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What Buyers Should Know About Buying Vacant Land in the Mountains

By
Real Estate Broker/Owner with MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC NC# 218097

There are several things buyers need to know about buying vacant land in the mountains. So many details ought to be considered that no one would give a second thought to when buying flat land. The only thing a lot of people are thinking about is getting a great mountain view. It's hard for consumers to reconcile the photos of mountain property and awesome mountain views with the reality that often the piece of land is holding up the end of the earth and that someone will spend more on clearing the property and the foundation system than they will on the house itself.

In addition to the cost of building the house, buyers also need to think about the cost of land preparation. Again, the costs of prepping mountain land is amplified compared to flat land. Driveways, house sites and sometimes roadways need to be graded. If the terrain is steep, rocky or heavily wooded then of course the costs are more expensive. If the property hasn’t been improved at all then buyers need to anticipate the expense of wells, septic and electric service.

When I went out this morning to photograph one of our vacant land listings in the Cane Creek Ridge Development in Sylva, it got me thinking about how fortunate we are to be listing such a fabulous lot.

Lot 50 in Cane Creek Ridge Estates Sylva NC copyright Mona Gersky

With our listing of Lot 50 on Manna Way in Cane Creek Ridge Estates, buyers can relax about a number of issues associated with mountain property. This 3.25+/- acre lot has some of the gentlest topography I’ve ever seen in a mountain lot making it a fairly simple matter to grade a driveway and house pad. Buyers can look forward to wonderful mountain views available with the slightest of judicious tree trimming. There is already a 3 bedroom septic permit available. The lot is placed with a southwestern exposure, good for gardening and good for melting snow in the winter months. This is an incredible deal for someone at a low price of $39,900.

Lot 50 Cane Creek Ridge Estates Sylva NC copyright Mona Gersky

Cane Creek Ridge Estates is one of my favorite developments in Jackson County. The location is excellent, right between Waynesville and Sylva. The Cane Creek Ridge Estates Home Owners Association functions efficiently as evidenced by the meticulously cared for extensive road system and at $250 per year, a real bargain. The home owners are lucky indeed to live in this prime example of a lovely neighborhood with the natural beauty of the mountains left intact.

Lot 50 Cane Creek Ridge Estates Sylva NC copyright Mona Gersky

We at MoonDancer Realty strive to accept listings that we are proud to represent and it would be a pleasure to show Lot 50 in Cane Creek Ridge Estates to anyone interested in securing their own little piece of heaven here in the mountains of Western North Carolina.

Lot 50 Cane Creek Ridge Estates Sylva NC copyright Mona Gersky

 

 

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MoonDancer Realty Team Photo Collage copyright 2012 Mona Gersky

 

 

Unless noted otherwise, all photographs & content are my own and will only be shared with the courtesy of a written request for permission. 

 

 

   

Tree Dude Border 1 copyright 2012 Mona Gersky

Tree Dude Border 2 copyright 2012 Mona Gersky

 

Andrea Bedard
Thompson Company, REALTORS® 240.593.2860 - Silver Spring, MD
Fluent in Real Estate & German, M.A. ABR ASP CIPS

Mona: You did a great job promoting this lot listing! A buyer will know what to expect just from reading your blog and can easily tell that this is a very special lot. All the expenses you mentioned can definitely add up, it's so important to be dealing with an agen who understands it all! Good luck with it. Sounds to me like this peace of heaven should get lots of interest.

Feb 17, 2012 12:39 PM
Jon Zolsky, Daytona Beach, FL
Daytona Condo Realty, 386-405-4408 - Daytona Beach, FL
Buy Daytona condos for heavenly good prices

Mona - it is always in[portant to research further than the views or the weather, or something we are longing for. As you show, thee are things to consider carefully to fully understand the level of involvement it would require (and the costs)

Feb 17, 2012 12:46 PM
Valerie Baker
Exit Real Estate Professionals - Spokane, WA
Spokane Realtor

Mona, I love getting listings for wooded land because I love being in the woods.  So peaceful!  This looks and sounds like a wonderful place to build a mountain home!

Feb 17, 2012 02:38 PM
Mona Gersky
MoonDancer Realty, Dillsboro,NC - Sylva, NC
GRI,IMSD-Taking the mystery out of real estate.

Andrea and Jon, I've been thinking about how listings are promoted on AR a lot and it seems to me, in my absolute humble opinion, that readers can get "canned" listings just about anywhere on the internet.  Since we are so limited as to how much information can be put into the remarks, this seemed like the right way to promote the property.  Land can be so tricky in the mountains and there is so much involved than finding a great view or a nice creek.  Thanks for your comments.

Valerie,  if we are to represent vacant land listings I like them to have really marketable specifics about them and while I really feel for the sellers who have ended up with steep and rocky lots, they do not represent the type of property we want to list.   I'm with you, I like the level and partially wooded lots.  With this one being more than 3 acres it would be very easy to work in a nice walking trail around the house site.

Feb 17, 2012 07:39 PM
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Chicago, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Good information for those city slickers looking for a mountainside retreat. And, I'll bet you have run across more than a few that never gave clearing, utilities or grading for a driveway a second thought. Enjoy your day!

Feb 17, 2012 08:38 PM