COLLECTION 01 · FIELD NOTE 04 · 1:37

How much will utilities cost?

“Utilities nearby” tells you where to start asking—not what service will cost.

The Pole Is Not the Price

LAND BUYER ANSWERS1:37

WORKED PARCEL EXAMPLE

THE 800-FOOT QUESTION

LINE ROUTE
EASEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
CUSTOMER-SIDE WORK

THE VERIFICATION ROUTINE

ROUTE · CAPACITY · COST

01
ROUTE
Give the provider the parcel and intended use.
02
CAPACITY
Confirm the route, equipment, and easements.
03
COST
Separate provider charges from site work.

WHAT THIS MAY MEAN FOR THE PROPERTY

A NEARBY LINE IS NOT A PARCEL-SPECIFIC ESTIMATE.

Ask your land professional to organize the provider questions and written answers.

SEND THIS TO YOUR CLIENT

Send the lesson. Then ask the next useful question.

Send this when a buyer asks “How much will utilities cost?” or when the issue becomes important during a property review.

The client receives this clean LANDVERSE lesson page. The securely hosted video plays right here.

RECOMMENDED CLIENT MESSAGE

“Hi — you asked, “How much will utilities cost?” I’m sending you a short lesson that gives you a clear starting point and explains what should be verified for the specific property. After you watch it, let me know which part of your plan you would like us to look at first.”

Read the lesson

The complete narration is provided as searchable, readable text.

1. Relevance and short answer

When a listing says “utilities nearby,” treat that as the beginning of the conversation—not the price of service.

2. Assumption correction

The nearest pole, pipe, or fiber line may belong to a different provider, lack capacity, or require a new easement. The extension may also involve engineering, clearing, trenching, transformers, meters, road crossings, or work on the customer’s side of the connection.

3. Worked parcel example

Suppose power is visible eight hundred feet from the homesite. One buyer hears, “Electric is close.” A careful buyer asks: what route will the line take, who controls that route, what equipment is required, and which costs belong to me?

4. Verification routine

Use Route, Capacity, Cost. First, give each provider the parcel number and your intended use. Second, request the proposed route and confirm any easements or access needed. Third, ask for a written estimate that separates provider charges from site work you must arrange.

5. Transfer and next move

Repeat the process for power, internet, gas, telephone, or any service your plan depends on. Then compare conventional extensions with practical alternatives. Your land professional can help organize the questions, but the useful answer comes from the provider and the people who will perform the site work.

IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL NOTE

General information, applied with local judgment.

These resources provide general educational information. Property conditions, regulations, financing requirements, and due-diligence needs vary by location and transaction. Buyers should consult the appropriate licensed, legal, financial, environmental, surveying, engineering, and technical professionals when needed.

The Land Buyer Answer Library is included with LANDVERSE AI membership.

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