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Don't Buy Rural Land Until You Do These 3 Quick Checks

Monday, October 27, 2025

Don't Buy Rural Land Until You Do These 3 Quick Checks

(and Why It Works)

The Moment I Learned the Hard Way

When I first started buying land, I was green — excited, ambitious, ready to make my mark.

One night, I sat at my computer staring at Google Maps, eyes full of dollar signs.

There it was, a lot surrounded by houses, right at the end of a street.

Every parcel around it was built out, except this one.

And all I could think was, Goldmine.

I told myself I’d found the deal everyone else had missed.

My wife looked at it and said, “We should look into this more and see if there’s anything wrong with it.”

But I was already gone. My mind was counting profit, not problems.

I rushed the due diligence. Pulled the comps. Checked the parcel number.

Everything looked good, at least, to someone who didn’t yet know what he didn’t know.

A few days later, after I’d already paid the back taxes and called it a win, I looked up the flood map.

Complete wash. Literally.

The entire parcel sat in a flood zone. Couldn’t build. Couldn’t flip (at least, not honestly.)

And the worst part? My wife called it before it happened. She didn’t even need to say “I told you so.” The look said it all.

I ended up breaking even after three months of trying to sell it, but the lesson stuck harder than the loss.

Greed rushes you. Excitement blinds you. Both make you skip steps.

That’s why I built a system: three quick checks that force me (and my buyers) to slow down, verify, and protect themselves.

​Because if I’d done these three, I would have walked away from that lot before losing a dime.

Check #1: Road Access — No Road, No Property

If you can’t legally drive to it, you don’t own it in any practical sense.
Period.

What to Verify

✅ There’s a real road touching the parcel — county road or recorded easement.
✅ The access is legal, not a neighbor’s handshake.
✅ The road is passable in the season you plan to use it.

How to Check Fast

Pull up the parcel in the county GIS map.

Trace the road right to your boundary.

Check the last recorded deed for “ingress and egress.”

Ask the county road department if it’s maintained.

If access isn’t clear, walk away.

There’s more land than there are good roads.

Check #2: Water — Or a Real Plan for It

Water makes or breaks your plans. But not always how you think.

Building? County will want a plan: well, cistern, or legal hookup.

Weekend camping? Haul water. A couple of jugs in the truck works fine.

Investment only? You still need to know what’s possible down the line.

How to Check Fast

Search your county website for “well permits” or “water resources.”

Look up nearby well depths. State sites list them publicly.

If you plan to haul, find your fill station and check the distance.

The problem isn’t land without water.

It’s buyers without a water plan.

Check #3: Zoning — The Rules of the Game

Zoning decides what you can actually do.

Ignore it and you’ll learn the hard way with fines or frustration.

What to Verify

Building? Confirm residential use is allowed.

Renting or running a small business? Look for commercial or mixed-use.

Camping? Check if it’s permitted and for how long.

How to Check Fast

Pull your zoning district from the county website.

Read the “permitted” and “temporary” use sections.

Check RV rules, setbacks, and stay limits.

Call the planner’s office for a five-minute sanity check.

If zoning blocks your plan, it’s not your property.

Move on and find one that fits.

The 10-Minute Pre-Offer Checklist

Before you ever send money, run this drill:

Pin the parcel — confirm a road touches the boundary.

Confirm legal access in the deed or plat.

Note the road type and condition.

Decide your water strategy and confirm it’s allowed.

Pull the zoning district and skim permitted uses.

Check camping/RV rules.

Note setbacks and minimum build sizes.

Confirm utilities you care about (like nearby power).

Screenshot everything into one folder.

If two items fail — stop. Find a better lot.

Ten minutes now saves ten years of regret.

Why These Three Save Most Buyers

There’s more to due diligence (surveys, flood zones, soil, HOAs)

but these three knock out 80% of the bad deals before they bite you.

Skip them, and you’re buying headaches:

No access. No clear plan. No fun.

Do them, and you’re buying freedom.

Land you can actually reach, use, and love.

A Note From Me

I buy and sell land because of what it creates:

Freedom. Space. Ownership.

These checks are how you protect that.

They keep the dream clean — no surprises, no heartburn, no “what have I done?”
​
​This guide is educational. Rules vary by county and parcel.

Always verify with local officials and read recorded documents.

To your future adventures,

​Matt — Just Want Land

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We are
Matt & Rachelle

Owners of Just Want Land

Matt and Rachelle Cornell are the husband-and-wife team behind Just Want Land. Driven by faith, freedom, and family adventure, they’ve helped hundreds of people break free from city limits and claim their own piece of the American West. Their mission is simple: make land ownership affordable, authentic, and life-changing.

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without ever stepping foot on it?

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