Visit Guide

Use this guide of best practices as a template for visiting a property and gathering details and info for future use.  There are many questions which may arise at some point regarding your land, so careful inspection, planning and execution are key to a succesful visit.  

Tools to consider bringing

Before you go, you want to consider what tools you want to bring to the property.  For example, think if you want to post a for-sale sign. Consider what you would need to bring to install a sign.  Or maybe you want to put stakes in the corners of the lot, so potential buyers can stop by and clearly find the lot limits.  There are a number of things that you may ‘want’ to do when you get there.

Consider there may be trash accumulated on the property, empty bottles or debris blown or caught up from the wind.  It may be a good idea to pack some trash bags and a pick up stick / poker stick to grab what you find.  

If you want to measure off certain details of the lot, you will need to bring a measuring device: a tape measure, a laser distance finder, or a rolling tape wheel.

Print out a parcel map and a satellite shot of the lot and define the perimeter as best you can based on land characteristics you will be able to find when you get there.  Parcel maps will give you lots of measurements and identifiers to use to complete a rough survey.

For example, the parcel map may say the property is 100 feet wide by 50 feet deep. So once you find the corners, you can measure off 100 feet and 50 feet, and get a pretty good idea of where the lot is. You may also be able to study the surroundings if you’re trying to find the perimeter. There may be a telephone pole or a feature to measure off from.  Perhaps the adjacent lot is 50 feet wide and starts from the street. You can calculate 50 feet from the street, and then you know the next 50 feet is your lot width. 

Consider accessibility.  Is the property land locked?  Is it off of a rough dirt road?  Are you able to pull up to the lot directly?  Will you need a high clearance or AWD/4×4 to access and will potential buyers need to know how to get to the property and feel comfortable doing so?  When you get there, see if you designate a parking spot where you can tell someone to pull up to.

Have an agenda when you get there

Occasionally you may pull up and feel a little out of place.  It’s best to know why you are there and not feel sketchy being there.  If someone asks what you are doing you should have an answer. You should have some pride in owning your lot and if someone asks you can feel confident telling them you own this land.  You may also want to bring a clipboard for jotting down some note and measurements. Clipboards will instantly make you feel more at peace.

Once you get out and start doing your thing, measuring distances, taking notes, and snapping pictures anyone that may be curious of your presence will catch on to what your doing or at least see you are not a threat.  I’ve never had a problem.

Photos

Be ready to take photos.  Nowadays most of the time a good phone will take great photos.  You can consider bringing a nicer SLR camera or a recording device.  

Perspective is important to think about when taking photos.  Some people like to use drones to get an aerial perspective, or great video footage, which can be great, but it’s also can be a lot to learn if you don’t have a drone and if you don’t know how to fly it and get the video, it can take a lot of time to figure out and set up. Is it worth your time? 

An easy thing to bring that I like to use is a selfie stick, or extension pole for my phone. I can get my phone, say six feet higher in the air, and get a good perspective that way. Lots of times you can get great perspectives by just extending your camera up in the air.  Holding up a 6 foot extension on top of a nice vantage point can yield some very nice shots.

 Panorama shots are also amazing.  A 90 degree swivel on panorama mode will produce an amazing landscape that really highlights the land.  I go with a maximum 90 degree swivel to reduce the ‘panorama’ effect.

Don’t be afraid to attempt to take artsy pics or scenic shots.  These can really enhance a listing if done well.  You miss all the shots you don’t take.

Explore

The locations of your photos need to show the whole property.  That means from different angles and perspectives, enough to convey the heart and spirit of the location.

I go in and in and in my mind I know I want to take one shot at least from each of the four corners.  I’ll start in one corner and walk the perimeter. Taking photos along the way. Sometimes when I get there you gotta remind yourself to keep on taking photos because the more photos later, the better. You never know which ones turn out just right or, or how it shows up later on.

As you walk of course, anything else that you come across, places of interest, plants, trees, foliage, flowers and rocks can make great images and show the beauty of the lot of all scales.

If there’s any structures or old foundations on the property take photos and take measurements. If there’s a foundation pad measure the width and length.  Note the condition. Is it usable?

Plot Out Future Plans

I like to find the spot where I would build my house on the property and think what would it take and why.  If there’s a flat spot with good views and privacy for example I would take photos and document the area as a potential build site.  Is there a driveway that leads there? How is access to and fro?

Note how the neighbors have configured their property.  Do they build close to the street or far back? Do they have a driveway built out?  How are they getting utilities?

Examine the Utilities

Document all the power poles, meters and marking that indicate utilities.  Take photos of what you find.

Search for a power meter on your property and determine if there is a hookup you can use.  If not, look for the nearest power poles. Power poles will have a badge on them to identify the pole for the utility.  Record this pole number as it may be useful in the future. Note how neighbors are getting power. Do they have a transformer on a pole in front of their house and how do the secondary power cables coming out of this transformer reach their house?  The secondary power cables coming out of this transformer may feed just their house or it may run down a few poles on the street. Can you tap into this secondary power? Secondary power means 240/120V distributed to residential houses. Primary voltage on top of the pole is usually 4-12kV.

Check for underground utilities.  Lots of times if there is an underground line, you can see there’s markings for it, and you can see it going down the street. There may be flags on the ground indicating an underground line. 

Check for indications of power, water, sewer, gas and phone. These are all questions that the prospective buyers will be curious about.

If a potential buyer asks: Is there power? You want to have an answer.  ‘I don’t know’ is not a great inspiring answer. If the answer is no, you can respond and say, “No, there is not a power meter yet, however there is 12kV distribution power running down the street and a neighbor has a transformer on a nearby pole we can tap into to get setup a system.  The utility company in the area is X, you just need to call them and tell them you are interested in setting up residential power off of pole ‘9A356’ in what have you county.

Sometimes there may not be utilities for example there may not be water line available, especially in some rule or desert communities, in which case there’s other options to move forward with.  Some areas have wells drilled, or truck in water. For sewer, septic or tanks can be setup as well. Check to see if there’s anything the neighbor is doing in this regard.