Via my VA, I’m doing a list scrub before my first mailing to a county in FL, but I’m having trouble determining if my parameters are overly restrictive-- in the small sample size we’ve done so far, about half the properties don’t make the cut due to flood zones, wetlands, or lack of road access. I’ve been telling my VA to mark for removal the properties in anything worse than a 100-year Floodplain-- if the parcel is in a 100-year Floodplain, see if people have built nearby-- if so, keep it on the list. As for wetlands, anything with more than 25% labeled “very poorly drained,” mark for removal (using https://retipster.com/wetlands/ for reference). I’m basically making this up as I go along-- am I way off the mark here?
@scottholmes I know wetlands are definitely an issue to watch out for in Florida, but I also know that all the wetland data out there is imprecise at best.
I’ve seen many areas in the wetlands mapper (which is the same data you’ll find in MapRight, for example) marked as wetlands that were not, and vice versa.
It might be a little over-restrictive to filter based on this, simply because the source of data can be so inaccurate in the first place (it’s a fine idea, but with the lack of reliable data, you may be weeding out some good properties this way).
Also, depending on the end uses for these properties, even a floodplain may not be a deal-killer. If a person intends to use it for recreation and not building a dwelling there, flood zones aren’t really a huge problem.
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@retipsterseth Thanks so much for the advice-- I’m going to relax my parameters a bit. Really appreciate it.
@scottholmes
Hi Scott, something you need to be also aware of are the bugs and bunnies issue, (Flora and Fawna). Some areas are considered jurisdictional because of the flora or fawna. Do an Environmental audit or have one paid for, it helps with determining mitigation area to compensate for. May not be cheap but you will be able to then use that as a negotiation tool for your price and contract on both the buy and the sell. Best of luck.
@russgoodman Thanks Russ-- that would be during due diligence once I have an interested seller, correct?
@scottholmes I would try to do it before you purchase to get a sense of what your exit strategy might be and if it really pays to purchase it in the first place. If you already own it, do as much as you can and then speak to an environmental consultant as to mitigation cost. This will give you some perspective as to your pricing and negotiating strategy in general. Use the consultant as springboard as to what the regulators might accept. That’s what they get paid for.
@retipsterseth I didn’t know that the Wetlands Mapper is wrong sometimes. Is there a better source to look at for wetlands? Or is it just a matter of looking at each property one at a time?
@scottholmes I’ve not worked in Florida, but I hear people talking about Scrub Jays a lot as a protected species. Do some Googling on that one as part of your flora and fauna research.
If the property is in an area of Brackish Water and is submerged some of the time I have a buyer looking for this type of property. Contact me if you have a parcel.