- Open the parcel on aerial imagery and identify every place it touches a public road.
- Measure whether the tract has meaningful frontage or only a narrow neck.
- Find the obvious entrance and ask whether the entrance is on the tract, on an easement, or just on habit.
- Ask whether the access works for the actual use: a home, a driveway, equipment, future resale, or just occasional visits.
Access risk
How to check access and easements before buying land
A visible way in is not the same as legal access, and legal access is not the same as practical access. Buyers talk themselves into access all the time because the lane exists, the aerial looks fine, or the seller says, "there's access." None of that is enough by itself.
- A shared lane can feel normal and still be weak for resale.
- A farm entrance can exist without telling you much about legal access quality.
- Road touch on a map can hide terrible geometry for actual entry.
- Access that works for recreation can still be weak for daily residential use.
Questions I would want answered
- Is the tract actually landlocked or just awkward?
- How wide is the access point where it matters, not just on the broadest part of the map?
- Would I still feel good explaining this access setup to the next buyer?
When access is a deal-killer
When the tract only works because you are assuming neighbors will stay cooperative, assuming the lane is fine because everyone uses it, or assuming the narrow entrance will somehow stop mattering later. Those are all signs you are buying hope.
Best pages to pair with this one
Parcel boundaries, buildable vs recreational, and the checklist.
Practical takeaway
When a tract has strong access, buyers barely mention it. When access is weak, every other part of the deal starts carrying too much weight. Treat access like structure, not like a minor detail.