By Gretchen A. Peck

There is a luxury afforded to a small segment of home buyers—the luxury of budget, time and vision to find a pristine piece of land and build a custom home there, from the foundation up. When looking for land on which to build a home, there are some important factors to consider. For example, does the lot present challenges based on dimensions, topography and geology? Will you be able to access public utilities, like water and sewer systems, or will you need to drill a well and install a septic system?

Will the lot accommodate the type and size of home you’d like to build? What does the land border, and is it close to places of importance to your family, like area schools, parks, shopping, or workplaces?

Welcome Home went in search of land for sale across southeast Connecticut, and found quite a few properties—distinctive in setting and size—that may inspire future dream homes.

With an asking price of $60,000, 21 Norwich Road, in Waterford’s Quaker Hill community, is a 1.35-acre partially wooded lot. Senior Sales Associate Cindy Terry, with William Raveis Real Estate in Niantic, is the seller’s Realtor. The property enables a buyer to build a home that’s close to some of the region’s largest employers, such as Pfizer, General Dynamics/Electric Boat, the Navy Submarine Base, and two large resort-casinos.

There’s just one lot left in the Oswegatchie Woods subdivision, located at 9 Arrowhead Trail, Waterford. This 1.01-acre lot is part of a deep cul-de-sac, in a community of newly constructed colonial-style homes with attached two-car garages. Amy Jones, with Berkshire Hathaway, New England Properties in East Lyme/Niantic, is the listing Realtor. The parcel is offered to a buyer for $170,000.

“This lot is the last approved lot in the Oswegatchie Woods subdivision,” Jones explained. “It abuts a 10-acre parcel owned by the Waterford Land Trust, which means that there will be no one building next door.” An iconic Connecticut stone wall defines the rear boundary of the property. The lot is “relatively flat,” according to Jones, partially wooded, and affords the buyer access to public utilities, already completed along the street. The location places the homeowner close to local colleges, the Coast Guard Academy, the submarine base, Electric Boat, L&M Hospital, casinos, beaches and other area destinations.

A buyer can purchase 4.09 acres of land at 224 Simpson Lane in Oakdale. Listing Realtor Zoe Zrakas—affiliated with William Pitt Sotheby’s Old Lyme and Essex brokerages—is the seller’s agent. She describes the lot as oversized for the area, private and lightly wooded, with some of the site preparation work already completed. The property is about equidistant between Oakdale’s and Montville’s centers. The Camp Oakdale Town Park is close by. The asking price for the lot is $86,500.

At 74 Kenney Rd., Old Lyme, there’s a 10-acre parcel on the market for $249,000. Nancy Mesham, who leads the Nancy Mesham Team of Realtors at Coldwell Banker in Old Lyme. It’s part of a two-lot subdivision known as Blackwell Pond, and a private-though-shared drive leads to the land.

“This is a beautiful southeast-facing parcel, with amazing access to the Nehantic State Forest,” Mesham described the setting. “It’s an unending playground, allowing you to hike on thousands of acres and swim in Uncas Pond. A portion of the land is a designated conservation easement, restricting building on the meadow, but allowing plenty of acreage for a dream home and barn. Lyme has more conservation land that almost any other town in the state of Connecticut. If you seek privacy, without the drive to Vermont, this is it!” The town center, library and Lyme’s elementary school are all within 2.5 miles of the property.