Before you buy
Deed restrictions
Restrictions recorded decades ago can prohibit manufactured homes outright.
Deed restrictions run with the land and bind you whether or not anyone mentioned them. Older rural subdivisions frequently carry restrictions prohibiting manufactured homes, setting minimum square footage, or requiring particular exterior materials.
They are enforced privately by other property owners, not by the county, so the county issuing you a permit tells you nothing about whether restrictions allow it.
Verify through the title commitment, which should list recorded restrictions. Read them rather than accepting a summary. This is one of the most common expensive surprises in rural land purchases.
The rest of the checklist
Which utility can actually serve this parcel
Poles on the road do not mean service. Certificated territory decides who can connect you.
Whether water can reach it
A certificated water provider may still be unable or unwilling to add your tap.
Legal access
A road you can drive on is not the same as access you have a right to use.
Easements and rights-of-way
Lines crossing your land may not be able to serve it, and easements can limit where you build.
Floodplain status
Floodplain changes the pad, the height, the steps and the paperwork.
Soil and septic feasibility
The soil decides the system, and the system may not fit.
Driveway and culvert
Access has to be built before almost anything else can happen.
Lot size and setbacks
The buildable area is smaller than the lot, sometimes much smaller.
Have us look before you close
We evaluate parcels for buyers — access, utilities, soil and what the site work will actually take. Cheaper than finding out afterward.