Buying land because they do not make it anymore was celebrity advice. There are as many reasons as uses for owning vacant land. You may want buy now and build later when you retire. You might want some livestock or raise a popular crop. Land can be purchased in staggering quantity or a small neighborhood lot.

You can use a Realtor or purchase from a private seller. A trip to the library, bookstore, or kindle reader will get you tons of books on buying land. You can shop the MLS (Multiple Listing Service) online for your area of interest. You can respond to ads from owners that are marketing their own property.

If you are building a home you will want to learn about construction loans. They pay off the land first. You could go through a Realtor to see if the Seller wants cash or monthly payments. You can stick with the terms offered or offer to pay all closing costs and write a check for a specific amount to the Seller.

Make sure you use your favorite title company for closing. If you are considering a transaction outside of your local MLS you still need to use a competent title company. Title insurance and others services protect both you and seller. I was introduced to a terrific title officer by a friend when we were shopping for toddler baby bedding.

The title company will provide a preliminary title report. They will report encumbrances, title liens, vested ownership and other details that help you. A messy title report cannot be cleaned up with a handful of baby bath towels and may leave you wanting a different property.

Make sure you can use the land for the purpose you have in mind. No goats and cattle in your backyard on Main street is probably a given. What about buying 20 acres of land thinking you can split it into four 5 acre parcels. Then you discover that the zoning is for 20 acre minimum size.

Once you know the land can be used the way you want, check out utilities. Start with sewer systems. There may be a public or private system with fees to hookup. You may need a septic which means tests will have to be performed to determine what type of system is approved.

Talk to all kinds of related professionals. Private lenders, Appraisers, real estate agents, and well drillers will share their knowledge with you. These are the folks that have as many answers as you questions. You may be on your way to your first or your latest land transaction. It feels good to look at those pictures of earth taken from space and be able to say, ‘Hey there’s my place’.