Land & Lot Buyers Guide
Raw land is a promise with a punch list.
This guide covers what it really takes to build on raw land and lots in Lane County: clearing and utility costs, perc tests and septic feasibility, well drilling, zoning and building permits, financing land, and the questions to ask before you commit. It is the honest version of what most buyers only learn after the first estimate.
The build path
Six questions the lot answers before you do anything else.
Perc test and septic feasibility
The soil test is the first gate. The county environmental health office decides whether the land can support a septic system and where the drain field can go.
Well feasibility
Neighboring well logs tell you what depth and yield to expect. Water quantity and quality are answers you get before you commit, not after.
Zoning and building permits
The zone decides setbacks, lot coverage, use, and livestock. The county permit process decides what you can build and when you can build it.
Access and utilities
Public road or private, power at the lot line or a mile away, internet available or not. These are line items in the real budget.
Clearing and site work
Trees, grade, and drainage shape the cost of a buildable pad. Contractor estimates on the actual parcel beat any rule of thumb.
Financing the land
Land loans work differently from mortgages: higher down payments, shorter terms, and construction loans when you build. Cash is often the cleanest path, and we plan for the real one.
Ground first
The cost of the blank page
The price tag on the parcel is the least expensive part of the project. Clearing, driveway, power, water, septic, internet, and the county permit process are the real budget, and every one of them depends on the specific lot, not on a rule of thumb.
The calm approach is to get contractor estimates on the actual parcel before you commit, or at minimum before you close. A few phone calls on the front end turn a mystery budget into a line-item plan, and that is where confidence comes from.
Feasibility
Perc tests, wells, and the county's yes
The soil test, called a perc test or site evaluation, is the first gate for any raw-land purchase in Lane County. If the soil cannot support a septic system, the land cannot support a home, no matter how beautiful it is. That test, and the county's response to it, should shape how the offer is written.
Wells follow the same rule: neighboring well logs are public, and they tell you the depth and yield to expect before you spend a dollar on drilling. Well drilling costs are real and variable, so we price the range into the plan rather than pretending it away.
Rules and money
Zoning, permits, and financing land
Zoning is the rulebook for everything you plan: setbacks, lot coverage, what you can build, and whether livestock belongs in the picture. County building permits are a process with timelines, and the process is part of the plan.
Financing raw land is different from financing a home. Lenders treat it as a higher risk, so expect higher down payments and shorter terms, with construction loans kicking in once the build starts. Cash buyers have the cleanest path, and we plan around whichever situation is yours.
Before you commit
The questions to ask
- Has a perc test or soil evaluation been done on this parcel, and what did it conclude?
- What do neighboring well logs show for depth, static water level, and yield?
- What is the exact zoning, and what does it allow for homes, livestock, and outbuildings?
- Is there an easement, and what does it grant and limit?
- Is the road public or private, and who maintains it?
- How far is power from the lot line, and what will bringing it in cost?
- Is internet and cell service available at the property? This is a feature, not a given.
- Is the parcel in a floodplain, wetland, or wildfire overlay?
- What do clearing, driveway, and site work cost on this specific grade?
- What do the county permit timelines look like for the build you are planning?
Show me the parcel
Send me the map or the address, and I will tell you what to check first.
Perc test, well logs, zoning, access, utility distance: I will run the public records and give you the honest short list.
Message received.
Thank you. I will get back to you within one business day. In the meantime, here is what matters most: you always know where you stand and what comes next.
Book a 30-minute callBefore you sign, talk to someone who has done this in Lane County.
A 30-minute call covers the parcel, the plan, and the punch list. No pressure, just the facts the county records and the neighbors already know.
Book a 30-minute call Then read the Acreage Buying GuidePlan with purpose. Move with confidence.
Raw land is the most flexible and the least forgiving purchase in real estate. Check it properly and it rewards you for decades.
Talk to a real broker, no obligation. Licensed in Oregon, license 201247119.