The Many Benefits Of Buying An Empty Lot
You need a new home. Your first thought may be to look for an already built home and move right in. But there is another alternative. You could instead look for land for sale, purchase that land, and then have a home built. This option has some advantages you may not have thought of before.
1. You can decide how far from the road you want your home to be.
Most municipalities have some regulations as to how far from the road you can build. But usually, this is just a minimum. For example, you may not be able to build any closer than 100 feet from the road. You can build as far back as you want. So many owners of existing homes wish their homes were either closer to the street for easier access, or further from the street for more privacy. When you build your own home, you can decide how far from the road you want it. You won't have to deal with more road noise than you want or drive down a longer driveway than is ideal.
You can also shop for land based on your preferred home placement. If you want to build further back, look for a long, skinny lot. If you want to build close to the road, look for a wide lot with lots of frontage.
2. You can utilize eco-friendly options like geothermal heating.
There are so many different eco-friendly options out there, from geothermal heating and cooling systems to solar panels. These options are easier to build into new homes than they are to add to existing homes. And if you know you want one of these technologies, you can focus on finding land that will accommodate it. For instance, if you want a geothermal heating system, you can look for land that has friable, easily dug soil to accommodate the wells and pipes that such a system needs.
3. You can landscape as you like.
When you buy a home, you have to deal with the existing landscaping. You can make a few changes, but if there's a huge hill in the back or if the old homeowner surrounded the entire home in garden beds, there's only so much you can do. When you buy empty land, you can specifically look for a lot that's easy to landscape as you desire. For instance, if you really like the look of retaining walls, you can look for sloped land that will need one.
Buying land and building a home on it may not be the most common approach, but it is a good approach. Talk to your real estate agent to learn more.
