It’s not easy.

Clients who want to live in an old neighborhood have few choices. The open land is gone. Most homes that are in the neighborhood are in good enough shape to add value to the lot upon which they are perched. Ideally, the clients want to find a tear down, or a home is such rough shape that most everyone cannot see a renovation opportunity. But it doesn’t stop there. As this thread explains, there are more issues in play.

Had a buyer reach out about building a new single family house on this empty lot. Right out the gate, they sent me completed borings, structural & architectural plans and details from seller. Fishy yes.. why would an owner have this much info available for empty land 🤔 1/5 pic.twitter.com/NDMflYU5AA

— J. Smith, Architect (@AmbitiousThnkr) June 10, 2024

Soil testing and estimates for debris removal and site prep are easy numbers to come by. The tricky bits of information is whether the plan the clients have in mind will fit on the parcel and still comply with the building codes and municipal ordinances.

Lack of information results in uncertainty. Too much uncertainty and people do not want to move forward. That’s not progress!