Naked Acreage: What Are You Going To Do With It?

In this day and age, buying in bulk has proven to return great savings and excellent investment strategies as well. If you find a large parcel of land you can purchase and afford, it will pay off but there is more than one way to make your mini-millions.

Mobile home communities are not always kept up as well as housing communities. They also seem to attract the worst storms have to offer, and the insulation may not be quite adequate.

Consider building a tiny house community. They are usually “green” and well insulated. The only drawback seems to be meeting some of the county codes. In comparison, the tiny homes are usually an attractive addition to any area.

There are different codes per county but if you take the time to decipher them you may find a way to abide by them. Don’t hesitate to ask the authorities what you can do and how to get approved. One couple built four tiny houses on one piece of property to meet the required code. It worked out great for them.

You should call the local planning department at the city hall of the county where the property is located. You can also search the city web page for planning and building codes. If you don’t understand the legal mumbo-jumbo, call the local code enforcers and they can clear it all up.  If you are considering purchasing land for this particular reason, call before you buy and work out all the issues.

Some common obstacles are the foundation size, the electrical and plumbing issues and safety. Depending on how tiny you plan to go will affect the code requirement problems- but you must always check the local laws.

Texas is the only state that doesn’t seem obsessed with permits for tiny houses, and that's probably variable too.

In general zoning laws have some “norms” like mountainous regions are often zoned for forests, the plains are usually agriculture, and the rest is up for grabs. There is an online tool that may assist you called property viewer. It shows maps that indicate the general zoning for each area.

You need to make a checklist avoid costly omissions.

Building Lot Determinations

- Does the land meet the zoning regulations?

- Is it legally divided into buildable lots?

- Is it in a flood zone?

- Is there a well or water supply?

- Is a septic tank installation possible?

- Is there a legal road access assigned to the property?

- The Map Parcel Number is needed to investigate.

- Get a soil test called a perc test or Percolation Test.

Most of these rules apply to any size building, not just tiny houses. The size of a buildable lot is determined by each county. Make sure a well is possible as well as a septic system. The perc test will demonstrate the lands ability to handle the septic fluids for draining.

Consult a builder if needed, and devise your plans before you approach the zoning or code authorities. Make sure they know you are doing your homework and really want to build environmentally safe homes for the community. Remember, sugar catches more flies. We will be glad to help you with any resources or questions. Just give us a call and let’s see what we can accomplish together.