5 checks before you bid on land

Cheap land is only a deal if you can use it. Five checks we'd run on every parcel:

1. Access. Can you legally reach it from a public road? Landlocked land is hard to use and hard to resell.
2. Flood zone. Look it up on the FEMA flood map before you fall in love with the price.
3. Liens that survive the sale. Some debts (like certain federal liens or district assessments) can stay attached to the land.
4. Restrictions. Deed restrictions, HOA rules or zoning can limit what you can build.
5. Look at it. Satellite view first, then a drive-by if you can.

Each listing on landrush links the official notice it came from, and names the town and ZIP where its record has them — a place to start these checks.