Shortly after moving to the Blue Ridge Mountains, we began looking at lots for sale. Within the first couple weeks of searching, we found many lots for sale in Transylvania County. Most lots, however, are on switchback roads, have heavily wooded grounds, and are not located close to town.
While I appreciate the beauty and seclusion of the lots, perfect for a Blue Ridge getaway, they weren’t for me. Needless to say, we continued looking at lots for sale for a few months. I wanted to find a lot that was a bit closer to civilization.
For starters, a lot on paved roads, and close to the schools and town. Oh, I also was looking for a lot on a cul-de-sac. This wasn’t a must-have, but a definite bonus! I really wanted my daughter to be able to ride her bike on a road that doesn’t have through traffic.
My husband, on the other hand, had much fewer wishes. He wanted acreage to assure privacy, and land with a creek or waterfall. That’s it!
Fun fact; Brevard, NC, located between Pisgah National Forest and Gorges State Park, is known as The Land of Waterfalls. There are over 250 waterfalls in this small county.
Choosing a Lot for Sale
Let’s do a quick recap of what we were looking for:
- On paved roads
- A minimum of 1-2 acres
- In a development with large lot sizes
- Close to schools
- Close to town
- Minimal switchback roads leading in/out
- On a cul-de-sac
- A creek or waterfall
- Within our budget (max $65,000)
At one point, we thought we found the perfect lot. It was in a development, on paved roads, was 3 acres, and was on a cul-de-sac. Within minutes of seeing the lot, we put an offer on it.
One week from closing, while visiting family back in Ohio, we got a phone call. We were told the HOA decided against one of our requests. We wanted to put in a small in-ground pool. Even though the HOA clause states pools are allowed (with approval), they refused. Totally bummed, we decided to back out of our deal to purchase the lot.
On our drive back from Ohio to NC, we talked about our decision to back out of the deal. I wasn’t sure if we made the right choice. Should we have compromised no pool for the other benefits? But, after going back and forth, both of us felt it in our guts that we made the right decision. We decided we didn’t want to live in a development with an HOA that goes back on their word, anyhow. So, our search continued.
Find Property You Love
One day, when Travis’ mom was in town, I drove her around to look at more lots for sale. There was a development nearby the lot we just turned down. I had seen it before, but assumed, based on the entrance, the lots were way out of our price range.
But, on that day, while looking at lots for sale with my mother-in-law, I decided to drive into that allotment. The entrance, alone, is beautiful. You drive over a cobblestone bridge to large, wooded, lots and beautiful mountain homes.
For pure entertainment, we drove through, and landed on a dead-end street. At the end of this street was the most beautiful lot I’ve seen (that wasn’t in the million dollar range). As we pulled up to it, we instantly fell in love! Partially cleared, there was a peek of the mountains through the tall, mature, white pine trees. And, best of all, it was on a cul-de-sac. We came home, waited for Travis to get off work, then drove him to check it out, too!
Cost of Buying Land
That picture perfect lot was 1 acre, and cost nearly $130,000. Clearly, that wasn’t in our price range! But, Travis looked up the other lots for sale, and gathered some info. We found the average 1 acre lot to be $100,000. There was one, however, on the same street as the cul-de-sac lot. It was listed for just under $60,000 for 1 acre.
We put a phone call into our realtor, and she started her magic. After going back and forth on an offer and counter-offers, we agreed on $53,000.
YAY!!!!!! It was the last week of August, 2020 that we became “under contract” to purchase our lot. If you’re wondering how many square feet are in one acre, check back soon for our next blog post.
Closing on a Lot for Sale
Nearly two months after signing a contract to purchase the lot, we closed on our lot. I never imagined it taking that long, but here are a few hurdles we had to cross.
Keep in mind, we also chose to build a house in the middle of a pandemic. Because of Covid-19, the process has taken longer than normal.
Before closing on a lot for sale, we had to:
- Pay a surveyor to flag the lot – marking the property line
- Stake out where the house will sit on the lot
- Get a perk test: health department approves lot for septic and well
- Get a cashiers check to take to closing