Soil Survey Link

[xm39hnu]

http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/

This site will display soil maps for many areas of the country. If you do rural appraisals or subdivision analysis in rural areas, it is very helpful to know whether the soil type of your sales is similar to the soil type of your subject. Are those proposed 1-acre lots going to perk? Is that sale really suitable for row crops, like your subject is? Soil map can give you an indication (although it can't give the final answer.)

 

[jay trotta]

appreciate the link, but am not a Soil Scientist, nor would I ever be so inclined to promote that in any way, shape or form.

if anyone is concerned about the soil; it should be the Owner / Builder / Municipal Sanitarian and the Building Dept., beyond that, it's not my concern.

I do appreciate the link for internal purposes, but beyond that no.

 

[Ray Miller]

Have use this site quite a bit for rural appraisals. It gives you a good starting point for the land.

 

[Wayne Tomlinson]

I use a sosssil analysis in every appraisal of rural land. I also include the soil types and capability in commercial appraisals. Have for more than 30 years. The quality of the maps has improved in recent years as more counties have finally had a complete mapping done.

I analyze for productivity and use this in my Cost/Summation approach.

A lot of the big guys innsist that a cost approach cannot be done on land. They usually have no background in soils, so they don't know why it can't be done, but it can't.

That can lead to a long discussion, but I do it every time, never had anyone dispute my approach.

Soil maps are good.

As far as the soil being some one else's problem, I would think that those are so concerned whether permits or zoning are important, should maybe consider if an improvement is situated on a soil that has limited capability for that use might just have something that might be commented on.

Just my thoughts.

Wayne Tomlinson

 

[xm39hnu]

Jay's right about it being the builder's problem--big time! Had a guy who bought a couple of parcels, and subdivided it into 40 lots. Put in roads and lot markers, but that's about all.

Then the health department stepped in. Seems that most of the lots couldn't support a house AND a septic system. He had to use half of his platted lots as septic leach fields. I got the appraisal assignment when he went into foreclosure.

From an appraiser's standpoint, when I do rural land I want to know whether the soil in the sale is usable for row crops, if my subject is row crop land. The soil suitability pages on that link will tell you what a particular soil type is suited for, as well as for what it is poorly suited. I know one appraiser who was instrumental in winning a case because he could prove that his comps were more comparable than the other guy's. (The other guy, of course, hadn't compared his to the soil map.)

 

[Stone]

If you do rural lands, you need to have an idea of the soils (subject and sales). I still pull out the books from time to time, but use this site predominantly. I really like that you can zoom in directly using town and range. Nice feature that speeds the process quite a bit. I wish they included sections, however.

It is important to also know what your state allows for development. Frequently in WI, soils that appear to not support on-site waste disposal systems are actually ok but cost more to develop.