Checklist
A lot feasibility checklist you can actually walk.
Buildability is not a vibe. It is a pile of items that are either confirmed, estimated, or still unknown. Use this list to keep the unknown pile honest.
1. Confirm you are underwriting the right parcel
Match street number, street name, city, and ZIP. A mapped pin is not proof of lot lines, easements, or legal access.
2. Test market support for the house you would actually build
Look for new-construction and closely competing resale product in the same size and story band. Asking prices are not closings.
3. Run a preliminary all-in cost
Hard cost, site work, soft costs, interest, selling cost, and the lot basis. If the residual is gone, stop before you fall in love with the listing photos.
4. Flag site and entitlement items that still need humans
Flood, drainage, slope, utilities, tap fees, zoning/setbacks, HOA architectural, access, and title. LotAlpha can surface early signals; it cannot close them.
5. Only then spend money on local diligence
Survey, geotech, civil, will-serve, and attorney review belong on lots that already clear the screen — not on every listing that looks cheap.
Identity and access
- Address / APN matches the listing and the county parcel.
- Recorded access and usable frontage — not just a line on a map.
- Driveway permit path is plausible (city, county, or DOT).
Market and product
- The house you plan to build exists nearby as new construction or a close competitor.
- You can explain why a buyer would pick your spec over what is already listed.
- You are not using a luxury outlier or a remodel as the exit.
Cost and basis
- Hard cost is your number, not a national average you hope is true.
- Site work has a line even if it is a placeholder with a wide range.
- Maximum lot basis still works after selling cost and required profit.
Site and diligence (verify locally)
- FEMA flood zone and local drainage — including lots that sit next to a floodplain.
- Slope, retaining, and drainage; public elevation is not a topographic survey.
- Water, sewer/septic, and electric: will-serve, capacity, and tap/impact fees.
- Zoning district, setbacks, height, coverage, and parking.
- HOA/CCR architectural rules if a subdivision name appears on the record.
- Title, easements, and survey — never skipped because a screen looked clean.