Why You Need an Assessor’s Building Record Before You Buy Land
Today we are going to look at what an assessor building record is and why it’s needed when buying land. Specifically in San Diego County, if you’re buying land, the assessor building record is vital to obtain. If you are in any area, such as East County, that was affected by the Witch Creek Fire, Cedar Fire, or even any home that was burned down as a structure fire that was never rebuilt because the insurance money wasn’t there, previous impact fees have already been paid for the previous structure. These fees include school fees, traffic impact fees, and parks fees.
Significant Costs
When buying land, knowing if a previous home existed could save you thousands of dollars. School fees are typically $4 a square foot, which total $8,000 for a 2,000 square foot house. Traffic impact fees can range from $3,000 to $8,000. Park fees were recently raised from roughly $4,500 to $7,500 for the county. These are significant costs.
Calculating Square Footage
Any properties that can show a previous home stood on the lot with the assessor building record can avoid paying previously paid fees, such as school fees based on the size of the home that was there before. So, if we build the same size home as before, 2000 square feet before, 2000 square feet now, we are not going to owe any school fees. If we build a larger home, we will only pay the difference. Therefore, a 3000 square foot home, built on a lot that previously had a 2000 square foot home, would only require school fees paid on the additional 1,000 square feet. Only paying half or a third of those fees equates to a huge savings. This includes park fees and traffic impact fees as well. I have recently received conflicting information that any home built after 2007 but does not exist anymore, that the traffic impact fees are still due, however, we’ve had this waived in the past. Depending on the situation, there’s still a chance to waive the traffic impact fees.
Obtaining an Assessor Building Record
Assessor building records must be requested by the owner of the property. If you’re buying land, you need your agent or yourself to request from the owner, the seller, or their agent. Step one is to get the document from the assessor’s website. Once you get the form, have the owner, seller, or seller’s agent fill out the form and write down the names of those to whom the form can be released to. That document will allow the assessor or county office to release that property’s information to you.
Identifying What is Permitted
Another important result is the record will expose everything that is permitted. So when buying a home, any concerns over non-permitted renovations, a garage, etc., you can see what is listed on that permit record. An assessor building record is important during the due diligence period of either buying land or buying a home, so make sure you obtain it. The record will clarify a lot of questions you might have about the property.
I hope that was helpful. If you want more information about pricing on custom homes, ADUs, whole house remodels, popular floor plans, or any of the like, make sure you download it here from our website at www.freemansconstruction.com . Take a look at our comprehensive collection of similar videos on our YouTube channel, The Real Property Show. Thanks for your time and have a great rest of your day.
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