If you are looking to buy or sell land in North Carolina please feel free to contact me today. I have experience dealing with landlocked land transactions.
How Much is Landlocked Property Worth?
Landlocked property, or land with no legal access, is worth much less than a similar piece of land that does have proper legal access. All other things being equal, landlocked property may only be worth 20-30% as much. With no legal access, it’s impossible to start or run any kid of business on the property, over even establish residency.
It’s important to not that legal access is different than physical access. An old property that has been in your family for generations may have a dirt road that’s been used to come and go, but if it crosses another property, and no rights have been put to paper, that legally that access is useless, and practically non-existent. Steps can be taken to gain legal access, and in such a situation, that road can be used as a form or precedence, but it not guaranteed.
Legal access can be obtained, but it’s a difficult process, and your results will vary. Contacting the owners of the surrounding properties and negotiating rights for any roads that pass through their land is an option, but there’s no way to force the owner to comply. In cases where a road has been used for a long period of time, at least 20 years, you can petition for that to be considered open and notorious with a local court or magistrate.
Also see: changing a private road to a public road in North Carolina.
This video explains more about purchasing landlocked property:
