Examples
- Single family building lots
- Large land parcels suitable for subdivision
- Approved subdivisions
- Land suitable for commercial development
- Land suitable for industrial development
- Woodlands
- Farmland
- Wetlands
- Islands
- Kingdom lots
- Estate lots
- Waterfront land
- Conservation land
- Wildlife habitat land
- Recreation land
- Gravel pits
- Quarry
Land, in an economic sense, is defined as the entire material universe outside of people themselves and the products of people. It includes all natural resources, materials, airwaves, as well as the ground. All air, soil, minerals and water is included in the definition of land. Everything that is freely supplied by nature, and not made by man, is categorized as land. Land is the surface of the earth, inclusive of land and water, and anything attached such as vegetation, soils, minerals, natural resources, and wildlife. Also included in the category of land may be rights of human origin such as development rights.
Land is the entire non-reproducible, physical universe, including all natural resources. A land site includes everything within the earth, under its boundaries and over it, extending infinitely into space. In addition to a location for a house or building, a land site would include the minerals, water, trees, view, sunshine and air space. The shape of the site can be described as an inverted cone with its apex at the center of the earth and extending upward through the surface into space.
In appraisal, a land site is a parcel of land that is finished and ready for use under the standards prevailing in its area. It might have the necessary public utilities in place, like gas, electricity, water, telephone and sewer, with streets, sidewalks drainage and grading completed.
FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO LAND VALUE
The physical attributes of land include quality of location, fertility and climate; convenience to shopping, schools and parks; availability of water, sewers, utilities and public transportation; absence of bad smells, smoke and noise; and patterns of land use, frontage, depth, topography, streets and lot sizes.
The legal or governmental forces include the type and amount of taxation, zoning and building laws, planning and restrictions.
The social factors include population growth or decline, changes in family sizes, typical ages, attitudes toward law and order, prestige and education levels.
The economic forces include value and income levels, growth and new construction, vacancy and availability of land. It is the influences of these forces, expressed independently and in relationship to one another, that help the people and the assessor measure value.