Buying Heights Land-Part 1

Buying Heights Land

Buying Heights land is not easy. It seems like it would be; you just drive around, find something you like, and then buy it. What could be easier? It may not be as complicated in the suburbs, but buying Heights land is very complicated!

Heights Lot For Sale

I’ve known builders to close on land and then find out they can’t build what they had planned. Now for the most part builders are knowledgeable and sophisticated. If they can get burned, so can you.

One word of advice before you even think about buying Heights land. If your goal is to buy the land; then hire a builder, and save money, forget it! The cheapest house you are going to find is one that is already on the ground. It was bought at last year’s land prices and built at last year’s construction prices. I don’t care if it is a recession…next year’s prices are going to be higher. Now if you want a true custom home; and you know what your “perfect” lot will look like, then go for it….but NOT to save money!

Okay, here are some things to consider, in no particular order:

· Location: Do you want land in the more prestigious part of the Heights? If so, expect to pay top dollar. Woodland Heights and the core streets of Houston Heights (Heights Blvd, Harvard, Cortlandt, Arlington, etc. between 11^th and 20^th St) are prime areas…expect to pay more for these. Drive these streets and see the big, gorgeous old homes and you’ll see why it is so popular.

· Price: Selling price in Woodland Heights and core area of Houston Heights is ~$40/SF. Sellers are starting to ask more (up to $50/SF). So far, the market doesn’t support that price, but great lots are hard to find. In the rest of the Heights ~$30-$35/SF is typical. Location is everything. Don’t buy too close to the 610 Loop, or N Shepherd.

· Lot size: The typical lot in Woodland Heights & Norhill is 50X100 ft. There is no alley, so part of the lot must be used for driveway. That’s why porte-cocheres are popular…build out over the drive. Lot size in most of Houston Heights is 50×132 ft., plus they generally have alley access so you can put a garage behind the house, accessible from alley. There is no uniformity here, so Heights lot sizes can be scrambled.

· Corner vs.interior lot: A corner lot gives you more flexibility in what you can build. The garage access can be to the side. Be aware though that building set backs from the side street can limit building options.

· Alley Use: If the lot you are considering has an alley access, make sure it is already in use. Gone are the days when you just cleared the alley, spread gravel and starting using it. The City wants it engineered and proper drainage installed. If you are a builder putting up multiple homes you might afford the $20K cost. If you are just building one home, $20K or so is a big chunk to add to your construction costs.

Don’t quote me on costs; the local experts are Mark Van Doren of APD Design, the Heights design expert; and Karen Rose Engineering, who does surveying, replatting etc. If you do talk to them, tell them they owe me lunch

I’ll continue this in a few days and cover deed restrictions, historic districts, lot clearing, type of home, size of house, negotiating price, your loan, builder tips. See an older post of mine on Heights Land For Sale.

If you are still thinking about buying Heights land I will also attach a pdf list of currently available lots on my next post.

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Buying Heights Lots, Part 2

Buying Heights Land-Part 1