John Morell
On the downside, if your dream house is a colonial painted in shocking pink, you're not going to be welcome at most PUDs. There are usually architectural guidelines that restrict the types of structures in the community including their footprint and their height, which may not be a bad thing.
"We have a strict 20-foot height limit on homes to preserve everyone's ocean views," says Kildow. "When you look at one of our lots, we have someone stand with a 20-foot pole at the adjacent lots to show you how high the structures around you will be." If you decide to purchase your lot outside of a PUD, you can still safeguard yourself by talking to the local planning development to find out what they figure the area around your property will look like in 10 years. "Obviously, if you have this great piece of property and the city projects that the dirt road next to it will turn into a four-lane throughway in a few years, that's the time to look elsewhere," says Heldmann. "Never get too emotionally invested in a piece of land."
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