Before you buy
Floodplain status
Floodplain changes the pad, the height, the steps and the paperwork.
If the parcel is in a mapped flood zone, the finished floor has to sit at or above base flood elevation, and some counties require additional height above that. One county in our area requires three feet above — two more than the federal minimum.
Elevation cascades through the whole project: more fill, taller piers, longer stairs, steeper driveway approach, different skirting. Expect to need an elevation certificate from a surveyor before a permit issues.
Note also that at least one county in this area treats any floodplain on a property as putting the entire property in the floodplain.
Free to check against published flood maps. The elevation certificate is a paid survey.
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.
Deed restrictions
Restrictions recorded decades ago can prohibit manufactured homes outright.
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.