Published · By the Check the Land team
How to check land remotely in six steps
- Confirm the parcel. Match the listing to the county's parcel ID (APN), legal description and GIS map, not just the listing's pin.
- Confirm the owner. Check that the seller's name matches the owner in the county records, and talk to them through a number you found independently.
- Screen it from public data. Run a free preview here on the spot you'd build, then work through the flood, slope, access, water and wetland checks.
- Look at it. Use recent satellite imagery and street-level imagery where available, and ask for a live video walk of the boundary and the building site.
- Hire local eyes. A surveyor, a local agent or a land inspector can see what maps can't.
- Close through a title company. Use a reputable title or escrow company and verify wire instructions by phone before you send money.
Make sure you're looking at the right land
Listing pins are often approximate, and online listings sometimes show photos of a neighbouring property or a nicer part of the area. Start from the county: the parcel ID, the legal description in the deed and the county GIS map. Put your checks on the spot you'd actually use.
If the listing says '5 acres' or 'road frontage', check the plat or survey. A boundary survey is the only reliable way to know where the lines are on the ground.
Seller impersonation and wire fraud
Vacant land is a common target for seller impersonation fraud: someone poses as the owner of land they don't own, often one with no mortgage, and tries to sell it quickly for cash. The FBI and title industry have warned about it. Warning signs include a seller who can't meet in person or by video, pushes for speed, wants an unusual closing arrangement or accepts a price well below market.
Wire fraud is the other big risk. Criminals send fake closing instructions that look like they're from the title company. Always confirm wire instructions by calling the title company on a number you found yourself, never one from the email.
What public data can do from a distance
A lot of the first look can be done remotely. FEMA flood maps, USGS elevation, USDA soils, wetland inventories, road and power-line maps and EPA site lists all cover the whole country. Together they can tell you whether a parcel deserves a trip or a paid inspection. See the due diligence checklist for the full list.
What they can't do is show current conditions: a washed-out road, a neighbour's junkyard, a wet field, a gate across the only access, or a smell. That's what local eyes are for.
Hiring local help
People who can check what maps can't:
- A licensed surveyor, for the boundary, corners, easements and anything crossing the lines
- A local real estate agent who knows rural land in that county
- A well driller, septic evaluator and the electric utility, for the big cost items
- The county planning, health and road departments, by phone
What it means for your offer
Buying remotely is a reason for a longer due diligence period, not a shorter one. Ask for time to get a survey and the key tests done, close through a title company with title insurance, and keep the right to walk away if what you find on the ground doesn't match the listing.
From a real sample report
Worked example: what a remote screen raised in the Texas Hill Country
Our sample screen of ranch land in Gillespie County, Texas shows how much a remote first look can surface. The pin sits on gentle ground (1.3°, 2% grade) on well-drained Luckenbach clay loam, but the report flagged mapped karst, where sinkholes are possible, and one high-hazard dam within 10 km. FEMA has no digital flood map at the point, and the nearest mapped road is 1,478 ft (451 m) away.
None of those would be obvious from listing photos. Each one becomes a specific question for someone local: the county floodplain manager, a surveyor to confirm access, and a walk of the land for sinkholes and drainage.
Open the Ranch land in the Texas Hill Country sample (PDF) · How to read a report
Common questions
Is it safe to buy land sight unseen?
It can be, if you confirm the parcel and owner through county records, research it from public data, get local help for what maps can't show, and close through a reputable title company with title insurance.
How do I avoid land scams?
Verify that the seller is the owner in county records, be wary of pressure and below-market prices, never pay outside a title or escrow company, and confirm wire instructions by phone using a number you found yourself.
Can I get a survey without visiting the land?
Yes. A licensed surveyor in that state can survey the land and send you the plat and photos of the corners.
Questions to follow up
- Confirm the parcel ID and owner in county records.
- Order a boundary survey and the key tests during due diligence.
- Close through a title company with title insurance, and verify wire instructions by phone.
What a Check the Land screen checks
- Flood zone, slope, soils, wetlands and wildfire at the pin
- Nearest mapped road, power line, substation and water and sewer service areas
- Contamination sites, protected areas and geologic hazards nearby
- Maps of the point and search radii, with the source and date of every finding
What it can't tell you
- Whether the seller owns the land
- Where the boundaries are on the ground
- Current conditions: road condition, dumping, neighbours, noise
Sources
This guide is general information, not legal, engineering or insurance advice. Rules vary by state and county.