The cheapest land I've researched usually isn't the cheapest deal

[Harveer Singh]

I've been spending a lot of time looking at vacant land lately, and one pattern keeps showing up.

A $15k parcel looks like a steal until you start digging.

Then you find:

• No recorded legal access.
• The only flat area is in the floodplain.
• Electric is much farther away than the listing suggests.
• A weird deed restriction from 30 years ago.
• Septic requirements that make the project much more expensive.

Meanwhile, the $30k parcel down the road has county road frontage, power nearby, no obvious restrictions, and is ready for whatever you want to do.

I've started trying to eliminate properties instead of falling in love with them.

I'm curious what everyone else's automatic dealbreaker is.

What's the first thing you check before you spend time or money on a piece of land?