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I am considering buying a property that has a very old, dilapidated house on it in a residential area. The house is not renovation-worthy. Whomever buys it must knock it down and rebuild.

How do I find out if what I want to build can be built before I actually buy the property? I have spoken w/ the city and found out the technicalities as to the allowable square footage and the footprint of the construction.

The seller claims she cannot afford to knock down and construct due to the economy; and she may be telling the truth. But what if she is selling because she found out there was some stipulation to building that is difficult to overcome?

Can anyone suggest ways to research this without spending a fortune? Thanks.