# questions for realtor



## mavmd (Aug 16, 2014)

I am looking to buy some land near a coastal area. Is it appropriate to ask and have the realtor for the property owner know questions such as these;
what is the zoning, is there any wetland on the property, what is the soil type?
Does it flood, does it perc? How deep does one have to go to get good water?
how wide is the easement, does the power company need a certain width to place a line?

I asked these questions and the answer to all of them was "I do not know. But you can make an offer and we can figure all that out". How can I make an offer if I do not know any of the information to decide? Are these questions things that I have to find out on my own or should the seller and his proxy provide this info? What about a soil scientist report, who should pay for that?
Thanks for any input you can provide.


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

By law they are required to notify the seller of ANY offer made. Perhaps you could make a stupidly low offer and then tell them you will discuss a reasonable price when they supply reasonable details.

This sounds strange to me given that I often see zoning status on the "for sale" sign.

The water and soil science report may be out of the realtor's firld and the research and reports subject to whatever you negotiate into the sale.


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## Irish Pixie (May 14, 2002)

They should supply an answer to all those questions. I often message my agent to ask if a property has flooded (the town we're moving to has areas that flood), and she gets right back to me. 

I wouldn't make an offer unless they answer all your questions.


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## IndyDave (Jul 17, 2017)

The other alternative is to get another realtor to represent your interests. When you do that, it shouldn't cost you anything since under those conditions the two realtors split the commission on the sale.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Sheesh!
All Realtors have a fiduciary relationship with the seller as that's who pays them. Get a Buyer's Broker (_who deals in raw land if that's what you are buying) _then reduce the commission by 1/2 as it's split between the seller's & buyer's agent. You will negotiate and pay the Buyers Broker.
Some of your answers can be found at the county assessors office. You can get what's called a plat map there also which shows the property boundaries. They will have flood plane maps too.
There's a "full disclosure" sheet that you can ask for from the seller. If he won't give one to you, ask for it in the contract - see verbiage below
Since you are having problems getting answers, load your contract:
Have it read "Contract contingent upon and responses accepted by buyer by X date.....1. A certified perc test (who pays is negotiable usually 1/2 & 1/2) 2. Staked easement location ( if it's deeded and recorded it will be on your assessors map) 3. If a septic, have it pumped and certified. 4. Full disclosure form accepted by buyer within X days or the contract is null and void _and all deposit monies to be refunded to buyer within X days.(Very Important!) _5. Property surveyed and/ or corners staked (cheaper)
You can ask for anything in the contract. Be reasonable. Decide what you are willing to give up before negotiation.
Soil testing - go to the County Ag Extension Office. Ask there and/or have them do a test for you If you bring the soil, it's cheap.
Water depth - call a well driller ask what's the average depth to drill a well in that area.

If all else fails, go directly to the seller - tell him your questions and issues with his realtor and ask him for assistance with the answers. Good luck - I used to hate to do other realtor's work for them to get a sale.


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

You need a realtor that is working for you. With so much stuff on the internet these days, 1/2 of your questions can usually be answered by looking at the county's GIS mapping system. Questions about easements can usually be answered by the county recorder, and soil info from the land department or your local ag extension person. The only question that they might not be able to answer is whether the soil will perk. If the current owner hasn't done a perk test, they really can't speak to it. You could write an offer contingent upon it perking. A good agent/Realtor will get the info for you or at least directing you to the right person.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

A sellers agent represents the seller, for better or worse.
This one doesn’t sound real top shelf professional.
Ask for the sellers disclosures that is required to be available.
Do some online research.
Or hire an agent to represent you and they can do the legwork.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Yep they sound lazy. 
All of those seem like reasonable questions.
Most of those questions are in the local soil survey a reasonable agent would have a copy. 
They would also be familiar with local power company requirements from dealing with them repeatedly.
Zoning is also a question that would come up repeatedly. 
I’d be getting another agent.


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## Mickie3 (Aug 28, 2010)

Your questions fall into the category of "due diligence" on part of buyer for the most part. Perc? Realtor won't know, they are not qualified to. Well depth? Who knows, even well company can only give educated guess. 

Get yourself a real estate rep, ask them who should know the answers to your questions, but don't be surprised when you get some blank stares and "don't knows."


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## mavmd (Aug 16, 2014)

They called me back yesterday and said it is zoned R-20 (I presently have a sow, 3 ewes with lambs, 2 llamas, ducks, chickens and turkeys) and I do not know what the limits are for that zone in that county. They said the area is designated a wetland but they do not know what type of wetland and there are certain types you can build on. They said the soil study will cost about 1000 dollars and the acreage may need to be mapped to determine the type of wetland which would cost around 10k. They are going to try to answer my questions early this week by calling the county and electric co-op. I spoke to some neighbors that have wells around 150 ft in depth and everyone around there is on well water and septic.
The reason for the post was that every piece of property I call realtors about, I continually get the same answers which is "I don't know". It would seem that they would know if they are selling the property. I just thought I would reach out to see if this was the norm.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Excellent point. 
You want to do due dillagence on any property before making a offer.
A realtor should be able to give You approximate answers to all the OPs questions while shopping. After deciding you’re interested in a particular property you seek out the best answers available.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Many Realtors are paranoid about being sued for giving incorrect information or information that could be misunderstood. A good Realtor can say "wells average about 150 ft deep in this area" without giving you a specific number for that piece of land. Or give you the name and number of a couple well drillers that you can contact. It's just easier to say I don't know.

As I said before in my earlier post - contact your local Ag Extension office and go to the Assessors Office. Both can assist you. The Extension office has in depth soil tests for around $10.00. Dunno about wet lands, but they'd surely point you in the right direction. If its a _designated_ wet land area there has to be maps.....

Has this place been surveyed and staked? I'm sure if part has had a wet land designation, its been done. BUT make your contract contingent upon that being done if not. There are wet land regulations - be aware.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Those soil surveys have a wealth of information not just aerial photos but descriptions of what the soil is like what it can do what is done in the past .
it is a really good resource for anyone looking for land


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## mavmd (Aug 16, 2014)

So after talking the the people from the county, I have to get a jurisdictional determination by the army corp of engineers since most of the land has a designation of wetland. This requires multiple maps topo, aerial, vicinity, landscape, soil, landscape photos, wetland inventory map, completed wetland determination data forms (one wetland and one upland for each wetland type) and a bunch of other maps defining different types of water on the land. There is no water that I can see, though we are in a little bit of a drought. Am I supposed to do all of this or is the owner of the land supposed to have all of this if he wants to sell it. I emailed the realtor a few days ago and have not received a reply.


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Walk away. Don’t look back.


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## Solar Geek (Mar 14, 2014)

Wow designated wetlands are difficult to research/build on/get permits. I don't know what state you are in or in which you are looking to purchase land but here is an example of WI rules/regs for building. GOOD Luck and I cannot urge you strongly enough to talk to the community regulators, your state and Army Corps of Engineers and get everything in writing. 

IMHO this all should have been done by the seller. I would never (after 16 moves while married) purchase land without all the info you have requested other than the soil samples. 

And in Chicago, just and FYI, we used buyer's agents (that is what they are called there if they rep you and not the seller) WE DID NOT pay a penny. They simply split the commision per regular practices. these links go from general to specific for WI. Hope this helps
https://dnr.wi.gov/files/PDF/pubs/WT/WT0987.pdf
https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wetlands/permits/
https://dnr.wi.gov/topic/waterways/documents/permitDocs/GPs/GP1.pdf


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

You are going to reach a point where you have to make a determination whether this property suits your intended use.
I would think your local MLS should have a number of listings that would give you what you want without having to do so much legwork.
As far as what the seller has to do, as previously posted, they are required to provide the seller's disclosure report.
But, if ie, I had 100 acres of land that I was selling as farm ground, it should be expected that I would be able to provide
soil reports, harvest numbers, improvements, etc if I wanted top money. But if I had 100 acres of raw land that I really didn't care much about, and someone approached me with questions pertaining to digging ponds, mining for minerals, traffic counts for a potential business, etc, I might shrug my shoulders. In other words, I'm just selling the land, do with it as you please.


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## Asirg (Jan 11, 2021)

These are definitely really crucial questions, and I'm not sure if a realtor can answer them properly. When I had to relocate and buy a house in Palm Springs I just consulted a great agent that represented me personally. The guy was super professional and knew every aspect of his job including technical parts and contract terms which he explained me to in detail after answering all my questions. I found him through a friend who claimed that if you search on realestateagentlist.net you can get the best agents in the country.


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## Evons hubby (Oct 3, 2005)

Any good realtor will find the answers to your questions. It’s part of our job. You are rightfully entitled to know all information relative to the property and a competent agent will gladly furnish it. that being said you are not entitled to know why a seller is selling, his financial position or other details about the seller Themselves. I always learned as much as I could about any property I listed. This made it easier for me to get it sold. I also pointed out any negative issues right up front. This served two purposes... it kept me (and my broker) out of a courtroom later, it also created a good relationship with my buyers. I figured my job was to match up my buyers with the property that would best suit their needs. Information is the key, honesty oils the lock. For what it’s worth I was the top sales agent in our office every year that I was in the game. I’m long since retired now but still see many of the people I sold property to, and they are still my freinds.


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## mamabear1131 (Feb 9, 2021)

mavmd said:


> I am looking to buy some land near a coastal area. Is it appropriate to ask and have the realtor for the property owner know questions such as these;
> what is the zoning, is there any wetland on the property, what is the soil type?
> Does it flood, does it perc? How deep does one have to go to get good water?
> how wide is the easement, does the power company need a certain width to place a line?
> ...


All of the questions you have regarding the property should be answered by them! They're the one who's selling it and they should know better than anyone else about it. If they have a real estate agent with them then at least that agent should provide you the information you need. Why? Because they're putting it in the market and not knowing what they're selling is like entering the battlefield without armor.

Basically, you should be getting all the answers you have from them. As for the soil scientist report, for most cases, the buyer is the one who pays to get it. But if they don't provide it, you can get the seller to share the cost with you.


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