Municipal Water Vs. Well Water
When you start looking for vacant lots to build your dream home on. The first thing your real estate agent might ask you is.
Do you prefer Municipal water or is well water ok?
After your agent has your preferences they will consider that while setting up your search for land.
Verification or Municipal Water Vs. Well Water
If your lot has municipal water & municipal sewer you will need to verify that the sewer and water lateral are to the lot line. This is crucial and if you don’t verify this you could end up with a $30,000 – $50,000 bill just to get these utilities to the lot.
When searching online for a lot you and your agent will look for verbiage on the listing that reads “at lot line” If the listing says Sewer you need to find out more information from the municipality because vacant lots that are “raw” are sold for much less than developed lots.
That’s why finding a real estate agent who has experience in vacant land and new construction can help you tenfold! PS I can help get in touch here
Calling the municipality and verifying the sewer and water laterals and even getting a map for the builder/excavator can be very helpful and reassuring.
Depending on where the water and sewer main have a lot to do with this price. In some situations, you have to get a road bond and hire a contractor who cuts the road open to access the mains to add your lateral. If the main is located on the side of the street your building is on then this price can be significantly less. Some municipalities do not allow you to cut the road and you have to hire a company to trench under the road which means a rather large expense.
Some areas are zoned and they require municipal water. Even tho having a well is possible you still need to have water if that’s what your municipality has planned. So checking with an agent and the county is always a good idea! Especially for more rural one-off lots.
In some cases the municipality will mark the Sewer Lateral location, Getting an as-built map (sewer map) is always a good idea, and sharing that information with your builder can save them time and allow you to make an educated decision efficiently.
WELL WATER
Wells the a great way to get water to your home and is a popular choice in Wisconsin. According to the DNR.
“About one-quarter of Wisconsin’s population drinks water drawn from over 800,000 private wells. Wells are safe, dependable sources of water if sited wisely and built correctly. Unlike public water systems, the protection and maintenance of a private well is largely the responsibility of homeowners.”
