the listing didn't lie. it just didn't tell the whole story.

A corner lot came across my desk this week that looked like a pretty straightforward deal.

About half an acre. Good location. At first glance it looked like it could even be split into two lots down the road.

The listing didn't raise any concerns, so I started where I always do: the public records.

The deed showed a recorded easement running along the entire west side of the property.

Then I checked the FEMA maps. That same side of the lot was also in the floodplain, with part of it in the floodway.

Finally, I verified the zoning requirements and the actual dimensions from the recorded documents. The parcel came up just short of what would have been needed to create two conforming lots.

None of those things by themselves necessarily kill a deal.

What caught my attention was that they all affected the exact same side of the property. The side that made the "future second lot" idea seem possible in the first place.

The listing wasn't inaccurate. It just didn't tell the whole story.

After about an hour of digging through the deed, zoning requirements, FEMA maps, and county records, the property's potential looked very different than it did when I first opened the listing.

That's why I never make an opinion on a piece of land from the listing alone. The listing tells you what's for sale. The records tell you what you're actually buying.