Vacant land
Vacant land looks simple from the road and gets complicated the day you own it. Jonathan Wallace put together a full 14-page guide on this with Steve Feheley of Jameson Homes, a custom builder working across Simcoe County, and these are the five checks that come up on almost every land deal. Run them before you offer, not after.
1. Dig test holes before you fall in love
Soil determines everything: what your foundation costs, whether a basement is realistic, and how your septic system will work. A few test holes with an excavator, reviewed by someone who builds here, can save you from buying a lot where the pretty clearing sits on rock or high water. Ask when the holes were dug and what they showed, or make digging them a condition.
2. Confirm what you are allowed to build
Zoning, minimum lot frontages, setbacks, conservation authority regulations, and environmental protections all apply before your first shovel. A lot that cannot get a building permit is not a building lot, it is expensive forest. Verify with the township and, where the land is near water or wetland, with the conservation authority, during your conditional period.
3. Price the servicing, not just the land
Hydro to the building site, a drilled well, a septic system sized to your plans, and a driveway that meets entrance permit requirements: on a rural Simcoe County lot these together routinely reach six figures before the house starts. Get real quotes for your specific lot. The cheapest land on the road is sometimes the most expensive place to build.
4. Plan the water before it plans for you
Grading, drainage, swales, and soak-away pits decide whether your future basement stays dry. Walk the lot in spring or after hard rain if you can. Low, flat, and wet is a fixable problem only when you have priced the fix.
5. Vet the builder like you vet the land
If the plan ends with a custom home, the builder is half the purchase decision. Ask who has actually built on similar lots nearby, walk a build in progress, and talk to their past clients. A builder who knows the local soil, the local inspectors, and the local trades is worth real money.
Get the full guide free
These five checks are the short version. The full Survival Guide to Buying Vacant Land in Simcoe County covers test holes, wells and septics, servicing plans, financing land purchases, and how to vet a builder, in 14 pages written with input from a builder who does this every day. Download it free on the resources page, and the weekly Georgian Bay Market Read comes with it.
Thinking about a specific lot already? Send Jonathan Wallace the listing and get a straight read on it before you offer.
Jonathan Wallace, Salesperson, Faris Team Real Estate, Brokerage. 705-433-2525. This article is general information, not a substitute for professional soil, engineering, legal, or financial advice.