Buy the Land First or the Home First? (Land That Failed #8)

The video

What happened

This one did not fail. It cost about twice what it should have, which is a different kind of failure and a more common one.

They bought the home first. Picked it out, financed it, set a delivery date. Then somebody went and looked at the land.

Septic came back needing a system that would not fit where they had planned to put it. So the pad moved. Because the pad moved, the driveway moved. Because the pad moved, the power run got longer and the water line got longer.

Every one of those was a change to work that was already scheduled, already quoted, and in some cases already started. Change orders are not priced like original work. You are not shopping any more — you are asking somebody to redo a thing they already did, on a timeline that is no longer yours.

Here is what makes this the last episode. The land questions get answered either way. Zoning, septic, access, room, utilities, drainage, covenants — every one of them gets answered eventually, because reality answers them whether or not you asked.

The only thing you control is whether they get answered before the money or after it.

Before the money, an answer you do not like is information. You change the home, change the site, or walk away. After the money, the same answer is a bill.

Same questions. Different order. That is the whole business.

The four checks

This property passed all four. It failed on something that is not on the list.

1. 1. AccessPassed

   Can the home physically get to the site? The road, the driveway, every bend, the width, what is overhead.

2. 2. ZoningPassed

   Will the county allow a manufactured home in this district?

3. 3. WastePassed

   Will the soil take a septic system, or is there sewer at the road?

4. 4. RoomPassed

   What is left after setbacks, easements, the septic area and its repair area?

5. 5. What is not on the list: the order you ask them inFailed