What we check
Every parcel — whether it's a listing in our catalog or one you check yourself — runs through federal, state, and county public data sources, turning complex land records into a plain-English buildability snapshot. The analysis runs on official records only; listing text and seller claims are never treated as facts, just as hints to find the right parcel.
Parcel & boundary
We pull the exact parcel boundary, address, and acreage straight from the county assessor's official GIS — and, where a county doesn't publish its own, from the statewide parcel system. That's the official county parcel record, not an approximate pin.
Flood risk
FEMA National Flood Hazard Layer — we flag Special Flood Hazard Areas, the regulatory floodway (where building is effectively prohibited), and coastal high-hazard zones, so you know the insurance and elevation requirements before you commit.
Terrain & slope
USGS 3DEP elevation — we sample the grade across the parcel to surface steep ground that drives up foundation, driveway, and septic costs (or makes a site unbuildable).
Wetlands
U.S. Fish & Wildlife National Wetlands Inventory — mapped wetlands trigger federal Section 404 permits and protective buffers. We tell you if any sit on your parcel.
Soil & septic suitability
USDA NRCS SSURGO soils — a preliminary read on whether the ground can support a conventional septic drainfield (critical for any parcel without public sewer).
Wildfire
USDA Forest Service Wildland-Urban Interface data — your parcel's wildfire-risk classification and whether it falls inside a WUI zone.
Conservation & coastal barriers
USGS PAD-US protected areas and the USFWS Coastal Barrier Resources System — land where private development is restricted or where federal flood insurance and loans are barred.
Buildable envelope
We compute how much usable area actually remains after setbacks — and whether there's room for both a house pad and a septic field — using the real parcel geometry.
County research — zoning, HOA & deed, access, septic rules, permits, utilities
An AI research layer reads the county's own pages — zoning resolutions, environmental-health and septic-permit records, the register of deeds, utility districts — and reports what it established as short, sourced facts: the zoning status (or "no county zoning"), HOA and recorded covenants, legal access, the septic prescription and any county hard rules, permit history, named utility providers, and which home types or animals are not permitted (or clearly fine). Whatever could not be established becomes a "before you offer" call: the office, its phone number, and what to ask. (Deed restrictions and title issues are only confirmed by a title review — we say so.)
Home types & animals — the exceptions
Beyond a stick-built house, we check the alternative ways to live on the land — manufactured, modular, tiny home, shipping-container, barndominium, full-time RV, multi-family — and common animals and livestock. The report names only the exceptions: what is not permitted here and why, and what is clearly fine; everything else follows the regular-home verdict.
Buildability snapshot
We combine it all into one buildability audit — with hard blockers (floodway, mapped wetlands, unbuildable slope, protected land) called out clearly, and cost/insurance concerns flagged honestly.