The Real Cost of Owning Land in the Owens Valley

A cheap piece of land in the Owens Valley can be one of the best deals in California — or one of the most expensive mistakes you'll ever make. The difference is almost never the price. It's everything that comes with it.

Before you buy, you need to know: Is there legal access, or do you cross someone else's property to get there? Is there water, or will you be hauling it? What's the septic situation? Is the parcel even buildable under current county rules? Are there easements, federal leases, or old rights-of-way running through it?

Title work answers a lot of this. A good local agent and a county planning visit answer the rest. The land itself might be a few thousand dollars an acre. Drilling a well or fighting an access dispute can cost far more.

I love land out here — I think more people should own a piece of the Eastern Sierra. But own it with your eyes open. The romance of a mountain parcel fades fast the first time the access road washes out.