Before you spend the hundreds in gas to drive to see it?????? Really????? Are you being serious at all here?

This deal sounds like something out of Glengarry Glen Ross.

Seriously?, you're concerned about the cost of gasoline to make a 5 hr drive to see the property for yourself???? If the cost of gasoline for a 5 hr drive is stopping you from going to look at the land, then you really need to just forget about buying it! Any place you can reach in 5 hrs drive-time can't be more than 350 miles away...so something less than 700 miles for the round trip. Gas is currently averaging about $3 per gallon and, even if you drive a big SUV, you ought to get at least 12 miles to the gallon. So, by my calculations, gasoline can't possibly cost more than $200 for the entire trip!

Heck, DH and I have driven as much as 200 miles just to go to a concert. I'd certainly make the drive to look at the property myself BEFORE hiring any kind of professional to look at it. Your gasoline will be a lot cheaper than even an hour or two of most professionals' time.

I'm not saying that you shouldn't get expert advice on whether the site is buildable before you purchase but I'd want to go look at the land myself as well.

Now, as to which experts.... you'll probably want/need to talk with several.

First: Inquire with the county land assessor regarding legal status. Tell them where the site is located, and they'll provide you with a plat map of the property and legal description. Check if there's any easements of any kind recorded on the site.

Second: What is the zoning of the site? If it's not zoned for what you want to build, what will it take to get a variance, or to change the zoning?

Third: Contact a title company and find out if there are any liens against the deed or if the site is technically or physically encumbered in any way.

Fourth: And, talk to an attorney about getting that neighbor who is willing to grant you access easement about getting a document drawn up and signed by the neighbor before you buy. It should be able to be done in such a way that you gain access only upon becoming owner of record of the land. But you want the document giving you access to be in existence BEFORE you buy. Otherwise, once you've bought, the neighbor can change his/her mind and hold you up for a small mint to get the access that they said they'd give your for free.

Fifth: If the land is zoned correctly and all of the above pan out okay, then find a builder/contractor or survey/land planning company and hire them to inspect the property and give you an idea of what portion is physically buildable without paying an arm and a leg to reshape the land. A good contractor OR a surveyor or land planning company can tell you whether a site is so steep, so heavily treed, in a flood plain, etc that building would be extra expensive. But you'll have to pay for this service. Sounds to me like you may have a mulitplicity of issues to contend with. But, if there is a large enough location that is reasonably flat and outside of the flood plain, then the site could be wonderful despite the issues on the rest of the acreage.

Sixth: Talk to a septic design specialist to find out if there is a location where you can install your septic system. The amount of space needed for a septic field varies depending on how well the land percs and how large a house you're planning to build.

Seventh: IF you have enough buildable acreage for both the house you want to build and the septic field you need, and everything else appears okay, go to the county or city planning department and ask them what additional requirements they might have in order for you to build on the land. For example, In some places, you can't build or put a septic field within a certain number of feet of a designated wetland. Such a requirement could cut your "buildable area" down even further.

Finally, you need to find out where the other utility services are located? Utility services such as electrical power, potable water, fire hydrant, and telephone cable are necessary. How much will it cost to bring them to the site? Do you need alternatives like a water well or tie into a community water system? How much will utility hook-ups cost? Is natural gas or television cable available to the site?

Oh, and one more thing... Is the site located in an area which constrains the design/build process in any way? A city or a home-owner's association with concerns about the aesthetic values in a neighborhood may require that your design meet certain size/footprint/style requirements. If these criteria don't mesh with your own desires/tastes, then, for you, the site is not buildable.

Paying for gasoline to go take a look/see for yourself is the cheapest first step. I promise you, everything after that will cost more! Good luck!

Five hours from anywhere? That's a LONG drive to the store. Trust me, that 1/2 hour drive I have gets really old at times :)

If the land is in a very hot and high growth area, and is very, very cheap, why do think no one else has bought it? Doesn't that seem odd to you?

Update on this: the land was land locked and there ended up being no verbal agreement. In fact, the neighbors refused to give right of way. I would have had to take them to court. That's why it was so cheap. One of the adjoining neighbors ended up buying it and will add it to his existing 450 acres to eventually do a subdivision that will be priced at 5 times per acre than what this original land was! And yes, "hollysprings" I was indeed being serious. We have enough eyes in that city so friends could have looked at the land for us. I was waiting to find out more details *before* we took the drive. Of course we would have eventually taken the drive. Really, c'mon.