Oh and I could add, the kind of interesting twist is that the property is super easy to access from our place. Not just that, but the flat, buildable part of the property is right off the flattest part of our property, and we already have a driveway that goes out there. He first got in contact with us asking if he could have an easement to use that driveway. I wanted to stay on his good side, so I didn’t laugh him off the property when he asked. It goes right through our pasture. Who would grant an easement like that???
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I had a family member build a driveway like this, so people will do it. Especially if the land is prime and a view is involved (don’t know if there is one involved in this situation but some people will do anything for a view).
BUY IT NOW! If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s that people will slap a house on any vacant land, whether it’s “buildable” or not. It sounds like the odds you’d ever want or need a driveway there are slim to none. Don’t risk it. We’ve bought adjacent parcels before and I’ve never regretted it because there absolutely would be houses on them by now.
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Yes. 15 acres in that area for 350K? Sounds as though you can’t go wrong.
Besides, just think how much it will be worth once people begin commuting via personal hovercraft. It’s only a matter of time! 
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The way to protect the land and, ultimately, the enjoyment of your own property is to purchase the adjacent lot. You should be able to make an acceptable offer if your neighbour has no need to spend $$$$$$ building an access road before selling it.
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COTH: not only horse purchase but now also real estate purchase enablers.
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“BUY IT NOW! If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s that people will slap a house on any vacant land, whether it’s “buildable” or not. It sounds like the odds you’d ever want or need a driveway there are slim to none. Don’t risk it. We’ve bought adjacent parcels before and I’ve never regretted it because there absolutely would be houses on them by now.”
I can’t agree with this more.
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My husband loves to tell non-horse people what it’s like being married to a horse person. First you buy a horse, then you buy the truck and the trailer for moving said horse around, then you build a barn for the horse to live at home, then you buy a second horse because first horse needs a buddy, then you buy a farm, then you buy more horses, and then a bigger trailer. Somewhere along the way you end up with a donkey. It’s funny 'cause it’s true!
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I think it’ll be goats for me, not a donkey. But yeah.
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I say buy it pre-driveway. If there comes a time in the future when you want to sell both lots, a developer can make an access road into the other property through your existing property.
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I would have no problem with a driveway like that, and have navigated one that is much steeper and much longer for the last 20+ years.
The very bottom portion of the driveway had to be paved per town regulations - there was ledge there that could only be partially blasted, so the driveway is very steep right there and anything more than 32ft long would get stuck. The lot is a Hammerhead lot, so only one place to put the driveway. I love that it is away from the road (which has in the last 20 years gotten significantly busier).
If you want to control what neighbors do with their property, you have to buy it.
If you purchase the land and eventually decide you want to sell it (sans driveway) you could always deal with an easement at that time.
Absolutely have a chat with the local building authority or with a contractor who interacts with them. It’s not a guarantee that local authorities will allow building on the lot. And a very steep driveway may make building on it uneconomical.
Driveways that steep require a lot of maintenance. There is zero point in putting one in and leaving it to sit.
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Buy it now. That’s the only way to control it.
If you’re feeling nosey, pursue the reg boards about whether a driveway can even go there and what it might entail. But if you just want to keep the lot empty, you have to own it.
Someone will buy that land and try to build on it, and unfortunately the person that does that is often… interesting if not difficult to have as a neighbor. They either didn’t do their research and have no clue (about this and many other things), or are on a very tight budget and will get creative in ways you may not like. Even the board saying no to a driveway may not deter people the way you hope.
Buy it. Or make a lowball offer and see if the seller comes back when he can’t unload the lot for the price he wants.
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In my area 10% is the maximum grade allowed under the law. This is not for the convenience of private vehicles, it is to ensure a fire engine can get to the house in the event of fire. I would be very surprised if this wasn’t the case for you.
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I’d be more inclined to just pay his price and grab it before you get new neighbors. That’s after having gone through all kinds of misery because we failed to offer enough and the seller turned to a flipper who then tried to resell on Craigslist. Our little narrow road couldn’t handle the traffic and we had zero privacy for months, eventually we were the ones who moved on.
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I agree, do whatever you need to do NOW, to make a deal with the seller
It’s smart to control whatever you can surrounding the property you live on.
If you don’t have the cash right now, ask seller to hold the mortgage with xxx down, for a few years
The only reason I can think of is fear rules will change and it wouldn’t be allowed in the future. They’d be grandfathered in
If the 15 a. is uphill, I’d check on regulations limiting stormwater runoff. This property would be draining into his apartment complex.
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