Vacant Land Due Diligence Checklist | High Desert Buyers

What Due Diligence Should I Do Before Closing on Vacant Land?

You've found a vacant parcel in Joshua Tree, Twentynine Palms, Yucca Valley or somewhere else in the California High Desert.

The views are beautiful.

The price works.

You've walked the property—or at least you're fairly certain you walked the property.

And now you're thinking about making an offer.

Before you become the proud owner of several acres of desert, there is one very important step:

Due diligence.

Vacant land may look simple because there's no house to inspect.

But buying land can actually require a different kind of investigation.

There may be no roof, plumbing or HVAC system to inspect, but you may need to investigate:

Zoning. Access. Boundaries. Water. Power. Septic. Flood hazards. Easements. Development requirements.

And perhaps most importantly:

Can I actually use this property for what I'm buying it for?

That's the question your due diligence should ultimately answer.

What Is Due Diligence When Buying Vacant Land?

Due diligence is the investigation you perform before completing the purchase.

Think of it as the period when you stop looking at the property as:

“Five beautiful acres with amazing views.”

and start looking at it as:

“A specific parcel with a specific set of characteristics, limitations and development possibilities.”

Your investigation will depend on what you intend to do with the land.

Someone buying acreage simply to hold may have different concerns from someone planning to build a house next year.

Someone planning a manufactured home may need different information from someone wanting an off-grid retreat.

That's why one of my first questions to High Desert land buyers is:

What do you want to do with the property?

Your intended use should drive your due diligence.

1. Verify That You're Looking at the Right Property

This sounds ridiculously obvious.

It isn't.

Vacant desert land frequently doesn't have:

• A conventional street address
• Fencing
• Street signs
• Buildings
• Landscaping
• Obvious property corners

You may have an APN, GPS coordinates, an online parcel overlay and a dirt road.

That's why I want buyers to confirm the parcel they're actually considering.

Start with the Assessor's Parcel Number (APN).

Use available parcel maps and mapping tools to help locate the property, but remember:

The little parcel outline on an online real estate website is not a professional boundary survey.

If exact boundaries are important to your purchase or plans, additional investigation or a professional land survey may be appropriate.

2. Verify the Property Boundaries

Where does your land actually begin and end?

Five acres can look surprisingly vague when you're standing in the middle of the desert.

Look for existing survey information, recorded maps and identifiable monuments where available.

If the seller says the parcel has been surveyed, ask for the documentation.

If exact boundaries matter because you're planning a house, fence, driveway, well or other improvements, consider whether a licensed land surveyor should be involved.

Don't confuse:

“I found the parcel.”

with:

“I know precisely where every property line is.”

Those are different levels of certainty.

3. Verify Zoning

Before buying land for a specific purpose, determine how the property is zoned.

San Bernardino County provides zoning information and mapping resources for properties in unincorporated areas, and zoning information can be researched using the APN.

Zoning can affect:

• Residential use
• Number and type of dwellings
• Setbacks
• Building placement
• Accessory structures
• Certain business or agricultural uses
• Development standards
• Other property uses

But knowing the zoning designation is only the beginning.

The better question is:

Does this property's zoning and development situation work for my intended project?

If you're buying land because you want to build something specific, verify that use rather than assuming that because neighboring parcels have homes, yours automatically has the same development possibilities.

4. Investigate Legal Access

Can you legally get to the property?

This deserves its own investigation.

Physical access and legal access are related—but they aren't necessarily the same thing.

You might successfully drive down a dirt road and arrive at the parcel.

That doesn't by itself establish every legal right concerning that route.

Review title information and recorded easements affecting access.

Questions may include:

• Is access from a public road?
• Is there a recorded access easement?
• Does access cross another privately owned parcel?
• What does the title information show?
• Is the road located where you think it is?

And then separately investigate the physical condition of the access.

5. Drive the Actual Access Route

Please don't buy remote High Desert land based exclusively on satellite imagery.

Drive there.

Preferably in the type of vehicle you expect to use regularly.

Ask yourself:

• Is the road paved?
• Is it maintained dirt?
• Is it deep sand?
• Is it badly rutted?
• Are there steep grades?
• Are there drainage problems?
• Can an ordinary passenger car reach the property?
• What might the road be like after heavy rain?
• Could construction and delivery vehicles reach the site?

I've driven enough High Desert roads to know that:

“Google Maps says there's a road”

and:

“This is a road I want to drive regularly”

can be two completely different statements.

Sometimes Google Maps provides navigation.

Sometimes it provides character development.

6. Review the Preliminary Title Report

Don't treat the preliminary title report as paperwork to ignore until somebody asks for a signature.

Review it.

The title report may identify recorded matters affecting the property, such as:

• Easements
• Liens
• Restrictions
• Rights-of-way
• Other recorded exceptions

If something is unclear or important to your intended use, ask questions and obtain appropriate title or legal guidance.

Especially with vacant land, recorded easements can matter because you're trying to understand not merely who owns the dirt, but what rights may affect its use and access.

7. Verify the Water Situation

Water is one of the biggest High Desert land questions.

Don't stop at:

“Water available.”

Determine what that actually means for the parcel.

Questions may include:

• Is there an existing water meter?
• Is public water service available?
• Is a water main nearby?
• What water district or provider serves the area?
• What would be required to establish service?
• Is there an existing private well?
• If there is a well, is it functioning?
• Has its production been tested?
• Has the water quality been tested?
• If no public water is available, could a new well be permitted?

If water is essential to your intended project—and for residential construction it certainly will be—verify the actual situation with the appropriate water provider and County agencies.

Don't buy based solely on a listing phrase.

8. If There's a Well, Investigate the Well

“Well on property” isn't enough information.

Try to obtain available records.

San Bernardino County maintains well-related records, and well construction, rehabilitation and destruction require permits.

For an existing well, you may want to investigate:

• Well depth
• Well log
• Age
• Pump condition
• Static water level
• Production
• Recent pump testing
• Water quality

Depending on your intended use and the property's circumstances, qualified well professionals and appropriate laboratory testing may be worth considering.

A well is potentially a valuable improvement.

An unknown hole in the ground is an unknown hole in the ground.

Know which one you're buying.

9. Verify Electricity—Don't Just Look for a Pole

Here comes one of my favorite land-listing phrases:

“Power nearby.”

Great.

How nearby?

And what would it actually take to serve this parcel?

Visible electrical infrastructure does not tell you the cost or requirements for establishing electrical service to your future homesite.

If conventional power matters to your plans, investigate with the utility.

You may want to understand:

• Location of existing infrastructure
• Whether service is available to the parcel
• Potential extension requirements
• Additional poles
• Trenching
• Equipment
• Connection requirements
• Approximate project costs

If you're planning to build off-grid instead, investigate what will be required for that project.

“I saw a power pole” is not an electrical estimate.

10. Determine Whether You'll Need Septic

Many High Desert properties aren't connected to public sewer.

When sewer isn't available, residential development generally requires an approved onsite wastewater treatment system—commonly called septic.

San Bernardino County Environmental Health Services reviews wastewater requirements and percolation information for individual parcels.

Ask:

• Is public sewer available?
• Will septic be required?
• Has the parcel previously been perc tested?
• Is historical perc information available?
• Is there an existing septic system?
• What additional evaluation may be required for my project?

Don't assume:

“It's five acres. There's plenty of room.”

Acreage alone doesn't determine septic feasibility.

11. Investigate Flood and Drainage Issues

The desert doesn't have to look wet today to have water issues tomorrow.

San Bernardino County evaluates flood hazards involving streams, channels, basins and other drainage features when reviewing development.

Investigate whether the parcel is located within a FEMA Special Flood Hazard Area and whether other drainage or flood-control considerations may affect development.

And look at the physical property.

Are there obvious washes?

Channels?

Evidence of water movement?

Low areas?

Remember:

Desert doesn't mean water never comes through.

Sometimes it means water comes through very quickly when it finally does.

12. Check Fire-Related Requirements

Depending on location and proposed development, wildfire-related requirements may affect your plans.

Determine whether the property falls within applicable fire-hazard areas and what requirements may apply to your proposed residence, access and development.

Don't assume that vacant desert means no wildfire concern.

And don't assume that seeing a designation on an online map tells you everything you need to know about building requirements.

Verify parcel-specific requirements with the appropriate agencies.

13. Research Existing and Historical Permits

This can be particularly interesting when a parcel has:

• An old concrete pad
• Cabin remnants
• An abandoned structure
• Existing utility equipment
• A septic system
• A well
• Evidence of previous development

San Bernardino County provides a process for researching historical permits.

If the seller says:

“There used to be a house here.”

or:

“That pad was for an old cabin.”

consider researching what records actually exist.

In the Morongo Basin, there are many parcels with remnants of old recreational or jackrabbit homestead cabins.

The fact that a structure existed decades ago doesn't automatically establish that the property is ready for a modern residence today.

History is useful.

It isn't a current building permit.

14. Investigate What You Want to Build

This is where all the previous research comes together.

Maybe you want:

• A traditional house
• A manufactured home
• A tiny home
• An ADU
• A garage or workshop
• An off-grid residence
• A future retirement home

Don't ask only:

“Can I build?”

Ask:

“Can I build what I want to build?”

The answer can depend on zoning, setbacks, access, water, wastewater, site conditions, utilities, fire requirements and the particular design.

If your entire reason for purchasing the land depends on one specific future use, investigate that use carefully before closing.

15. Don't Assume You Can Live in an RV Indefinitely

This comes up frequently with inexpensive desert land.

A buyer thinks:

“I'll buy five acres, park my RV there and figure out the house later.”

San Bernardino County regulates RV occupancy.

Temporary residential use of an RV may be permitted in certain circumstances during active construction of the first residence, subject to applicable permits and requirements.

That's very different from:

“I own the dirt, therefore I can live in an RV on it forever.”

If RV use is part of your plan, verify exactly what is allowed.

16. Don't Assume You Can Operate an Airbnb

Joshua Tree and the surrounding desert have attracted many buyers interested in short-term rentals.

But don't purchase vacant land based on the assumption that you'll simply build something and operate an Airbnb.

Short-term rentals are regulated.

Applicable zoning, permits and operating requirements matter, and rules can change.

Your land should make sense even after you've investigated the regulatory environment—not merely because your spreadsheet assumes a particular nightly rate.

17. Estimate the Real Development Cost

This is where cheap land sometimes stops looking quite so cheap.

Consider the potential cost of:

• Water
• Well
• Power
• Solar/off-grid systems
• Septic
• Survey
• Grading
• Driveway/access
• Permits
• Plans
• Engineering
• Geotechnical work
• Fire requirements
• Foundation
• Utility extensions
• Construction

You don't necessarily need exact bids for every item before purchasing every parcel.

But you should understand which major development pieces your property is missing.

That's why I keep saying:

Price the project, not just the dirt.

A $15,000 parcel with substantial infrastructure challenges may ultimately cost considerably more to develop than a $35,000 parcel with better access, water and utilities.

18. Visit the Property More Than Once If You Can

Different conditions reveal different things.

Visit during daylight.

Look at the surrounding properties.

Drive the access route.

Notice utility infrastructure.

Look for washes and drainage.

Listen.

Look at neighboring uses.

See how remote it actually feels.

If practical, visit after weather conditions have changed.

Vacant land isn't just an APN.

You're buying a location.

19. Talk to the Right Professionals

A real estate broker can help you identify questions, locate information and coordinate your investigation.

But some questions belong with specialists.

Depending on the parcel and your intended use, that might include:

• San Bernardino County Land Use Services
• Environmental Health Services
• Water provider
• Electric utility
• Title company
• Licensed land surveyor
• Civil engineer
• Geologist or geotechnical professional
• Well professional
• Septic professional
• Contractor
• Manufactured-home professional
• Attorney
• Lender

Good due diligence isn't about finding one person who knows everything.

It's about knowing which question belongs to whom.

20. Make Your Due Diligence Match Your Intended Use

This may be the most important item on the entire list.

Suppose two buyers are considering the same five-acre parcel.

Buyer One wants to hold it for twenty years.

Buyer Two wants to build a manufactured home within twelve months.

They may need very different levels of investigation before purchasing.

That's why I don't believe in handing every buyer a generic checklist and saying:

“Here. Check all the boxes.”

I want to know:

What are you trying to accomplish?

Then we identify the issues that could interfere with that plan.

The High Desert Vacant Land Due Diligence Checklist

Before closing, consider investigating:

• Property identity and APN
• Physical location
• Property boundaries
• Survey information
• Zoning
• Setbacks
• Intended use
• Legal access
• Physical road access
• Easements
• Preliminary title report
• Public water availability
• Existing water meter
• Existing well and well records
• Electricity availability
• Septic/sewer requirements
• Existing perc information
• Flood and drainage conditions
• Fire-related requirements
• Historical permits
• Existing structures or improvements
• Manufactured-home eligibility, if applicable
• Tiny-home requirements, if applicable
• RV restrictions, if applicable
• Short-term-rental rules, if applicable
• Development costs
• Financing requirements
• Property taxes and ongoing carrying costs
• Any other issue important to your specific plans

You may not need the same level of investigation for every item on every parcel.

But you should consciously decide what matters rather than discovering the answer after closing.

The Goal Isn't to Find Perfect Land

There probably isn't a parcel where every answer is:

Yes. Easy. Cheap. Approved. No problem.

That's not the objective.

The objective is to understand what you're buying.

Maybe the property needs a well.

Fine—if you understand that and have budgeted accordingly.

Maybe electricity is expensive to extend.

Fine—if you're intentionally planning an off-grid project.

Maybe the road is rough.

Fine—if privacy and remoteness are exactly what you want.

A property characteristic isn't automatically a problem.

An expensive surprise is the problem.

Good due diligence helps turn surprises into decisions.

Found High Desert Land You're Thinking About Buying?

Send me the listing or APN.

It doesn't have to be one of my listings.

You can find the property on Zillow, Realtor.com, Land.com, another brokerage website or while driving around the desert.

Tell me what you're hoping to do with it.

That's the part I care about first.

Once I understand the goal, I can help you identify the questions you'll want to investigate before deciding whether the parcel makes sense for your plans.

You don't need someone to simply send you a list of vacant properties.

There are plenty of websites that can do that.

A national real estate website can show you what's listed. I can help you understand the landscape.

Looking for High Desert Land?

Tell me your budget, desired acreage, intended use and which property characteristics matter most to you.

Dawn Anderson is a California real estate broker serving buyers and sellers in the High Desert. This information is provided for general educational purposes and is not legal, surveying, engineering, geological, environmental, title, utility, septic, tax, investment, lending or permitting advice. Property conditions, boundaries, access, title matters, zoning, development requirements, water, utilities, wastewater, hazards, costs and proposed uses should be independently investigated and verified with San Bernardino County, applicable agencies, service providers and appropriately qualified professionals before purchasing or