You might think that buyers will pay you a premium for your site planning and architectural work, but usually, you'd be wrong.

The owners of the building lot at 89 Clapboard Ridge Road paid $3.3 for its 3 1/2 acres ( R-2 zone) in 2021, a nice discount from its original ask of $4.5. They may-or-may not have razed the existing 1956 house on the property; they did have the land surveyed, obtained a permit for a septic system design, and had preliminary architectural plans drawn up. Whether it was always their intention or they simply changed their mind, they didn’t build the envisioned house but instead put the land back on the market last September for $5.1 million. The results are shown above: as of today, they’ll take $3.9, and if you wait a bit, you’ll probably find even more flexibility in that price.

I don’t bring this up to be mean, or to ridicule, only to reiterate a point that’s been made here many times, with examples cited: buyers looking to build prefer to build to their own design, not yours. You might, if you’re lucky, get back some of the money you’ve spent on actual site preparation, such as grading, but probably not. It can be an expensive mistake to begin a building project and then quit before you’re done.