Frequently asked questions

Yes — the catalog shows real Tennessee land currently offered for sale, licensed directly from participating MLSs. We match each listing to its official county record and add our own independent buildability analysis on top. PeckCheck is not a brokerage — to inquire or make an offer, use the Contact agent button on the listing page and your message goes to the listing’s agent. Listing facts can change; verify price and availability with the listing agent.

The catalog syncs with the MLS feed multiple times a day: new listings appear automatically, and sold or withdrawn ones are removed within hours. Every listing page shows a “Data last refreshed” timestamp, and photos come from the listing brokers via the licensed feed.

The Assessor's Parcel Number — the county's unique id for a piece of land (also called Parcel ID, Tax Parcel ID, Property ID, or Map/Parcel number). It's usually on the listing, the deed, or the county assessor's website. It's the most reliable way to pin the exact parcel — street names, acreage, and even map pins are often wrong in listings; the APN can't lie.

Usually, yes. The address with ZIP code is often enough to find the parcel and its county. If you also paste the listing details (Zillow, Realtor, LandWatch, etc.), we'll try to pull the parcel # out to pin the exact parcel. For raw or vacant land the address alone may not land on the right parcel — adding the APN or the listing text helps. If we can't match an official parcel record from what you provide, we'll tell you and ask you to paste the listing details or try another property — we don't return an approximate guess.

Browsing the catalog, filters, chat, the pre-screened badges on every listing and the free preview of any Tennessee parcel are free — no sign-up. Paste an address or parcel number and the preview shows the public-record checks as levels with sources: septic soil, well water, flood zone, slope, wetlands, wildfire, EPA sites, radon, buildable area.

The full report costs $9.99 per parcel (3 reports for $19.99, 10 for $49). It unlocks instantly the site-development cost with its breakdown, the septic system type and cost, and the nearby well logs with drilling cost; about two minutes later the county research lands — zoning or "no county zoning", HOA and recorded covenants, legal access, septic rules and permit history, utility providers, what is not permitted — plus a "before you offer" list of the offices to call, with phone numbers. Credits never expire, there's no subscription, a credit is spent only on a new parcel, and re-opening your own report is free and unlimited. If the analysis fails to complete, the credit comes back automatically.

Our analysis layer comes straight from authoritative government sources — FEMA, USGS, USDA NRCS, USFWS, EPA, and the county/state parcel & zoning GIS. The AI-researched parts (zoning details, legal access, HOA, utilities) cite their sources, but are a starting point — always verify with the county and a licensed professional before you buy. Listing facts (price, acreage, status) come from the seller's listing and are not official — when the advertised acreage disagrees with the county record, we flag it right on the listing page.

Each factor gets a status based on the likely effort, permits, cost, uncertainty, and follow-up needed. Low Friction — no obvious blocking issues found in the available data reviewed. Medium Friction — evidence-based concern, uncertainty, extra cost, or additional steps may be required. High Friction — significant red flag or possible blocker that requires official confirmation before relying on the property. Unknown — not enough data; verify directly with the county, agencies, or licensed professionals. Only evidence-based findings raise friction — things we cannot confirm are flagged as “needs confirmation,” not treated as confirmed problems.

PeckCheck currently supports Tennessee only. We pull the parcel record and county zoning for supported Tennessee counties and are actively adding more — a few counties aren't supported yet. Where a county has no zoning GIS, the AI researches the zoning instead. Support for more states is on the way. See the Tennessee county guides for what to check in each county.

No. PeckCheck surfaces hidden risks and tells you what to check — it does not replace a surveyor, title company, soil/perc test, or your county's planning & codes office. PeckCheck is not a real estate brokerage, does not represent buyers or sellers, and is not affiliated with the listing agents whose properties appear in the catalog.