Richmond Homes with Acreage

Within 30 minutes of downtown Richmond you can buy two acres in eastern Henrico, ten in Hanover, or fifty in Powhatan and Goochland. The tradeoffs are real: septic and well instead of public utilities, gravel roads the county does not plow, and surveys that matter far more than they do in a subdivision. The listings below are live from the MLS. Under them, what to check before you fall in love with a piece of land.

Utilities decide the price more than the acreage does. Public water and sewer stop at the edge of the suburbs. Past that line you are on a well and a septic system, and both need inspection by a licensed contractor, not just the general home inspector. A failed drainfield can cost more than a new roof. Ask for the septic permit and the last pump-out date, and ask the county health department whether the system is sized for the number of bedrooms being advertised.

Access, easements, and the road. Find out who owns the road. Private roads and shared driveways come with maintenance agreements, or they should. If there is no written agreement, that is a negotiation point, not a footnote. Confirm any easements on the survey: power lines, gas lines, a neighbor’s right-of-way, or a conservation easement that limits what you can build.

Get a survey, even if the lender does not require one. On acreage, the boundary you are told about and the boundary on record are not always the same thing. A current boundary survey is the cheapest insurance you will buy in the transaction. We covered when a survey is worth it.

Where the acreage is. Goochland and Powhatan carry the deepest inventory of five-plus-acre parcels west of the city. Hanover has it north of Mechanicsville and around Ashland. Eastern Henrico and Charles City County offer the closest-in options at lower prices. Start with the county guides: Goochland, Powhatan, Hanover. Our July market read on Goochland and Powhatan acreage is here. Ask us about a specific parcel.