If you do it right, you could cut the weeds everywhere except where the walls of your house would be. It would be like having a full size model.

I would assume that the owner has bush hogged it before. Ask for the contact info of whomever they have used. The previous owner of my lot did the bush hogging himself (made his son do it, actually). After I bought the lot they did it several times for me at the rate of $200 for a three acre lot.

Once upon a time I drove tractors for a living, and I can tell you that the biggest issues driving expense for bush hogging are 1) getting the tractor there easily and 2) knowing where the "issues" are, i.e., big stumps, rocks, and holes. When you know a property you can go much faster while bush hogging.

Of course, if it is too overgrown you may need more than a bush hog. Front end loader and backhoe work may require different equipment, is slower, and requires more skill from the operator. All of those things equal expense.

Yes on contingency of a passing perc test. I had to do a second one, too. Their way earlier one had passed the test, but enough time had gone by that I needed to ask for a second test. The first had happened with flying colors so I wasn't concerned.

When I was searching for the land I eventually bought, I walked a bundle of properties, some with paths, some without. The various owners wanted to sell, so they let me walk it as I wished.

Most of the property I bought is woodlot, but there's about 7 acres of field, which was tractor mowed / bush hogged once a year. I walked both parts. (I physically walked much better back then...)

Frankly, if I can't get access to the area I want to put a house upon... a sale is on hold until I can.

PS agree with just-Janni on all of her comments. Although my bush hogger only charges me about $350 a year for one pass through around July. (The 7 - 8 acre field... ooops, I better not let him see this thread!) He doesn't spray however... I don't want him to, and he's never offered.

So you'd be building BEHIND someone's house?

Conservation easements have gotten much more stringent since 1998, specially if there is any water involved. I would check that out asap and also add it into your contingency list.

Buying a house or building on a flag lot would not be my first choice, or my second or third.

Our last home was on 5 acres. Power box was at street, but power company said it had to be X feet from house. We had to pay to move it, but DH talked them down quite a bit since there was a lot next door that would eventually be built on and tie into the same box. Put off some of that cost to them. My father built across the dam from us, but ticked the power company off. He paid a pretty penny to have his box moved. Several that bought in the neighborhood (everything was 3 acres or more, some as much as 20) ended up selling after they found out how much it cost just to run utilities to the houses plus the driveways.

2 acres is not that big, and your neighbors will be almost on top of you. It might not seem that way now, but once it's cleared for driveway, house and yard, there won't be many trees/leaves left. People are always surprised at that also.

If you do buy/build, is there anyway you can share a driveway with the other flag lot next door? Not ideal, but would save you both money during original roadwork and repaving/maintenance down the road.

I just found your lot on Google maps/StreetView and noticed there's another lot on the same street that doesn't appear to have any sort of odd "behind-another-house" arrangement. Is it possible to purchase that lot instead? Or is the slope too great?

Random thoughts:

- My nephew is a real estate agent, and he has a drone for situations just like this.

- If I were considering this lot, I'd think a drone is a good first-look, but I'd walk every inch of the lot ... not matter how hard it was. I own jeans, boots, and a machete.

- I wouldn't say absolutely "no" to a flag lot, but I'd expect the lack of street access to be reflected (strongly) in the price.

Personally I would NEVER buy a flag lot property that is only 2 acres. Flag lot properties are more difficult to sell if and when the time comes. If it were on more acreage, then it wouldn't be such a big deal but 2 acres still is not that large.

Looks like 100% of your curb appeal is dependent on the house in front of you.

We see that here. It really hampers your resale.

A good architect will be able to design a home appropriate to your unique site. You will not find an appropriate design on line or in a plan book.

While you are dependent on the property in front of you for curb appeal, you also know what is going to be built around you. Find out about the easement. It probably is a nothing. You may want to install a gravel, permeable driveway for most of the length. If the easement is ever exercised, it's easy to deal with a gravel drive.

While you need a new perc test, the results shouldn't change. Hire the guy that did the first one. He probably has all of the documents in his records. It will make it a faster proposition. It's possible that he will only need to recertify his work with an update. The drone tour sounds like a really good idea. The realtor should have access to one. You will get a view of what is behind and around you, too.

Utilities can be an issue. You can find out about costs before your purchase as part of your due diligence. Just make the phone calls and the utility companies will explain their costs.

Get a good architect to help you with the plan. Orientation is really important. You will need to plan orientation, the approach and how to avoid anything noxious from the neighbors.

Take a look at any nearby lots for sale. Even if you aren't interested in them, you may learn something about the area.

As part of the due diligence, after you make a written offer, require the owner to have the property bush-hogged for inspection. This way, you can see if something has been dumped on it.

Please confirm directly with the authority that issues building permits that they will give a building permit for this lot. Please do not trust the people listing the lot nor any realtor involved.

Lots of laws have been passed in 20 years and flag lots are being restricted in lots of ways in many places. As others have said, it's not ideal and many people won't buy a flag lot anyway.

If it works for you to live in what looks like someone's back yard then fine. But confirm you can build here before you buy it. And get a good price for what is a fairly major defect too.

Flag lots, corner lots, main streets, cul de sacs all have advantages and disadvantages... What some consider defects others consider features!

This pair of flag lots have a very wide access, almost the width of a house when figured together, which should allow a glimpse of the home from the street. You'd be able to figure that out onsite. (some flag lots get only driveway width access with tall fences both sides)

More privacy, looks like some natural buffers, ravines and woods adjacent.

There are additional costs of running long utilities & driveways vs non flag lots as those runs look to be 4x the adjacent home.... That's a big number.

Find a local home builder or two to discuss local costs and impacts.

Great points everyone!! Thank you so much!! Definitely checking on the flag lot buildability (sorry not a real word) with the town! Our current house is actually on a flag lot as well but was built so there are no windows overlooking the other houses so it seems really private. I am not sure if this lot would be able to do the same though since that house would be higher than our house. The only other lots available in the neighborhood are also flag lots or have wetlands/flood zones in them, which we are not interested in. The other flag lot next door was bought by someone who also bought the lot above/to the left of it so they won't have to care about the shared driveway possibility I think.

A couple other things came up in our investigations that make this lot less appealing, there looks to be a grave in the lot below and there are power lines running through the lot below that are not hidden in trees depending on which way you are looking.

Not completely writing it off but definitely not in love and wont be devastated if it goes off the market, haha.

Could be a horse? Could also be a person, but should be on someone's own property. My state's law allows people to be buried on private property/family cemetery, as long as it is away from fresh water sources.

A grave on an adjacent property is not a nuisance. Nor, should it have any effect on property value. A power line that is a local service line, is not a problem. Large power lines, however, will have a negative effect on property values. This doesn't look like one of those large right of way lines. I wouldn't let either of those conditions keep me from considering the parcel.

Thanks homechef!

Allison, I guess it could be a horse but it looks like a church has owned the property for a bit, not sure if they would put a cross for an animal! Definitely worth investigating if they are planning on turning it into a full cemetery though!

Just confirmed with updated zoning documents that 25ft is the required road frontage for rear lots in the town, which is what this lot has. Another check marked off.

What's wrong with the grave? Better to have dead neighbors than live ones, they're (usually) quieter lol

My thought on the potential grave: Perhaps this is the only "marked" one, of many that exist there? Ever seen Poltergeist?

"...Better to have dead neighbors than live ones, they're (usually) quieter lol..."

Except at election time when they all vote at least once...

Serially, have your checked with your county clerk? They, or someone in the country, is required to keep track of deceased folks...

Nice job confirming with the town you can build on this lot. That was smart!

But yeah.....I'd need to know more about that potential grave. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that either. Isn't it sorta weird to just have a grave in the middle of a field...?

so the grave(?).. it really is in a middle of field, that is impassible most of the year due to overgrowth and has no visibility from the road.. seems a little sketchy, or maybe I have seen too many scary movies/news stories! Will definitely try the town clerk!

I agree. It's the "plunked down in the middle of a random field" that makes it weird. To me anyway. Now I'm curious what you can find out.

There was an awesome thread on here maybe a year or so ago about living next to a cemetery and whether it would deter someone from buying a house. Working from memory (always a dangerous thing!), it seems it was 50/50. Some people loved the thought of quiet neighbors who would never move (ha ha), and other people were totally freaked out.

But this isn't (apparently?) an organized cemetery. It's even in a weird spot in the field. Again, IMHO anyway.

Stay out of the field on nights with a full moon. You'll be glad you did.

Well apparently having a cemetery almost in the backyard doesn't bother some people. At the end of one of the roads in our neighborhood is a very old cemetery. You can see the cleared area back behind the house but graves are all throughout the woods around it. We saw graves marked in these peoples back yard. It is a very creepy cemetery.

Notice the creepy tree. Graves were scattered in the woods behind that tree

I found the following information about this cemetery.This is a cemetery with both African-American and white
interned here. The African-American is the first part that you
see and is very well maintained. The white graves are all in the
woods and all grown up and not maintained at all. There are
probably over a hundred graves either unmarked or marked with
field stones in the black section and 40-50 unmarked or marked
with field stones in the white part. The white part is so
scattered out and grown over that it is impossible to tell how
many are there.

Surely there are county records of all this.

@vinmarks: “Find A Grave” shows 95 memorials for Brackettown, I’m sure there’s records. Somewhere.

I am sure there are records somewhere since it wasn't there in the 2012 aerial view, is covered by a tarp in 2016, and then is a mound in the google satellite... unless someone did it illegally but why would they mark it with a cross then! I can tell some of you are invested now so I will update if I find anything, haha.

There might be something to the horse theory....

Fascinating. A real cemetery doesn’t bother me a bit as a neighbor (they’re generally lovely, green, well-maintained, and quiet). A single grave in the middle of a field is another matter entirely. Have you asked the property owner about it?

ok, seller officially came back saying they are unwilling to clear anything for us to view the land.. and are not willing to do an updated perc test. So I guess if we are really interested in the land we will need to write up an offer with a some contingencies that cover what we would want to know/standards to meet with the ability to back out if needed. Off to make a list and see what is reasonable. Also off to send some more emails to the town to see what we can find out before making an offer.

Just spent ten minutes and sent off emails to the town building department to ensure I knew the criteria for building and that the lot would meet it, the church to ask about the 'grave', and the water department to ask about cost to connect and the water main easement. Well worth the time before considering an offer and actual money spent! Also looking into getting costs associated with running water and electric services at least 400 ft! Could be a hit!

One more thing to look into is cable or phone service. For cable just because your neighbors have it does not mean you can. It can get pricey if the system is maxed out and needs expanded to include you. The phone companies seem to be easier and cheaper to get.

If you're grave-phobic then don't ever fly in to Savannah GA. :-)

Not many people here still have phone service. But you may want to make sure you've good cell service though most cell phones will support internet calling in your home. We're in a cellular dead zone so IP calling was extremely welcomed for us.

Somewhat similar for cable-tv as most people we know have or are planning to drop cable-tv. However, very often the cable company is the best option for internet service though there are increasingly more alternatives.

The church got back to me! It is NOT a grave, they bought the property to build their new church on and the cross was placed where they thought it would be best to place the church and they sometimes gather there. They bought it back in 2013 and haven't made any progress though so not sure how likely it is that they will actually build there (its currently zoned for residential), I have to imagine it would cost a lot of money. Have to take into account a potential church as a neighbor though!

"Have to take into account a potential church as a neighbor though!" That is likely why the lot is for sale. Lots of noise, large building, having construction for who knows how long....

DSL through phone company was our only internet option. Cable said too far away from road. Satellite internet service said no because we have "gamers" in the house. Cell phone hot spot is not an option for the kids online games. Everyone gave me a hard time for wanting phone lines saying cable was better. Don't trust the cable company. I called them in advance before we even bought the lot to confirm service was available. Then once it came to install day backed out claiming not a serviceable address.

My parents bought a home on 20 acres adjacent to a large building that was later converted into a church. Sunday mornings were a zoo. People were coming and going every day of the week and during weekends. The music was loud.

That is a reason to pass on this property. You don't want a church next door. It's almost as bad as youth athletic fields.

Good points! Sucks, there are not a lot of empty lots around here, most are lots left from early 2000s subdivisions like this one. Otherwise most of the land is farm or forest waiting to be subdivided by another big developer in the future. Sigh.

So here is another viewpoint to consider.... (only you know yourself and what will bother you).

I live across the road from some municipal soccer fields, and I freaking love it. That field is an awesome neighbor!!

Most of the time, it's empty. Not a lot to complain about there. :)

I love weekends, listening to the whistles, and little kids yelling, and parents cheering. It makes good background noise (for me). Having cars coming and going for a few hours at night after school, and on the weekend, doesn't bother me in the least either.

Based on that experience, I wouldn't automatically write off living next to a church either.

In my experience, light "commercial" uses can make better neighbors than PITA people. Since no one actually lives there 24/7, things tend to settle down at night when you really want peace and quiet.

But obviously all of this is solely dependent upon personal preference.

Anyway, food for thought.

Thank you Patrice! Great points, my DH and I will have to sit down to discuss what we are willing to live with and some pros and cons. Its not guaranteed they will build a church there since they haven't made progress in 5 years but that also means it could end up being another subdivision or something else if they sell it! We will have to look at what we could do to remediate any risks for that property, probably with some well placed trees and/or fences.

In my experience, light "commercial" uses can make better neighbors than PITA people. Since no one actually lives there 24/7, things tend to settle down at night when you really want peace and quiet.

Good point. A light" mostly Sunday only type of church? Or like the kind of church with evening worship (loud concert style) several times a week?

"only you know what will bother you"

Is this a forever home? If not then you have to consider resale. This lot had a house in front of it, power lines to the side and a potential church. Is that another empty lot to the left of you?

Have you used the country appraisal site to find lots that are not built on yet? Then you can contact them to see if interested in selling? The lot we ended up on they had for 30 years. I wrote them a letter but had not sent it yet when it popped up on the MLS. Made offer same day. Never know if someone is thinking about it. Life changes.

Walking the lot is not going to give you any essential information that you cannot get with GIS, engineering site plan, soil study etc. From a developer family I will say years ago developers used to “walk the land” before placing a contract, with new technologies, GIS, etc. rarely do they even bother. Your county regulations, building setbacks, etc. are going to determine what can be or not be done. Whether the lot is buildable can all be determined without settling foot on it. Any studies required can still be done on land in natural state. Now, is there an emotional aspect to a buyer to want to “walk the lot”, yes, but needed, no. I am not surprised they wouldn’t mow a path for you and if you really want to walk it, put on appropriate clothing and some bug spray and walk the lot. Problem solved.

So this is in a growing area? My parents bought a lot from a church and built a house in 1988. It was the only house surrounded by fields (which the church owned and leased to farmers). Nice alpine views (of the Austrian alps).

2018: All my mom can see now from her house is a sea of tract homes and a few custom homes.

Point: Given what you already said about your area, this huge piece of land with the “grave” (church spot) is going to morph into something totally different. Church or subdivision or cemetery (best option).