Land Due Diligence Checklist: What to Check Before Buying

Before buying land, verify the parcel, ownership, access, permitted uses, utilities, and site conditions. Then review the price, additional costs, and proposed transaction terms. The information needed depends on the property and what you plan to do with it.

1. 01

   Identify the exact parcel

   Collect the state, county, parcel identification number, legal description, and available boundary information. Make sure the records refer to the same property. Online maps, such as the county’s GIS parcel viewer, can help you start research, but questions about boundary location may require a survey.

2. 02

   Review ownership and title

   Ask the closing professional to explain the ownership information, recorded interests, and title matters that need attention. Clarify who has authority to enter the proposed agreement and what must happen before closing.

3. 03

   Confirm access

   Ask how you can physically reach the property and what documentation supports the right to use that route. A visible path on a map does not by itself answer questions about legal access, road condition, or maintenance responsibilities.

4. 04

   Check your intended use

   Contact the relevant planning or zoning office about your specific plans. Review applicable restrictions, recorded covenants, setbacks, and approval requirements. Descriptions such as “unrestricted” or “great for building” need verification.

5. 05

   Investigate utilities and site services

   Ask the relevant providers about service location, availability, capacity, connection requirements, and potential costs. Where applicable, investigate water supply and wastewater options, such as whether the soil can support a septic system, with the appropriate local office or qualified professional. A nearby utility line does not confirm that your project can connect.

6. 06

   Understand site conditions

   Review terrain, drainage, soils, and other conditions that could affect your intended use. Look the parcel up on FEMA’s flood maps and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s wetlands mapper, and treat what they show as a reason to look closer, not a final answer. Use qualified professionals when site suitability or environmental questions require investigation. Identify what has been checked and what remains unknown.

7. 07

   Compare the price

   Look at recent sales of similar land nearby, from the county’s records or a local appraiser, so you can judge the asking price against more than the description.

8. 08

   Estimate costs beyond the asking price

   Consider closing costs, taxes, surveys, site investigations, road work, utility connections, insurance, and ongoing ownership costs as applicable. If a project is planned, keep those costs separate from the land purchase price.

9. 09

   Clarify the proposed transaction

   Understand who is selling, who else is involved, what interest is being offered, and any fees or assignment terms. A deal from Land Buyers Circle may be the assignment of a purchase contract, and it says so; it closes through a title company or closing attorney. Review deposits, investigation periods, deadlines, and other proposed obligations before signing. Ask a qualified local professional when the terms or your rights are unclear.

Use this checklist to organize questions, not to replace property-specific investigation. Keep a record of the answers, their sources, and the items you still need to resolve.