, how it’s developed, and more. An example of this is a homeowners association (HOA).

There are a number of other things that could make land unbuildable. Learning about these topics and how to thoroughly research can help you feel more confident in your search.

Step 3: Fund Your Purchase and Build Financial Readiness Slowly

Most families don’t go from zero savings to buying acreage in one year. It can be a multi-year preparation because you’ll want to focus on having a lower land payment, a bigger down payment, a better chance at a loan approval, and of course, fewer surprises. Here are some takeaways that you may be able to apply.

Build Savings with a ‘Land Fund’

This isn’t an actual ‘land fund’. This is just what you can call it. Money that will be put aside for the future purchase. Even $25–$100 per month adds up over the years and becomes your “future land fund.” Consider opening up a high interest savings account and stashing your money away in there. I always like to stash away money and pretend like it doesn’t exist. Out of sight, out of mind and there’s no temptation to touch it.

Determine the Budget

Establish a clear budget on what you plan to spend on obtaining the land. Keep in mind, that you may not want to spend a ton of money just to purchase the land if there are improvements that need to be put in place. But you also don’t want to buy the cheapest plot out there either.

Once you figure out where you want to buy, start looking at the prices and determine what the budget will be. At least in our area, land prices are still high, but they’re coming down. So keep that in mind while you’re searching, determining a budget, and then eventually when you make an offer.

Stabilize or reduce debt

Lower debt = better approval odds for land loans. I know this is a very hot topic for a lot of people. Whether it be credit card debt, student loan debt, or any other debt, this can be a hard one to overcome. There are lots of different methods out there to pay off debt. According to Nerd Wallet, the first thing to do about paying off that looming debt is to access your debt load. Do you have too much debt?

“To a large extent, the best way to pay off debt will depend on how much you owe compared to your income,” (Nerd Wallet).

They have a debt calculator on their website to use for free to figure out where your numbers fall. For more information about paying off debt, give their site a visit!

Improve your credit score

This directly affects not only the interest rate, but whether you can even secure a loan. Your credit score is a way for lenders to determine how risky it is for you to be lent money. But if you don’t have good credit, it’s not the end of the world since there are ways to improve it. NerdWallet has another great article about what a credit score is, how it’s so important, and how to improve it in their Ultimate Credit Score Guide.

Start researching how to get a land loan

Since I’ve already discussed this in my previous post, I’m not going to go to over this. This is part of the step-by-step process though. You need to figure out how you’re going to procure funds if you don’t have the funds to pay for it in its entirety. There are so many options out there.

As mentioned above, how you buy your land can influence what type of funding you’ll have. For example there is seller financing as a viable option.

Seller financing is financing that’s provided by the seller of the land. The seller is also the lender. As explained by the website Acres, “[r]ather than paying the full price upfront or going the route of a traditional bank-backed mortgage, the property buyer agrees to make payments over time directly to the landowner.”

Set a “Ready to Buy” Timeline

So you’ve done your research, but not the piece of land just yet. At this point of the process, you should have defined your why and made a plan for the land, done your research, visited different areas and potential properties, and started to look at your finances for how to fund the purchase. Based on all of that, it’s time to set a timeline for when to be ready to buy.

Here’s an example structure/timeline of what it could look like:

Year 1 to 2

Learn, explore, save, practice homesteading skills

The Next Couple of Years: Years 3 to 4

Begin scouting specific areas, narrow down your list
Begin talking to lenders, realtors, surveyors
Drive properties

Years 5 to 6

Start looking seriously
Put in offers when the right land appears
Make a plan for utilities and get quotes
Call contractors, engineering agencies to get quotes for installing infrastructure like a driveway

Everyone’s situation will vary so this may not look like a timeline for you, but give you an idea of what it could look like.

A newly installed green electrical utility box sits on a gravel and dirt roadside with mountains and trees in the background under a bright blue sky with clouds.

Step 4: Build Your Dream

It’s time to start building your dream! The time is finally here! You’ve purchased your land and now you can start with further planning if you haven’t already.

At this point in the process, it’s time to start making a site plan. Where will the house go? Where will your garden go? What about pasture for livestock.

Check out Canva – they have a free design feature specifically for site plans.

To make a site plan, start by getting all of the information pertaining to boundaries and topography. To get the property boundaries, consult your survey which you should have a copy of at this point. Make note of any features that already exist, such as a driveway or pond. These will also need to be included in your plans. The plans will reflect any current features on the property plus any that are proposed.

Next, it’s time to start drafting your plan. Establish the scale of your plan. Be sure to use this scale consistently while developing the site plan. Finally, if the plan needs to be submitted for approval, do so once you’ve completed it. Make copies of your documents before submitting them.

Step 5: Running Your Business (Optional)

This is a completely optional step, which is to establish and run your business. Buying land can be more than just a place for you to live, but it can be a potential for income. Maybe you’re interesting in breeding cows or chickens. You could have plans to raise meat chickens, butcher, and sell them to the local community. Or maybe you’re looking to set up a house and eventually rent it out on AirBnB.

Whatever you choose to do with your land, this would be the fifth step in the process.

Step 6: Maintain Your Investment

Once you buy your land, whether you plan to build right away or not, the property’s still going to have to be maintained. With our land, we plan to add in infrastructure and an eventual house over time. But while we’re waiting to do that, we plan on figuring out different ways to put the land to use.

Be sure of the boundaries so you’re not encroaching on anyone’s property. Reference your survey if you’re not entirely sure.

Clear the land. Remove any debris that may on the land. Some land may have been used for dumping like dropping off tires, and other garbage. This is actually something to be aware of before you buy the land.

Be Patient — Buying Land Can Take Time

Land buying is rarely quick. It can be an emotional process – exciting and at times discouraging.

You might look at dozens of properties before you find “the one.” It’s totally possible to fall in love with an area that’s just too expensive. You might think you’re ready and after putting in the work to look at all of your plans, budget, finances, and everything else that you’re not. But that’s ok! It isn’t a race to secure land.

Having to delay when you buy land isn’t a set back. It’s preparation for the future.

When you’re truly ready — financially, mentally, and practically — you’ll feel it.

Final Thoughts

Transitioning from suburbia to your dream property doesn’t happen overnight.
It’s the steady accumulation of learning, exploring, saving, and clarifying what you truly want.

You don’t need to rush. You just need a plan.

And the beauty is — whether your land dream is two years away or ten — everything you’re doing right now is quietly building the foundation for your future homestead.

This post was all about how to buy land someday.