5 Things to Know Before You Buy Acreage in Virginia

If you’ve been dreaming about buying acreage, you’re in good company. More privacy, more freedom, space for horses, chickens, a garden, maybe even ATVs, and shooting on your own property.

We talk to families about this all the time, and we get it because we live it ourselves.

But after helping buyers make this move for years, and going through it ourselves from Herndon to Ashburn to Gainesville and now out to Warrenton, we’ve seen people miss some really important things along the way. Not because they didn’t care, but because nobody told them what to look for.

So before you buy acreage in Virginia, here are five things we think you absolutely need to know.

1. Not all acreage is actually usable
2. Wells and septic systems can change everything
3. Internet and cell service matter more than you think
4. Zoning, HOAs, and CCRs still exist in the country
5. Country living comes with equipment and maintenance costs

Some of them we learned the hard way, like the time we were digging fence posts for our chicken coop and realized we were right in the direct line of our septic system. We pulled our records out just in time, and trust us, that would have been really, really messy.

We also talk about why 5 acres doesn’t always mean 5 usable acres, why you need to check your cell signal before you fall in love with a property, how zoning and CCRs can restrict what you do even on large acreage, and why Brian’s love of Kubota equipment is more than just a hobby. Spoiler: it takes us about 8 and a half hours to mow our back field together.

The truth is, buying acreage can be one of the best decisions your family ever makes. But the right property is about more than the house.

It’s about making sure the land fits the life you actually want to live.

Watch our video for the full breakdown, or jump to the topics that interest you most using the timestamps below:

00:00 — Intro

00:34 — Usable Land

01:03 — Wells and Septic

02:50 — Cell and Internet

03:57 — Zoning and HOAs

04:51 — Equipment Costs

06:59 — Why We Love It

08:19 — Brian’s Take

10:38 — Reach Out

Whether it’s a legacy home your kids come back to every holiday or a farmette with horses and a vineyard, we’ll help you match the property to the life you want. As Brian puts it, “Sometimes it feels like we’re living in an Airbnb all the time,” and that’s the feeling we want to help you find.

If buying acreage in Northern Virginia is something that’s been tugging at your heart, we’d love to chat. We’ll tell you all the good, all the bad, and all the ugly, real talk from people who live it every day. Call us at 703-386-7326, email hello@dianeandbrian.com, or visit dianeandbrian.com.