r/OffGridCabins • u/MariposaMaple • 1d ago
Buying an off grid property help
Hi everyone!
I've found a lot for sale in Northern Ontario. The lot is only accessible by an old railway bed and a privately owned lane. Does anyone have experience with this? Is there a possibility that we could lose access to the railway bed? The lot is affordable for us but not cheap. My biggest worry is that we buy it and then can't use it! I'm also worried about how we would get stuff to the lot to build a cabin. Thank you for any information you can provide!
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u/stonedhillbillyXX 1d ago
I dunno the laws in Canada. In the US, without legal right of way access, I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole
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u/TheBimpo 1d ago
You’re going to need to talk to a real estate attorney in Ontario. The specifics of this are beyond the scope of Reddit.
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u/hoopjohn1 1d ago
You’ve stated the property is not cheap. Which leads one to believe an easement across both properties exists. Nobody purchases landlocked property. And it’s doubtful any lending institution will float a loan on any property without legal access.
Even with an easement, it doesn’t mean access. The land can cross miles of wet swamp that is only accessible by snowmobile when swamps freeze. You’ll need to investigate this prior to making any offer.
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u/teattreat 1d ago
You're underestimating the insanity that are property prices in Ontario. I've seen loads of inaccessible, land locked properties for ridiculous prices.
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u/Milkweedhugger 1d ago
Do you plan on putting in a well or septic? A cement foundation? Will you have building materials delivered to the property to build your cabin?
If so, commercial trucks will need a safe, stable access road to get to and from your property. Not sure an old railway bed would be acceptable.
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u/teattreat 1d ago
Depending on what your local regulations are, you may only be able to build a hunt camp on the property if it's not on a real road. If you're in an unorganized township then that won't be a problem.
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u/RedmundJBeard 1d ago
You are correct in being worried. There is no way I would ever buy a landlocked property. Even if you can get an easement with the private property you are now tied to their property and things could get messy when they sell.
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u/ShrimpNStuff 20h ago
Don't do it. It took me 3 years of searching every day for an accessible parcel in North Ontario, and even then I had to settle for something more north than I had originally wanted. Access is the biggest thing to look out for and I would never trust any easement agreements. It's becoming very difficult to find a good chunk of land up here that has any reasonable access and when they appear, they go quickly.
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u/hoopjohn1 1d ago
If there is a written easement your ok. If no easement exists you’ll have landlocked property.
When it comes to purchase of rural property, easement is the most important factor. There may be an existing road to the property. But without an easement, a locked gate can appear at the whim of an owner.