How to subdivide a lot - Portland, Oregon

Question

Hi everyone! I'm Jonathan and am looking at a fixer property in Portland, Oregon that my family would live in for at least 3 years as my wife does her residency at OHSU and then either rent, or sell.

The property we are looking at is on a 10,000 square foot lot which is about 2x as large as typical lots in the neighborhood we are looking in. The large lot got me thinking of the possibility of eventually subdividing the lot and then either selling the land, or building a second home to sell. However I have no idea about what that process entails and the likelihood of it being a realistic option. Was hoping to get some feedback from other members so that we can gauge the potential upside accordingly as we look into the deal. Thanks!

Jay Hinrichs · Answer

as Jay suggested a trip to the planning department would be worth your time..

however a visit with a good land planning company in PDX would be worth it as well.

Key will be where your house is situated on the lot.. unless your thinking of demolishing the house.

I have 9 projects going now in PDX all with some sort of lot split they take from 1 to 2 years to get done and 5 to 20k each ...

Jay Harding · Answer

Jonathon, first I'm a newbie investor for sure but interestingly enough my first deal last year was on a lot that was dividable, in case your not aware this web-site will tell you your zoning and if it is dividable Portland Maps . The one thing I learned that currently in Portland it is a lengthy process to get the lot divided and can be costly depending on the situation. The nice thing for you is that you are living there so the length is not a big deal and the extra lot would most likely be a very valuable asset. Lastly these guys were highly recommended but I have not had the opportunity to personally work with them yet Faster Permits .

Good luck . . . .

Jay Harding · Answer

Jonathan, you are welcome glad to be of a little assistance.

Now again I'm a newbie but my mentor is a very successful veteran and if he were on BP and commenting here he would say don't hold your breath waiting on a reply from planning because they are extremely backed up. Your best bet is to go downtown take a number and meet with a planner, plug your meter for MAX hours and take a good book! Make sure you check the office hours as they close at 1:00 PM one day I believe it might be Thursdays. 1900 SW 4th Ave #5000, Portland, OR 97201

Cheers,

Jonathan Nelson · Answer

Hi all, sorry for the late update. Stuff has been busy as we prepare to move and sell our house here in Denver. The buyers turned down what we thought was a compelling offer, so we are just going to submit the same offer every two weeks in hopes that they will "see the light". I have emailed and talked with the City of Portland on the phone and turns out it would be a simple lot reclassification as the lot was originally laid out for two parcels. Of course you would also have to come up with a plan for utilities, but we were factoring that into the process anyways.

Derrick Aragon · Answer

@Jonathan Nelson

Are you looking to do this yourself or hire someone?

If I can help with any advice let me know, if you you want us to do it we can talk about that too. PM me if you would like to talk further.

We have split or subdivided 400 lots in Portland.

Randy Johnston · Answer

@Jonathan Nelson welcome to BP, be sure to check out the Education tab for more valuable insight into real estate investing.

You can check on Portland Maps to see if the lot is actually two lots, which would mean that you would only have to go through a property line confirmation and maybe an adjustment, rather than a partition, which is much less costly and time-consuming. I'm in the process of a property line partition in SE and it been quite an experience.

Feel free to reach out with any questions you may have.

Good luck.

Jonathan Nelson · Answer

Thank you, Jay, for the advice and suggestion to that mapping application. That website is MUCH better than the Multnomah County mapping website!!! Zoning appears to suggest it could be subdivided, however I sent an email to the city planning department to get more information. Will let you know what kind of luck I have.

Best,

Jonathan

How to subdivide a lot - Portland, Oregon

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