It doesn't take long to realize that finding
right piece of property is most important aspect of new home construction. In a development, restrictions and easements have already been sorted out, but if you are looking for a stand-alone piece of vacant land, you're on your own. Here are some of factors you need to consider before spending your hard-earned cash on a pretty view that might be unbuildable.THE PERC. No, we're not talking about coffee. But we are talking about percolate. If you are outside of a community, chances are that you will not be connected to city water and sewer; you will have to build a septic system for your own house. The septic system will be designed by a local civil engineer and probably approved by county, but before engineer knows what kind of septic you need he'll have to take a Perc Test. They will dig a big hole in ground, fill it with water, then clock how long it takes for water to seep into ground. If water drains too fast, you have too much sand. If it drains too slow, you have too much clay (or probably rock). There is an acceptable tolerance, outside of which perc fails. If one perc fails, they dig another hole elsewhere to see if there's any improvement. Sounds simple enough, but in New Jersey you'll spend about $1000 per hole. If land doesn't perc, you may be able to find an alternative septic system, but you can be sure it will be very problematic.
Any wise buyer will make purchase of land contingent on perc. Don't assume that just because you have a big piece of land that it will perc somewhere; this is not necessarily case. The cost of test is usually paid by buyer. However, a motivated seller will perc land for you, or even offer an approved septic system. This is a big bonus, and adds peace of mind, but land will be more expensive as a result. In long run, it's worth extra dollars to bypass this big hurdle. The septic system will be designed to accommodate number of bedrooms in a house, and you cannot add any bedrooms without redesigning system.
Once land is perced, that hole is spot where septic will be installed. If it's in front yard, you cannot change location without doing another perc. Also remember that nothing can be built on top of your septic field, nor can you plant any trees there.
SETBACKS: This is space between property line and building, defined by township. Nothing can be constructed in setback, including your driveway. Some townships require more than 100 feet of setback from road; setbacks on front and back perimeters are usually larger than those on sides of your property. On your survey, a dotted line usually defines setback, and space inside is called building envelope. If footprint of your intended house and driveway is wider than setbacks allow, you may have to apply for a variance, or change orientation of building.
EASEMENTS: Easements are rights given to other named parties for public or private use of a stretch of your land. This may include a gas main that runs through your property, power lines, railroad tracks, water mains, or a strip leading to a land-locked neighbor (this strip would be "flagpole" of a flag lot). This easement should be clearly delineated in deed, although common usage has been known to claim precedence over perceived rights. If you're one who requires this easement for a flag lot, make sure it is in writing before you purchase this land, or you might not be able to access it.
WETLANDS: I used to think that wetlands looked like standing water with cattails and ducks. Not necessarily so... in fact, we almost bought three wooded acres of wetlands before a friend gave us a timely warning. In state of New Jersey, wetlands can be a touchy issue, and determination is made based on vegetation and soil content. If there's a little stream running through woods, you might be in trouble. Just to be sure, we hired an engineer who dug a row of soil samples, each marked with a little flag denoting edge of wetlands. When he had finished, there was enough land for Ken and Barbie to build a dream house - in setback, at that. This little disappointment cost us $600, which is a lot better than $110,000 we would have spent for a disastrous ruin of our plans. There are times when you might be able to get a variance to build in wetlands, but this can be a costly and time consuming process, with no guarantee of success. You could take your chances and build anyway, but if township gets tipped off, they could stop your project at any point, or even force to to tear down what you have already constructed.
