Are you sure you have the perfect spot to build? Maybe it is or maybe it is not. Coming from the city years ago, I wish someone would have explained a lot more about buying in the country. There are so many things to consider. And I don’t just mean for the moment. You have to plan ahead. You might not always be in a secluded area. Or always have quite neighbors that move in. You might be on the verge of being annexed into the city. You must do some research. Or you might just get lucky and have an agent that can help educate you verses just making a sale for themselves.
If you are buying near town, you might want to see if the property resides in the city limits or in the ETJ (Extra-territorial Jurisdiction). What is ETJ? From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: Extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ) is the legal ability of a government to exercise authority beyond its normal boundaries. Any authority can, of course, claimETJ over any external territory they wish. But for the claim to be effective in the external territory (except by the exercise of force) it must be agreed either with the legal authority in the external territory, or with a legal authority which covers both territories. When unqualified, ETJ usually refers to such an agreed jurisdiction, or it will be called something like “claimed ETJ”.
If you are buying outside in the rural areas, there are many things to consider also. When you are buying a piece of land for seclusion, remember some of these things: What could happen to the land that you connect to? Could it be developed? Could you have hunters on it? Could you have new neighbors that are loud and disrespectful? There are so many more scenarios that can be considered. The thing is, you are buying in a rural area, normally with no restrictions and you just don’t know what might happen around you. So if you are building that dream house, don’t just do your initial homework on what is currently around you. Things can change. Now if you buy enough land, you can maintain your quite and secluded home. If you are looking for land and it has a road easement, please ask your agent to define road easements/sharing. Sharing a road with someone can be good and bad, especially if multiple families share the road. When sharing, normally everyone helps maintain it. A property can be sold and the new neighbors are loud, have many cars, etc., so much for that ideal dream home on your secluded property. Be prepared for possible change. Not all neighbors can be considerate of those that are around them. We find this quite common with some city folks moving to the country and acting like they are still in the city.
If you have land already and want to build, look at your current neighbors. You might want to build on the opposite corner. There are also developers coming in and chopping up land. This is hard to know about, until it happens. Some of the big ranches are being sold to these developers. So you are taking a chance regardless. There are some families that set up warranty deeds that stay with the land when it sells. Meaning, that 25 acre property can not be split, or that you have to build a home verses moving in a mobile home. Restrictions can be placed on rural land. This might be the ideal situation for you to build on. It can be rural but yet maintained.
As a Real Estate Agent, I try to educate my clients when they are looking for a piece of land to build on. What you see now, might not always look this way in a few years. There could be homes popping up on the hills around you. There can be noise neighbors moving in. There could be a developer with a new neighborhood across the street. And the list goes on. Yes, you can build that dream home and still enjoy it. But just remember, things can change. Try to plan the best you can. Ask your Real Estate Agent and Builder for suggestions.
For all Your Real Estate and Building needs or questions, call Debbie at 830-833-4249 or 713-818-6658.
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