Find Your Ground in Southern California

Buying vacant land requires a different kind of due diligence than purchasing a home, commercial building, or other improved property. With land there is no existing structure to inspect — instead, buyers need to verify zoning and permitted uses, conduct percolation tests if a septic system will be needed, confirm well water availability or municipal water access, check road access and utility infrastructure, verify flood zone and fire hazard status, assess topography and soil conditions, and complete any required environmental clearances. Financing is also different: land loans typically require 20–50% down payments with higher interest rates and shorter terms than conventional mortgages for improved property.

Start with two things that people often assume are the same and aren't: the zoning designation and the general plan land use designation. Zoning governs what's allowed today. The general plan signals what the jurisdiction intends long term, and the two can conflict. From there it's permitted versus conditionally permitted uses, minimum lot size, setbacks, height limits, and whether an overlay district applies. Then the physical constraints — slope, flood zone, fire hazard severity zone, septic feasibility, and legal access — which can rule out a use the zoning technically allows. We research all of it during due diligence, before you commit.

A percolation test (perc test) measures how quickly water drains through soil on a parcel of land. This determines whether a septic system can be installed on the property. If the land you are considering is not connected to a municipal sewer system, a perc test is essential before purchasing. We coordinate perc testing during the due diligence period of every applicable land transaction.

An APN (Assessor's Parcel Number) is the number a county assessor assigns to a parcel for tax purposes. It's how you pull zoning and tax records, order a title report, or find the parcel on a map — which matters a lot with land, since many vacant parcels have no street address at all. If you're asking us about a specific property, the APN is the fastest route to an accurate answer.

But an APN doesn't define boundaries and can't convey property. It's an administrative label, and it can be reassigned when parcels are split or combined. The legal description is the text in the deed that actually defines the land, and in California it usually takes one of three forms: lot and block referencing a recorded subdivision map, metes and bounds using bearings and distances from a point of beginning, or section, township and range under the Public Land Survey System — which in Southern California references the San Bernardino Base and Meridian.

The distinction becomes expensive when the two don't line up, or when a legal description covers land that was never legally subdivided. We check for that early, because it's far cheaper to solve before you're in escrow.

While not legally required in California, having an experienced land specialist is highly recommended. Land transactions involve zoning research, soil and environmental assessments, percolation tests for septic eligibility, utility access verification, easement checks, and entitlement processes that differ significantly from purchasing improved property. Whether you're buying a residential lot, agricultural acreage, rural acreage, or a commercial parcel, a land-focused agent can help you avoid costly mistakes and navigate the complexities unique to each property type.

California has more regulatory layers affecting land than most states, and understanding them before you buy is essential. Key areas include: zoning and general plan designations that control what you can build, CEQA (California Environmental Quality Act) review that may be triggered by development applications, fire hazard severity zones that impose building material and defensible space requirements, flood zone designations that affect insurance and buildability, and septic and well permit requirements that vary by county. Some parcels may fall within habitat conservation plan areas that impose additional review requirements. Agricultural land may be encumbered by a Williamson Act contract that restricts non-agricultural use for years. Regional water board requirements, DTSC environmental screening, and county-specific grading ordinances add further complexity. Our team researches every applicable regulation during due diligence so you understand exactly what you're buying — and what you can do with it — before you close escrow.

Rural acreage carries considerations that smaller parcels often do not. Legal and physical access has to be verified — some rural parcels are landlocked or depend on easements across a neighbor's property. Water is frequently the deciding factor, whether that means an existing well, water rights, or the cost of drilling a new one. Utility extension can get expensive fast when the nearest power line is a half mile away. Boundaries on large parcels are often unsurveyed and don't match what's fenced. Fire hazard severity zoning affects both insurance costs and what you're required to build. We work through each of these during due diligence so there are no surprises after closing.

Yes, and it's a common situation with vacant land. Long-held parcels often carry title issues that only surface at sale: unrecorded easements, boundaries that don't match what's fenced, mineral or water rights reserved to a prior owner, paper lots that were never legally created, or several heirs on title. These are usually solvable, but they take time — which is why we work through title and access questions before listing rather than discovering them mid-escrow.

We help buyers find land for a wide range of uses — custom home builds, agricultural operations, equestrian properties, ranches, commercial development, self-storage facilities, industrial sites, solar farms, recreational retreats, and investment holds. Each use case has different zoning, entitlement, and infrastructure requirements, and our team provides specialized guidance for every property type. We verify buildability, setback requirements, slope constraints, utility connections, and environmental factors before you close escrow, and connect you with the right professionals — builders, architects, civil engineers, or commercial developers — to move your project forward.

We handle all types of land transactions including vacant residential lots for custom home builds, agricultural acreage, rural and equestrian property, commercial land, and development-ready parcels throughout the Inland Empire. Each land type has unique requirements for due diligence and we provide specialized guidance for each.

Oliver, Tyler & Associates is a land-focused real estate team at Century 21 Masters covering five counties across Southern California. Our core market is the Greater Inland Empire — Murrieta, Temecula, Menifee, Wildomar, Lake Elsinore, Hemet, San Jacinto, and unincorporated Riverside County. Beyond that, we handle land transactions across San Diego County (North County, Valley Center, Fallbrook, back-country), Los Angeles County (Antelope Valley, Lancaster, Palmdale, foothill parcels), and Orange County (southern OC acreage and Ortega corridor parcels). We work with all types of land including residential lots, agricultural acreage, rural acreage, and commercial parcels.

For general inquiries, email [email protected] — that reaches the whole team. To reach us directly, Andrew is at [email protected] or 951-813-6948, and Jake is at [email protected] or 951-813-8656. Our office is at 26305 Jefferson Ave Ste G, Murrieta, CA 92562. We're open Monday through Friday 8 AM to 6 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 4 PM, and Sunday by appointment.