Obtaining septic permits in Cherokee County has become an issue shrouded in controversy and political pitfalls. I’ve found many of my buyers have been very disgruntled in the fact it takes an average of 6-8 months to get a standard permit. Hold it! Clear your head and use it to your advantage!
One of the most important things to understand is what got us to this point in the first place. This is a very small nutshell of what all has been occurring behind the scenes. We have lost several soil scientists to counties offering to pay them more and provides more benefits. To offset the losses, several younger scientists were hired, but they must train under a veteran in order to eventually work on their own. Coupled with many political issues, the problem snowballed into more than 600 outstanding permits and an average of 6 months wait time.
Now how can you turn this dilemma into a benefit? The fact is most land buyers (especially in the Murphy, North Carolina area) who intend to use their new found property to build their second home, or cabin in our local market, don’t want to build right away. If you’re planning on taking a year or more to build, PERFECT! In this case, you’re making a smart call to buy a tract that doesn’t have a permit.
Now, I’m not saying that buying a piece with a permit is bad – it’s not in any way. What I am presenting is you write an offer on land contingent upon getting a septic permit (FYI – it’s rated by the amount of bedrooms your home will have). That way, you only put up some earnest money and have the property tied up while you wait for the Cherokee County Health Department. You don’t even close on the land till a couple weeks after you have the permit in hand.
The benefit to the buyer? Lots! While the county is working to get you a permit, You’re not paying interest on a land loan, you’re not paying the real estate taxes, you many times get to enjoy appreciation on the property you’re getting, and some investors have even used this time to find a new buyer! There’s a lot of opportunity in what may initially seem like a “bad thing.” We live in an instantaneous age, but if we can sometimes slow down, great things can come to those who wait.
John Poltrock – REMAX Mountain Properties – www.MyMurphy.com – JohnPoltrock@gmail.com – Call us Toll Free at 1-866-Murphy-NC or 1-866-687-7496