Land is a different animal than a house search
Every week I talk to buyers who are approaching a land search the same way they approached their last home purchase. They are browsing listings, comparing prices per square foot, and driving by to see if they like the feel of the area. Some of that is useful. Most of what actually matters in a land purchase will not show up on a listing sheet.
This post covers the things that are most likely to surprise a buyer who has not purchased raw land in South Carolina before. If you are considering land -- whether for a custom build, agricultural use, investment, or future development -- read this before you make an offer.
The lowcountry wetland problem
A significant percentage of land parcels in Charleston County and the surrounding lowcountry are jurisdictional wetlands. This is not a small asterisk. A parcel that is 60% jurisdictional wetland cannot be developed on that 60%, and in many cases the logistics of building on the remaining 40% are complicated enough to make the parcel functionally unusable for most buyers' purposes.
Wetland delineation is a technical process performed by a licensed environmental consultant or wetland scientist. A formal delineation involves field study and documentation; an informal assessment from a drive-by or aerial photo is not reliable. Before making an offer on raw land in the lowcountry, verify the wetland status -- or budget for a delineation study during the inspection period.
Flood zone and wetland are related but not the same thing. A parcel in a FEMA AE or VE flood zone may or may not have jurisdictional wetlands. A parcel outside the 100-year flood zone may still have significant wetlands. Both affect developability. Both need to be checked separately. See our flood zone guide for more on how flood maps work in the Charleston area.
Zoning tells you what is allowed -- not what is easy
Zoning determines the permitted uses on a parcel by right, the things you can do without a special application or variance. But zoning alone does not tell you the full picture. Agricultural zoning in one county does not mean the same thing as agricultural zoning in an adjacent county. Residential zoning does not necessarily permit guest houses, ADUs, or specific commercial uses. And zoning can change.
Before purchasing land for a specific use, verify with the relevant planning department that the use you intend is permitted, not just assumed to be permitted based on zone designation. This applies equally to someone who wants to put horses on a property and someone who wants to operate a short-term rental.
Utilities: the question that stops projects cold
In established neighborhoods, utility access is assumed. On raw land, nothing is assumed. The relevant questions are:
- Is the parcel served by public water and sewer, or will it require a well and septic system?
- If septic is required, has a soil suitability or percolation test been performed? Not all soil in the lowcountry percolates well enough to support a conventional septic system.
- Is electrical service available at the property line, or does it require an extension? If an extension is required, what is the cost?
- Is the parcel accessible via a public road, or does it require an easement across a neighboring parcel?
Each of these can represent significant additional cost or, in some cases, a disqualifying condition. I verify utility access as part of the initial evaluation on every land purchase I work on. See our land for sale page for a full overview of the land buying process in Charleston.
Survey: current, not assumed
Many rural parcels have surveys that are ten, twenty, or thirty years old. A lot can change in that time -- easements granted, parcels divided, encroachments established. Before closing on any land, a current survey performed by a licensed South Carolina surveyor is worth the cost. It is not a step to defer.
The survey will identify the current boundaries, any encroachments onto or from the property, existing easements of record, and any discrepancies between the recorded plat and the actual conditions on the ground. These discrepancies exist on more parcels than buyers expect.
Deed restrictions and covenants: the layer beneath zoning
Deed restrictions run with the land and can limit what you do on a property regardless of what the zoning allows. Some are benign -- setback requirements, minimum square footage. Others are more restrictive -- prohibitions on specific agricultural uses, subdivision restrictions, architectural controls. Title research will identify deed restrictions of record; reading them carefully before you close is not optional.
How I approach land transactions differently
I bring the same level of strategic analysis to land purchases that I bring to residential transactions. The difference is the due diligence checklist. On a land purchase, I evaluate wetlands, flood zone, zoning and permitted uses, utility access, easements, road access, deed restrictions, and survey currency before I advise a client to make an offer. Most of these questions cost nothing to answer before going under contract. Discovering them after you are under contract costs time, money, and sometimes the deal.
If you are looking at land in the Charleston area, start the conversation early. The best parcels move quickly when they are priced correctly, and the due diligence timeline needs to be built into the offer from the beginning.
This post is for general educational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, tax, or investment advice. Real estate markets change; past trends do not guarantee future results. All properties are subject to prior sale and change without notice. Jennifer Dane is a licensed REALTOR(R) in South Carolina with eXp Realty LLC. Equal Housing Opportunity.