Is it buildable? a simple question that can be asked when you call and speak to the land assessor. Questions you should ask before you buy. Even the perfect piece of land may not be buildable for many reasons:

It could be under some form of conservation. Wetlands are often under conservation

Maybe it’s landlocked, which was the case of the 20 acres by the Salton Sea. Landlocked means exactly what it sounds like. Land bordered on every side by other land…that you do not own. In other words, you have no legal access to your own property. Therefore you cannot develop or build on it at all.

There are ways around it, It’s usually easy to get in touch with the neighboring property owners. You can ask them to deed you a right of way. Basically, they sell you a piece of land that runs through their property to a street or road that connects your land and makes it build-able. But that doesn’t mean they will do it. And in my case, the land I owned was bordered by the Bureau of land management and they won’t deed you anything. You can only pay exorbitant fees for irregular access through their lands.