Current land use is the first question
Before price, before location, before anything: what is this land currently permitted to be used for?
Agricultural, residential, commercial, industrial and institutional are separate categories with separate rules and very different values. Land sold on the strength of what it might one day become — rather than what it is — is the most reliable way we know of to lose money in this market. Conversion is a formal process with an uncertain outcome and no guaranteed timeline.
Verification checklist
- Current recorded land use, taken from the record rather than from the seller.
- Title chain traced back far enough to be meaningful, with no gaps.
- No encumbrance, mortgage or pending litigation.
- Whether the land sits within a notified authority area or an acquisition plan.
- Legal right of access that exists on the ground as well as on paper.
- Boundaries physically verified against the record, ideally by survey.
- Any tenancy, cultivation right or occupation by a third party.
- All dues and taxes cleared.
Our position on land
We are happy to work on land requirements and we treat them more cautiously than anything else we handle. We will tell you what the record says, what the permitted use is, what has recently transacted nearby and where we think the risk sits.
We will not tell you that a conversion will come through, that a road or project will be built, or that a parcel will appreciate. If a seller is leaning on any of those, treat the price as speculative and size your commitment accordingly.