Site Information and Analysis

Site Information and Analysis

Before the house, there's the land under it, and everything around it that moves its value. The Site section always appears on the URAR. Let's walk through parcels, zoning and access, site influences, and utilities.

One row per parcel

When the site isn't owned in common, the report shows the Total Site Size and the Number of Parcels. With more than one parcel, say whether they're contiguous. If not, name what divides them, like a road. Every parcel gets its own row: APN, APN Description, and Parcel Size. No APN yet? Enter Not Assigned. For a condo, the totals drop away. But a deeded parking space with its own APN still gets a row.

Is it legal, and is it all residential?

Zoning Compliance is always reported: Legal, Legal Nonconforming, Illegal, or No Zoning. Illegal adds the reasons, like lot size. And anything other than Legal needs an impact and an explanation. Property Use asks whether part of the property is set aside to run a business. If so, report the type, and whether it's still primarily residential.

How do you get there?

Primary Access is always reported: a public or private street, a waterway, even pedestrian only. A street adds its type and its predominant surface. A private street adds whether there's a known maintenance agreement. And if the access isn't typical for the market, describe it and explain why.

Near, far, and out of sight

Site Influence covers anything that touches value, onsite or off, even if you can't see it from the property. A park next door, a busy road, or an airport three miles away whose flight path runs overhead. Each influence gets a row with its proximity and impact, plus a comment when the impact is adverse or beneficial. Environmental conditions, like a landfill, get their own rows too, and always a comment.

Private access only

Water Frontage with Private Access appears only when the property owns, or exclusively holds, access to a body of water. Community waterfront belongs in Project Information. Report the total front footage and permanent features like a dock. No features? Say whether you have the right to build one. Then one row per body of water, with its access rights and access depth.

What you see from inside

View always displays, judged from the dwelling, or in a condo building, from the unit. Each view gets a row with its range, full, partial, or seasonal, and its impact. With more than one, the view with the most impact is marked Primary.

Only the rows that apply

The Site Features table grows with the property. Hazard Zone always shows: a FEMA flood hazard area, a USGS lava flow zone, or No Hazard Zone Noted. Restrictions, easements, and encroachments appear only when they exist, one row apiece. Skip easements that are typical for the market. Site characteristics, like wetlands or a zero lot line, get a row each, too.

Public, private, or both

Broadband Internet Available means a wired connection, not a satellite dish or a hotspot. Electricity, Sanitary Sewer, and Water always appear, each checked public, private, or both. Gas shows up when it's connected. Private utilities need detail, like solar, septic, or a well, plus whether it's shared and its impact.

Problems, and the land on its own

Site defects show None, or a table with a recommended action for each. Recommend a repair, and the report can't be As Is. And with no Cost Approach, a site value you develop shows up here, in Site Valuation Methodology.

Five things to remember

Quick recap. One. Every parcel gets a row. Two. Zoning that isn't Legal needs an impact and an explanation. Three. Site influences can be offsite, or out of sight. Four. Water Frontage is for private access only. Five. Hazard Zone always shows. Other site features appear only when they exist. Next up: the structure itself.