Engle Realty: A Greater Baton Rouge Louisiana Real Estate Company
Specializing in both Residential & Commercial Real Estate Sales
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Tips For Buying Land In Baton Rouge Louisiana
Buying land can be a very turn key deal or it could be a can of worms. So, just as in any real estate deal you want to do your due diligence prior to buying land.
Most people may think that since "Dirt is dirt." and "Land is land." then what could go wrong when buying property? This generalization can be very costly when dealing in real estate. While land has been around since the creation of earth itself, it has gone through many years of responding to man's work, whether good or bad.
Here are some quick tips when considering a piece of land for purchase:
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What elevation is the land? (Elevation refers to the height of the land in relation to its surroundings.) Is the neighbors land higher or lower? Is the road in the front of the property higher or lower?Is the land flat or does it slope?
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Is any of the land wetlands? Around LSU this can be an issue, as a lot of land along Burbank Drive is designated as wetlands. A portion of the property or the entire property could be designated as wetlands. The important thing would be to find out how much of the land is considered wetlands. If just a small piece of it is, it may not be a big issue, but it could impede your desire to use that land. Wetlands are protected by the government. When a property is considered wetlands, the government says that it cannot be built upon or altered without permission. Therefore wetlands are less usable than non-wetlands property, which ultimately decreases their value.
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Does the property allow mobile homes? Most areas in Baton Rouge restrict mobile homes, however in Prairieville it is not uncommon to see mansions built next door to mobile homes.
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Is the property sub dividable? In some areas around Baton Rouge, large pieces of land There is a restriction, meaning that you couldn't split it up into smaller pieces of land.
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What is the zoning of the property? In Baton Rouge we have lots of zonings, such as A1, A2, A3.1, A4, A5, B1, C1, C2, etc. All of these zonings allow certain uses and do not allow other certain uses. Your real
estate agent can find out what zoning a property is and how your intended use will be affected by the zoning. Note, that properties can be rezoned. If you do plan on rezoning a property, it will not happen overnight. It can end up being a long process depending on how knowledgeable you are in rezoning. Zoning is one of the most important considerations when buying real estate.
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What is the landscape like? Is the property filled up with trees or is it bare? If there are lots of trees and you want to put a house in the middle of it, then you'll have added expenses of clearing the trees from the lot, paying for disposal of the waste, paying to remove the stumps, and then bringing in fill dirt. All of this will prolong your building process, so it is something to consider prior to buying undeveloped land.
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Are their any buried gas tanks underground that are not seen from above? Are their any storage of hazardous materials underground? These are all things to consider when purchasing raw land.
