Looking at Buying Land; where to start?

[zesty]

I'm thinking about buying some land. I grew up on 10 rural acres but live in a subdivision now. That's not going to change but I want my kids to have a taste of the kind of life I had. We spend a lot of our weekends at state parks, now we're ready for a more regular place to hangout.

I'm not sure what I want or where to start so I thought ODT might have some suggestions. Right now, I just know that I want to stay within a 90min drive of Lawrenceville and I want enough room for a small pond and to do some shooting. I'd probably park a camper on it and maybe build a clubhouse eventually.

Are there realtors that work big areas like that? Any good websites to check out land or get a feel for prices? Yes, I'm using google too, just wondering if anyone has experience or wisdom to lend.

 

[GeauxLSU]

Z,
I was there some years ago. Wound up with a place in Commerce, on a river, with a pond and a cabin. I like to hunt.
There's a lot to consider. Of course the overall is how much you'd like to spend. "Generally speaking" as I'm sure you know, land is cheaper in south GA and gets more expensive the farther north you go. Like you I realized the value of closer is a LOT better but wanted within an hour. I scored 45 minutes. Up the 85 corridor is not cheap (relatively speaking). Paved roads, electricity, water, etc... all add materially to the price and believe me, rightfully so. The MOST important thing by far to me is NEIGHBORS. I got really lucky in that regard.
If you haven't already, check out Landcrawler.com for some ideas. In general the prices aren't great but you'll get a feel for what's available. Realtor.com with the advanced search that allows you to check "land", "Farms" etc.. and over 20 acres, can be very useful. You can search bank sites for foreclosures or auctions which are still by far the best deals going. What you are doing is a pseudo past time for me. Matter of fact just called on a tract this morning that unfortunately under contract as I'm trying to find a tract for a friend. I have a bit of RE knowledge (got my license just for the education...) but as much 'been there done that' knowledge as anything. PM anytime.
EVERYONE who has ever thought about it should be making their moves right now! It's already recovering and FAST.

 

[erkinator]

Friend of mine bought 14 acres out I 20 east near hancock and greene counties.

 

[zesty]

EVERYONE who has ever thought about it should be making their moves right now! It's already recovering and FAST.

Yep, the recovery is why I'm looking to move ahead on this. Thanks for the PM offer, I'm sure I'll take you up on it eventually.

Is the "Paved roads, electricity, water, etc" really that important? I'll show off my noob-ness with my assumptions:
- I grew up on a gravel road so I'm not too worried about that. The expense for maintenance on my land would need to be figured in.
- I thought getting a power line ran was pretty cheap as long as there's one close and you don't need a new easement. Wrong?
- I assumed that most rural areas would require a well for water. Again, something to add in the cost.

 

[Exile]

You sir have a pm.

Z,
I was there some years ago. Wound up with a place in Commerce, on a river, with a pond and a cabin. I like to hunt.
There's a lot to consider. Of course the overall is how much you'd like to spend. "Generally speaking" as I'm sure you know, land is cheaper in south GA and gets more expensive the farther north you go. Like you I realized the value of closer is a LOT better but wanted within an hour. I scored 45 minutes. Up the 85 corridor is not cheap (relatively speaking). Paved roads, electricity, water, etc... all add materially to the price and believe me, rightfully so. The MOST important thing by far to me is NEIGHBORS. I got really lucky in that regard.
If you haven't already, check out Landcrawler.com for some ideas. In general the prices aren't great but you'll get a feel for what's available. Realtor.com with the advanced search that allows you to check "land", "Farms" etc.. and over 20 acres, can be very useful. You can search bank sites for foreclosures or auctions which are still by far the best deals going. What you are doing is a pseudo past time for me. Matter of fact just called on a tract this morning that unfortunately under contract as I'm trying to find a tract for a friend. I have a bit of RE knowledge (got my license just for the education...) but as much 'been there done that' knowledge as anything. PM anytime.
EVERYONE who has ever thought about it should be making their moves right now! It's already recovering and FAST.

 

[No2sc2]

Let me know what you come up with zesty! I, one day, would like some land too! Maybe own maybe lease. Just something I can get away and shoot/hunt.

 

[crmorse]

I just finished a 6 month long search and am super happy with what I got. Personally, I found Zillow.com to be one of the best search tools. You can input price and sq ft (they don't do acres for some stupid reason) and narrow the results and they even have a mode where you just circle in a region with your mouse and it filters down from there. Another think I like about their site is if you scroll down there is a google sattellite overlay with the landlot boundaries super-imposed (note, don't make a buying decision based on those lines alone, I've seen them be off by 100')

One drawback though is not all listings are in there so don't restrict your search to Zillow only. However, it's really good at helping you get a feel for what's in an area before you focus your search further.

If you're reasonably internet savvy you can do a far better job searching on your own and then bring in an agent (or not) to close after you found what you want. Personally, I find buyer's agents to be more hassle than they're worth during the search process. But they're useful for helping you watch for things you might not think of (like gas line easements, etc.) on your own.

In general, unimproved land goes for a good bit less/acre than once it's improved (even accounting for the improvements themselves) and they also tend to sell a lot slower. Both plusses for you. One final thing to watch for. A found a LOT of lots in N.GA during my search that were gorgeous and of the right size & price only to discover that they were in a covenanted subdivision. Just because it's 8, 10, or even 20+ acres doesn't mean it's not a subdivision, and they aren't usually labeled clearly in the listings so watch out for that.

 

[crmorse]

Zesty, feel free to PM me as well. I'm no RE expert, but I did just go through the process (successfully) so I have recent experience at least.

 

[zesty]

Thanks everyone.

Just because it's 8, 10, or even 20+ acres doesn't mean it's not a subdivision, and they aren't usually labeled clearly in the listings so watch out for that.

I saw a listing for 10 acres that mentioned a covenant. I thought that had to be a mistake. Thanks for that heads up. Covenants are what I'm trying to get away from!

 

[GeauxLSU]

Yep, the recovery is why I'm looking to move ahead on this. Thanks for the PM offer, I'm sure I'll take you up on it eventually.

Is the "Paved roads, electricity, water, etc" really that important? I'll show off my noob-ness with my assumptions:
- I grew up on a gravel road so I'm not too worried about that. The expense for maintenance on my land would need to be figured in.
- I thought getting a power line ran was pretty cheap as long as there's one close and you don't need a new easement. Wrong?
- I assumed that most rural areas would require a well for water. Again, something to add in the cost.

It just depends.
Paved roads, enought frontage to subdivide, electricty, water, etc... all increase the number of potential future buyers. While you may not mind a gravel road (and believe me, I get it, I don't mind it either) it GREATLY reduces your buyer pool when it comes to sell. Gravel almost always means no utilities except possibly electricty.
Getting power run can be a small fortune depending on local provider and distance. Wells can likewise vary WILDLY depending on type and substrate. Had a friend dig one in Hancock recently and he probably spent twice as much as planned and got less flow than he hoped for. Then you have to deal with the maintenance on the well. I had a $500 connection fee and I rented a trencher and ran the pipe myself (600'), installed frost free faucets along the way for use and was only out another $500. Don't get me wrong, having a well is nice and I would mind having one in ADDITION to the county water but as the only water, it again limits your buyers.
Coveanants/deed restrictions aren't NECESSARILY a deal killer. Just find out. For example, my place supposedly had a 10 year deed restriction for no mobile homes or chicken houses (but it wasn't even recorded). Not a problem.
FYI - You may know this already but a 'pond' is not as simply as hiring or renter a dozier and digging a hole. The permitting is a NIGHTMARE and the cost depending on local soils and terrain is often cost prohbitive. You'd be infinitely better off finding one with an existing pond.
Everybody looks for different things (obviously). I will still contend the most importanat thing is YOUR NEIGHBORS. I'd personally go talk to my neighors (as I did) and let them know your intentions and closely watch their reactions BEFORE I signed a contract. You think a bad neighbor in the burbs is a problem, have one on your rural property that you're not on 24/7. The flip side is, nothing is as valuable as a GOOD neighbor in a rural setting. I got really really lucky in that regard but again, I called met them both prior to signing. Satellite imagery is definitely your friend. Don't be downwind of chicken houses.
You can also poke around http://www.landsofgeorgia.com/georgia/ to search by county etc...
FYI I will eventually (hopefully soon) sell my little place in the country and my house in the burbs to get out of dodge and consolidate so that my 'get away' place will be where I live permanently.