So confused! My county thinks we have a condo but we thought we have a single-family home (i.e. a free-standing house on land we own). Then why does my property tax bill show that we've been taxed for the land? [more inside]
posted by ObeyScient on Nov 24, 2009 - 11 answers

Say I want to buy some cheap land in the Los Angeles area: where would I find such a listing online? [more inside]
posted by rileyray3000 on Nov 11, 2009 - 14 answers

Calling all planners, public admin. types, adult education gurus and other smarty pants: I need to develop a training program or at least a strategy for developing a training program for further planning on the local level, put the hard parts. [more inside]
posted by stormygrey on Oct 23, 2009 - 10 answers

Satellite photos: what interesting features can be seen or measured in them (or other aerial photos), and where can I get a supply of images? [more inside]
posted by k. on Sep 30, 2009 - 12 answers

Surveying 101: How is acreage measured on hilly ground? Is the acre a measure of the surface area of the ground, or of the area inside an imaginary box that is superimposed over the ground? [more inside]
posted by Orinda on Aug 18, 2009 - 11 answers

Seeking success stories of land decontamination and rehabilitation in urban areas. [more inside]
posted by amusem on Aug 3, 2009 - 17 answers

I have two new iPhones. I also have a land line in my house. My cell signal in my house is poor at best. I like my land line so I'm going to keep it. I would like my cell phone to transfer to my land line when I'm home so I can get cell calls at home. I can't seem to find a product that will hand off my cell calls to my land line. Does such a thing exist?
posted by Thrillhouse on Jul 7, 2009 - 14 answers

Is buying a home on land contract or as a lease option ever a good idea? [more inside]
posted by howrobotsaremade on Jul 7, 2009 - 6 answers

Seattle region filter: We are new residents of Seattle, from New Jersey, enjoying our exploration of this wonderful city. We are house-hunting and have narrowed down our choice of neighborhoods. Any opinions or advice? [more inside]
posted by valannc on Jun 30, 2009 - 20 answers

Inherited an acre of land. What should we do with it? [more inside]
posted by omegar on Jun 7, 2009 - 8 answers

Did Land of the Lost invent the concept of a pocket Universe? Similarly is the more recent series Lost copying that concept or have other series and stories done the same thing? [more inside]
posted by monkeywithhat on Jun 3, 2009 - 21 answers

We are house-hunting in the Seattle area. Looking at property with water views. Willing to pay the higher price that comes with a view. But I'm reading some horror stories about how a neighbor will build a tower in front of your view, or neighbors who refuse to trim their tall shrubs. And then your view is obscured and your property value drops. How do I research this? How can I know if the viewshed is protected or not? What sort of monitoring would I need to do over the years? I will ask my realtor to research it, but I'd like to hear from people with experience with this issue.
posted by valannc on Jun 3, 2009 - 7 answers

From what source does the authority to require building permits and inspections derive? I've dealt with this whole process before, but every time I have to, I think, "But hey - it's _my_ property! I paid for it, I pay taxes on it, and I pay for the upkeep. As long as I don't build something that could potentially damage or destroy the property of another, why do I need 'permission' from the government?" I know there are lots of issues involved, but when did we, as a nation, give up the right to do what you want on your own property, and is there a way of getting that right back?
posted by Death by Ugabooga on May 23, 2009 - 26 answers

How big is the smallest possible subsistence farm? [more inside]
posted by zvs on May 14, 2009 - 22 answers

Finding deceased parent's Texas "mineral rights?" How can I do this cheaply? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 11, 2009 - 8 answers

How much US land does not fall under the jurisdiction of US laws? Diplomatic missions such as embassies and consulates enjoy extraterritoriality, as do military bases. Is there any kind of accounting of how much land those places take up? [more inside]
posted by Plutor on Feb 11, 2009 - 12 answers

Anyone know why Vancouver is called Lotusland? On this previous MeFi arcticseal thought it's because Vancouver-ites have the most free time of Canadians. I saw this same question elsewhere, just without a response; there's a Vancouver tour company that uses the name and even a travel podcast for the city with the same name. My google-fu comes up blank on the meaning - any help?
posted by royalchinook on Feb 7, 2009 - 7 answers

Are there techniques or methods to determine how a city will grow and in what direction it will grow? [more inside]
posted by reenum on Jan 12, 2009 - 11 answers

After 14 years living in our small farm house a once-agricultural town in Connecticut our family has had to move on. Despite the markets leaning we did make a profit and would like to reinvest it as quickly as possible. As far as what we desire out of a location, we wouldn't like to go any farther north but have no real desire to stay in the state and would consider moving out of New England for the right reasons. [more inside]
posted by jofuu on Dec 30, 2008 - 4 answers

I plan on spending the next few years living in different places for several months to a year at a time. One thought I've had is to get a small trailer RV or something like this, and rent land to park it on for however long I'm sticking around. Is this possible? [more inside]
posted by SampleSize on Jul 14, 2008 - 16 answers

Geeky DIY Homesteading [more inside]
posted by brandnew on Jun 25, 2008 - 11 answers

In East Texas, and in counties surrounding the DFW metroplex, there are many, many surveys and tracts of land oriented along a 30° or 60° angle. Why is this?
posted by Sugar Induced Coma on Jun 24, 2008 - 2 answers

How has the value of agricultural land in Ireland changed since 2003? [more inside]
posted by Tnuocca on Jun 9, 2008 - 3 answers

Where can I drive off road on hills and mud near Boston - Metrowest would be best. 10MPG, I might as well have fun! (Land Rover Discovery btw)
posted by Barrows on May 28, 2008 - 2 answers

Bought a piece of land and only paying interest. Why would I do that? [more inside]
posted by anonymous on May 22, 2008 - 11 answers

My parents are looking for a place to retire in NE North Carolina (i.e. home). Mom asked me to help her search with internet (they have traveled down there several times) so they can narrow things down and get a better feel for the market. I have little idea where to even began searching. Suggestions?
posted by dawson on Apr 9, 2008 - 5 answers

MA filter: Must I have fuse box access if I rent an apartment? [more inside]
posted by pikaboy202 on Feb 17, 2008 - 7 answers

I received a generic version of on of those air, land, water remote controlled (styrofoam?) boatplanes... lol if you have seen or used one you know what I am talking about. What I would like to know is if there are any nicer and sturdier versions of this plane. Looking for recommendations, thanks! [more inside]
posted by Mardigan on Feb 6, 2008 - 6 answers

Tool Filter: Can someone tell me what you call a certain tool used by land professionals? [more inside]
posted by cazoo on Feb 6, 2008 - 7 answers

ISO: Photo-like diagram of the ratio of total volume of water to total volume of land on Earth. NOT the surface area - the TOTAL respective volumes of the planet. [more inside]
posted by yoga on Jan 10, 2008 - 9 answers

My parents own some land which I’ll inherit one day. I was wondering if it's possible to sell my claim to the land before I’ve actually inherited it? [more inside]
posted by Tnuocca on Dec 9, 2007 - 16 answers

How can I wisely invest US$15k? I have an unconventional idea, but could use your advise: buy land in new EU countries. [more inside]
posted by mateuslee on Nov 13, 2007 - 25 answers

Where can I take my kids to see Script Ohio for free? [more inside]
posted by Jesco on Oct 15, 2007 - 6 answers

Northern California Dreaming -- What steps should I take to explore my dream of buying land in Mendocino or Humboldt County, creating a small energy efficient home (perhaps one of the tiny, prefab ones), all while building/finding community. [more inside]
posted by ClaudiaCenter on Apr 19, 2007 - 12 answers

How difficult would it be to find places to lease on which to put a house made of ISO containers? [more inside]
posted by reventlov on Mar 9, 2007 - 12 answers

Land Trust Filter: How do you remove a trustee from a Florida Land Trust? [more inside]
posted by mad_little_monkey on Feb 26, 2007 - 8 answers

I am looking at purchasing a 99 Land Rover Discovery and I notice that it runs only on premium gas. Is this absolutely necessary? Does anyone with experience with a Discovery have any opinions of this vehicle? I heard that the diesel version is a better choice. Thanks in advance.
posted by scooters.toad on Jan 30, 2007 - 23 answers

I need to be able to judge by sight the grade of a hill / road / parcel and be accurate within about 1% gradient. Is there a software tool that I can make some triangles with specific grades to use on flash cards?
posted by bigmusic on Nov 13, 2006 - 13 answers

Is there still cheap land available? [more inside]
posted by petsounds on Sep 4, 2006 - 24 answers

I am looking for sources that give the weight of the earth, volume of all the oceans, total acreage on the planet, total current population and guestimated total weight of said population. [more inside]
posted by goalyeehah on Aug 21, 2006 - 11 answers

Let's assume (no soapbox rants, please!) global warming is a reality, the ice covering Greenland is melting, and the ocean's levels are rising. If I own a home and land which, according to this map, would be underwater, what--if anything--would the government do? I live near a major (federal) interstate, two major shipping ports, and a rail corridor linking the two. San Francisco and Oakland International Airports would also be underwater. What happens? Would they build a gigantic dike, like New Orleans and Holland? Is my home and the land on which it's built a total loss? If so, insurance-wise, is this considered an "Act of God"? If I was to put my home on the market tomorrow, must I declare global warming and the rising ocean levels as a possibility for flooding?
posted by fandango_matt on Jun 27, 2006 - 11 answers

I am thinking about buying an acre or so in Western NC on which to build a home and [more inside]
posted by Scottk on May 27, 2006 - 10 answers

POSTED / NO TRESPASSING - Has this always been the norm? When did it become popular for virtually *everyone* to do this to their land? How serious are people, in your experience? Also, is there anywhere where they don't do this (as much)? [more inside]
posted by zhivota on Apr 2, 2006 - 42 answers

Canadian Cabin/Cottage property finding question. [more inside]
posted by TheFeatheredMullet on Mar 29, 2006 - 8 answers

Is anyone aware of a program that converts The United States Public Land Survey (such as found on platt maps) coordinates into UTM coordinates? I would like to input land survey coordinates and have it convert the data to UTM coordinates for my GPS. Many thanks...
posted by orlin on Feb 14, 2006 - 5 answers

RevengeFilter: Help me get back at my town's corrupt mayor. [more inside]
posted by anonymous on Jan 22, 2006 - 29 answers

What has been the impact of the expanded powers of eminent domain in the US on people attaching deed restrictions to property in an attempt to preserve natural/undeveloped areas? IE: are these restrictions basically worthless now if a business enterprise wants to use your wet land as a cooling pond or clear cut your valley for condominiums? Links to analysis or articles?
posted by Mitheral on Aug 25, 2005 - 3 answers

Buying property in the country... Benton County, Oregon that is. What should I know about wells, septic systems, acreage, timber and the like? [more inside]
posted by pwb503 on Apr 16, 2005 - 3 answers

Affordable, but cool places to live as a career/lifestyle choice: If your work/career/next life project is portable, could you find a place where a two-bedroom apartment is $300 a month? Houses for under $50 grand? Cultural opportunities a resonable drive away? Would you do it this way? Why or why not? [more inside] [more inside]
posted by weston on Dec 8, 2004 - 45 answers