Residential Services
Residential Services
Zoning Analysis
Technical Support
So, you are thinking of buying a new home. It’s on a quiet street, on a small lot but there is a big park next door with lots of trees where you hope to meet your new neighbors while walking your dog. The house itself is a good size for starting out but you can definitely see the potential for expansion in the future. If only you could attach the garage and enlarge the kitchen it would be perfect!
Or not.
Maybe the “park” next door is actually owned by someone who has plans to build a seven-story apartment building there. Maybe the garage cannot be attached to the main house because it would violate local setback regulations. Or maybe the house cannot be expanded because there is a limit on the allowed square footage of the house relative to the size of the lot.
Your local real estate agent can usually help you find a home inspector and perhaps even connect you to a mortgage broker, but often they are not zoning experts. They probably cannot and may not want to answer questions about future uses, because they want to sell you the house now.
At Planners In A Pinch, we are zoning experts and we can help you figure out if the house might be able to fulfill your current needs and your future dreams. And since we have decades of experience working in several different municipalities in Massachusetts, we can also help you navigate the permitting process at Town Hall when you are ready to start your renovation.