From an Oregon Land Specialist Who Grew Up in a Land Surveying Family

Buying bare land isn’t like buying a house. There’s no inspector walking through rooms pointing out problems, and a lot of what actually matters — boundaries, access, water, zoning — is invisible until you specifically go looking for it. Most of the land deals I’ve seen go sideways weren’t about the price.

I grew up in a land surveying family, running property lines and cruising timber with my father starting at age 12, then spent five years in the City of Salem survey department before becoming an Oregon land specialist. That background shaped how I approach due diligence — methodically, in a specific order, because skipping a step on raw land tends to cost more than skipping one on a house.

Read more: Can You Build a House on Bare Land in Oregon?

Start with the boundary, not the view

Rural land frequently has fence lines that don’t match the recorded legal boundary — sometimes by a few feet, sometimes by a lot more. Before you get emotionally attached to where a view, a building site, or a tree line sits, confirm it’s actually inside the parcel you’re buying. A current survey, or at minimum a careful review of the existing legal description against visible features, prevents a genuinely common and expensive surprise.

Confirm zoning and what it actually allows

Zoning determines what you can build. Don’t rely on how a listing describes the land — confirm the actual zoning designation with the county, and ask specifically about the use you have in mind, not just “is this buildable” in general terms.

Read more: Oregon Timberland For Sale in the Willamette Valley: 2026 Buyer’s Guide

Check access — on paper and on the ground

Confirm the parcel has legal, recorded access, whether that’s public road frontage or a properly documented easement. Then walk it. A recorded 20-foot easement may technically provide legal access, but if no one has graded or maintained it, it can be far less practical than a paved private road

Pull the title report and actually read the exceptions

Title reports list easements, reservations, liens, and other encumbrances in an exceptions section that’s easy to skim past. Mineral or timber rights reservations, utility easements crossing a potential building site, and old agreements from previous owners can all limit what you can do with land you otherwise own outright. Have someone who reads these regularly walk through the exceptions with you.

Understand water before you count on it

If the parcel needs a well, confirm typical yield and quality in that specific area rather than assuming water because a neighbor has a good well. If there’s a certificated water right involved — for irrigation or another use — confirm it’s currently valid and in good standing, since Oregon water rights can lapse from years of non-use.

Read more: EFU Zoning in Oregon: What Exclusive Farm Use Actually Restricts Before You Buy or Sell

Check for farm deferral or other special tax status

Land under special assessment, such as farm or forest deferral, receives a reduced tax rate when it meets the qualifying-use requirements. If your intended use no longer qualifies, the county may disqualify the property and assess back taxes. Confirm the property’s status and any potential back-tax liability with the county assessor before closing rather than discovering it afterward.

Don’t skip a physical walk of the whole parcel

Aerial photos and listing descriptions can’t tell you everything — a walk of the actual boundary lines, not just the driveway and the obvious building area, often turns up things that matter: wet areas that don’t show on a summer photo, old fence lines that don’t match the plat, informal trails or usage by neighbors, or terrain that changes the buildable footprint more than it appears from the road. If the acreage is large or the terrain is difficult, this is worth doing with someone who knows what to look for, not just a casual stroll.

Read more: Farm Deferral in Oregon: How Special Assessment Actually Works

Five things to put in writing before you remove contingencies

1. Current survey or boundary confirmation, especially if fence lines and the recorded description might not match.
2. Zoning confirmation in writing for your specific intended use, not a general assumption.
3. Recorded, legal access confirmed and physically walked, not just shown on a plat map.
4. Full title report reviewed, with every exception explained, not just skimmed.
5. Water and tax-status confirmation — well feasibility or water right status, and any special assessment implications for your plans.

Why raw land due diligence is its own discipline

A residential home inspection follows a fairly standard checklist. Bare land due diligence is more like detective work — the problems aren’t in one report, they’re spread across survey records, county planning files, the title company, and sometimes a phone call to a well driller or the assessor’s office. Doing this specifically for Oregon land, for two decades, means I know which of these steps matters most for a given parcel and county, rather than running through a generic checklist.

Where this comes up most

Across Marion, Polk, Yamhill, Linn, Benton, and Clackamas counties, the due diligence issues I see most often are boundary mismatches on older rural parcels, EFU dwelling eligibility questions, and access easements that were never properly documented or maintained — all things that show up in records and conversations, not in a drive-by look at the property.

Read more: Conservation Easements on Oregon Farmland: What They Restrict and What They’re Actually Worth

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a survey every time I buy bare land? 

Not always, but strongly consider one when fence lines, buildings, or features don’t clearly and obviously match the recorded legal description, or when boundary certainty matters for your plans.

How do I find out if there’s a water right on the property? 

The Oregon Water Resources Department maintains searchable records by name, parcel, or certificate number — confirm any represented water right directly rather than taking a listing’s word for it.

What’s the biggest due diligence mistake you see buyers make? 

Skipping the title exceptions section because it looks like boilerplate. That’s exactly where reservations, easements, and restrictions that actually limit the property tend to live.

Should I get title insurance on bare land? 

Generally yes — it protects against issues in the chain of title that even careful due diligence can miss, and the cost is modest relative to what it protects.

Let’s go through the checklist together

Every parcel is a little different, and the right due diligence order depends on what you’re planning to do with the land. I’d rather walk through it with you before you’re under contract than have something surface during escrow that could have been caught earlier.

About Al Cronemiller — Oregon Land Specialist, MORE Realty, Salem, Oregon. Started working timber with his father at age 12 — cruising timber, running property lines, building logging roads. His grandfather was Oregon State Forester in the 1930s and helped write Oregon’s reforestation bylaws; Cronemiller Lake near Corvallis is named after him. Al spent five years in the City of Salem survey department, owned a construction and remodeling company for 30 years as a licensed general contractor, and worked as a commercial property buyer for institutional hedge fund clients. He holds Land Specialist and Multi-Family Specialist designations and has spent 20+ years selling Oregon bare land, EFU farmland, timberland, and investment property.

This is Al Cronemiller, your Salem Oregon Bare Land Specialist. I always answer.

503-949-5025 | al@cronemiller.com | HomesForSaleSalemOregon.net

This article is educational and general in nature. It is not legal or engineering advice — talk with a qualified attorney, surveyor, or your county planning department about your specific parcel.