A cheap piece of land can get expensive fast. Access, drainage, utilities and servitudes — the due diligence list we run before we buy anything ourselves.
We buy and invest in land and homes across Louisiana, so we have run this checklist on a lot of properties — including several we walked away from. The listing price is rarely what the land actually costs you.
Legal access
Does the parcel touch a public road, or do you get there across somebody else's property? "The seller says the neighbor does not mind" is not access. A recorded servitude is access. This is the single most common way a cheap parcel turns out not to be a bargain.
Drainage and flood zone
Pull the flood zone designation and look at where the water goes. Then go stand on the property after a heavy rain — that will teach you things no map will. Land that holds water can often still be built on, but the fill dirt, culverts and elevation work need to be in your budget from day one, not discovered later.
Utilities
Find out what is actually at the road and what it costs to bring in what is not.
- —Power — how far is the nearest service, and what does the utility charge to extend it?
- —Water — municipal tap, rural water system, or a well?
- —Sewer — municipal, or does the soil support a septic system?
- —Internet — matters more than people admit until they move in
Soil and site conditions
Heavy clay, sand, and organic soils all behave differently under a foundation. On anything you plan to build on seriously, a geotechnical report is cheap insurance compared to a foundation problem.
Title, servitudes and mineral rights
Louisiana is a civil law state and land ownership here has its own vocabulary and its own rules — servitudes, usufruct, and the treatment of mineral rights all work differently than in most of the country. Use a Louisiana real estate attorney and a title examination. Do not rely on general advice you found online, including this article, for the legal side of a specific transaction.
Restrictions on use
Zoning, subdivision restrictions, wetland determinations, and any recorded covenants all limit what you can put on the property. Confirm your intended use is permitted before you close, not after.
The best deal we ever made was a piece of land we did not buy.
If you have land in Louisiana you are looking to sell — or a parcel you are thinking about buying and want an honest read on what it would take to develop — call or text 318-452-7653.
