I have quite a few clients that come in and are so excited to build because a parent is giving them a parcel of land subdivided off a portion of their property. It is wonderful news because the land can be used as a down payment for a construction loan if the value of the land is high enough.
There are only two drawbacks to subdividing a piece of property – time and money. It can cost in the thousands to have the property surveyed and in addition there are attorney, township and/or county fees. The process normally takes between 3 to 6 months…sometimes longer. I have outlined the process below.
- Arrange for a survey of the lot.
- Contact an attorney to prepare a new deed and legal description.
- Obtain the appropriate application for plan approval from the local municipality and well as the county.
- Obtain a tax map of the property from the Tax Mapping Office in the Courthouse.
- Submit a complete plan to the township and/or county.
Please note that the process takes 3-6 months for the following reasons: surveyors are very busy, plan review is usually done once a month, therefore you need to hit the right timing or you could waste a whole month, and if anything has to be submitted to DEP, that could extend the whole process by months.
I hope this information helps to those of you contemplating subdividing a piece of property.