Before you sign
Buying land in Grayson County
A lot that looks identical to the one next to it can cost twenty thousand dollars more to build on, and almost none of the difference is visible standing on it. Here is what to check before you commit, and why Randy would rather walk it with you beforehand than explain it afterward.
The checklist
Eight things to establish before you close.
Soil, and the perc test
Get a soil evaluation before you close, not after. It decides what septic system the county will approve, which is a five-figure swing, and it feeds the foundation design as well. This is the single cheapest test that protects the most money.
Water
A municipal tap if you are close enough to a line, a well if you are not. Find out which, and if it is a tap, find out what the connection actually costs and how far the line is from your building site.
Power
The run from the nearest pole to where the house goes is somebody’s bill, and on a deep lot that somebody is you. Ask the utility for a number rather than assuming it is small.
Access and easements
How do you get in, is that access recorded, and does anyone else have the right to cross the property? A shared drive with no written easement is a problem you inherit.
Floodplain and drainage
Check the flood maps, then go and look at the lot after heavy rain if you possibly can. Where water collects and where it leaves tells you things no map will.
Deed restrictions
Rural does not mean unrestricted. Minimum square footage, exterior materials, outbuildings and livestock are all commonly covered, and they will shape what you are allowed to build.
City limits or county
Which side of the line you are on decides who permits your build, what inspections you face and how long it takes. It also decides whether sewer is even a possibility.
Slope and dirt work
Flat and accessible is cheap. Sloped, wooded or hard to reach with a concrete truck is not. Lake-adjacent lots in particular tend to cost more to prepare than people expect.
Every one of these is cheaper to answer before you own the land than after. The perc test is the one people skip and the one that costs the most to have skipped.
Or skip the search
He has lots, and he will look at other people's with you.
Randy has lots available on Addison Rowan Ct in the Howe school district. He will also walk a lot you are thinking of buying from somebody else and give you a straight answer on what it will take to build there.
There is no charge for that and no obligation attached to it. Telling somebody a lot is a bad idea has cost him work before, which is rather the point of asking him.
If you already own landCommon questions
Asked by people still looking.
- How much land do I need?
- For a septic system you need enough usable area for the spray or drip field, which is driven by your soil and bedroom count. An acre is comfortable for most houses out here. Less can work, and the soil evaluation is what tells you.
- Should I buy the land before I talk to a builder?
- Talk first. Randy will walk a lot you are considering and tell you what it will cost to build on before you commit. That conversation is free and it is a great deal cheaper than discovering the answer afterward.
- Is it cheaper to buy a lot in a development or raw acreage?
- A developed lot usually arrives with utilities at the property line and a known building envelope, and you pay for that convenience. Raw acreage is cheaper per acre and carries the utility and access costs yourself. Neither is automatically better value.
- Does O’Brien Custom Homes have lots available?
- Yes, in the Howe school district on Addison Rowan Ct. Call and ask what is still available, because that changes.
Also worth reading
- Aerobic septic systemsWhat the perc test is actually deciding.
- Foundations on Blackland clayWhy the soil report drives the foundation design.
- Building in Grayson CountyPermitting, growth and what the county is like.
