Sell Your Lot in Boiling Spring Lakes

Selling Land in Boiling Spring Lakes: What to Know

Boiling Spring Lakes is a city in Brunswick County between Leland and Southport, along NC 87. It covers about 23 square miles of pine woods, lakes and wetlands. Much of it was laid out as a lot subdivision decades ago, and many of those lots are still vacant. If you own one and are ready to sell, you do not need to list it and wait.

EasyLotBuyer buys land in Boiling Spring Lakes for cash. It is the subdivision where we have bought the most lots in Brunswick County. We make an offer within 24 hours, charge no fees or commissions, pay the closing costs, and can close in as few as 7 days. We buy lots with back taxes, liens, title issues or no road access.

What lots sell for in Boiling Spring Lakes

We could not find a public source for lot prices inside the city alone, so these figures are for the wider area. Boiling Spring Lakes shares ZIP code 28461 with Southport and Bald Head Island. Recent market data shows a median land sale of $95,000 in that ZIP, with 364 sales in a year. That number includes beach and island lots, which sell for more. Across Brunswick County, lots under one acre had a median sale of $70,000.

Inside the city, the main things that move price are whether the lot can get a septic permit, how much of it is wetland, whether it sits in a woodpecker area, and whether a paved road reaches it.

Zoning and lot size

The city's Unified Development Ordinance sets a minimum lot of 15,300 square feet and 90 feet of width in the R-1 through R-5 residential districts. The R-6 Rural Residential district needs 5 acres. Many old lots are smaller than today's minimum. The ordinance sends those lots to a separate section on nonconforming lots, so a buyer may need to combine two lots or get a ruling from the city.

The city also has a Conservation district that holds state conservation land, flood areas and large wetlands. Homes are not allowed in that district. Check your lot's zoning on the city zoning map before you price it. The ordinance changes, so confirm current rules with the city at 910-363-0025.

Septic, sewer and water

Brunswick County provides sewer service inside Boiling Spring Lakes, but a lot can only connect if a line runs past it. Where there is no sewer, a home needs a septic system permitted by Brunswick County Environmental Health. A county specialist checks the soil, the depth to wet soil and the space for a system and a repair area. Wet, low lots often fail.

The city's checklist for a new home asks for a plot plan that shows the septic system and repair area, and for a wastewater Improvement Permit, Authorization to Construct or Operation Permit. The building permit itself needs the county's Authorization to Construct. The county Improvement Permit application fee is $515 for a standard home system. If your lot already has a septic permit, keep a copy. A permit issued with a plat does not expire under state law.

To ask if a water or sewer line runs past your lot, call Brunswick County Public Utilities at 910-253-2655.

Red-cockaded woodpeckers and pine trees

Boiling Spring Lakes has longleaf pine forest that the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker uses for nests and food. Because of this, the city requires U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service authorization before it will permit the removal of any pine tree. The city also needs a permit for removing any tree larger than 7.9 inches across at chest height.

If a lot is in a woodpecker cluster or foraging area, the city's checklist asks for a letter from the Service before a lot clearing permit is issued. The Service reviews these projects through its online IPaC system. It looks at the lot plus 200 feet around it, and it asks owners to allow 30 days for a response. If a project would harm the birds, the owner may need a Habitat Conservation Plan and an incidental take permit. The Service also notes that the endangered rough-leaved loosestrife plant grows in the city.

For many buyers, this review adds time and cost. It is a big reason lots here can be slow to sell. Contact the Service's Raleigh office at 919-856-4520 with questions about a lot.

Wetlands and flood zones

The city requires 404 wetlands to be shown on the survey for a new home, and any part of a lot in a Special Flood Hazard Area to be marked on the plot plan. A floodplain development permit must be issued before a zoning permit in a flood area. Filling wetlands needs a Section 404 permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Brunswick County also requires a stormwater permit for a home site if the work disturbs more than one acre, adds more than four inches of fill, or disturbs land within thirty feet of a stream or lake. You can check flood zones on the county's Flood Zone Viewer.

Taxes and selling with back taxes

The Brunswick County Tax Office collects property tax on lots in the city. Taxes are due September 1 and can be paid without interest through January 5. If taxes go unpaid for long, the county can foreclose and sell the lot at auction on the courthouse steps in Bolivia.

If your lot has back taxes, you can still sell it. We pay the taxes from the sale at closing and pay the closing costs.