Property address lookup
Type a U.S. address to read flood zone, wetlands, soil, elevation, slope, drainage and land cover from free public sources, with an optional aerial map.
OpenBuilders and developers
Tools and guides for builders and developers
Screen a site, read the local rules, plan the money and the schedule, and keep the records straight
ABODE International Realty puts its free tools and guides for land projects in one place, in project order: public-source readings for an address, site checklists, budget, pro forma, draw and schedule worksheets, a county offices finder, and Tennessee and Florida guides. They list what to verify and whom to ask. They supply no prices, rates or approvals, and ABODE receives nothing you type.
In short: ABODE’s builders and developers page lists its free site checklists, address readings, budget and schedule worksheets and local-rule guides in project order. They supply no prices or approvals.
Process guides, not legal, engineering, tax or insurance advice.
Step 1
How do you screen a site before you spend money?
Compare two to ten addresses
Read the same sources for several parcels side by side, then print the table or save a CSV file. It does not rank or score.
OpenBuilder site checklist
What a builder confirms about a homesite, acreage or waterfront lot: zoning, septic, water, power, access, floodplain, permits and close-out, with whom to ask.
OpenDeveloper land workplan
The order of work from screening a site to closing: title, survey, environmental and geotechnical studies, utilities, access, approvals and financing.
OpenCounty offices finder
Pick any Tennessee or Florida county to see which office to ask about septic, assessments, permits and floodplain rules, with official sources.
OpenFree, and none of it needs a sign-up. The address readings are context from public sources, not a determination.
Step 2
Where can you read how local rules work?
Tennessee acreage due diligence
Who controls septic, wells, access, subdivision, zoning, Greenbelt, flood and TVA shoreline on Tennessee acreage, with sources.
OpenMurfreesboro areas, districts and rules
How Murfreesboro organizes zoning districts, overlays, historic districts and county land, and whom to ask.
OpenFranklin vs. Brentwood: rules compared
Two Williamson County cities compared on government, zoning and overlays, permitting, floodplain, rental, utility and tax rules.
OpenCollege Grove vs. Arrington vs. Leiper’s Fork
Three Williamson County areas compared on zoning, plans, septic, water, flood, historic listing, tax cycle and greenbelt.
OpenFlorida oceanfront due diligence
How to test a Florida oceanfront lot: the Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL), FEMA flood and wave lines, mean high water, erosion and local rules.
OpenGulf-front vs. Intracoastal in Pinellas County
How the two shorelines differ in state beach lines, shoreline permits, flood maps and upkeep.
OpenCommunity and county guides
Who governs each place in Florida and Middle Tennessee and what to check before buying or building there.
OpenSourced and dated guides. They explain who decides a question and what to ask; the office or a lawyer decides the answer.
Step 3
How do you work out the budget and the funding?
Construction budget worksheet
A line for each part of a build. Type your budget and quotes; it totals them, adds your contingency and compares.
OpenDevelopment pro forma worksheet
A simple pro forma for a lot or unit development: sales, land, site work, soft costs and loan interest, with profit and a price and cost grid.
OpenDraw schedule worksheet
Type the cost to fund each month plus your equity and loan to see who pays each month, the loan balance and any gap.
OpenLoan scenario comparison
Type up to three loans from lenders’ written estimates to compare monthly payment, interest, up-front costs and total cost over the years you keep the loan.
OpenAmortization calculator
Type a loan amount, rate and term, plus an extra monthly payment or a one-time payment, to see the payoff time, interest saved and a year-by-year schedule.
OpenABODE supplies no costs, prices or rates. You type every figure from your own quotes, contracts and lender documents.
Step 4
How do you plan the schedule?
Build timeline planner
Lay out phases, waits and overlaps, then see a finish date and what a delay would do.
OpenContract deadline calculator
Type the effective date and the day counts from your contract to see each deadline as a date, with weekends and federal holidays flagged.
OpenYou type every length. Offices, weather, material lead times and inspections can move any phase.
Step 5
How do you keep title and records straight?
Document request list builder
Documents to request before a purchase, grouped by who holds them: seller, title company, county offices, association, lender and insurer.
OpenChain of title worksheet
List deeds and other recorded documents in date order and check that each deed’s seller matches the previous buyer.
OpenLien and encumbrance log
List the liens, judgments and other items from a title commitment or search with amounts, dates and a plan for each. It totals what is paid at closing.
OpenYour own working lists. A title company or attorney searches the records and gives the opinion on title.
Step 6
What helps when you sell or hand over a finished project?
Preconstruction vs. resale Florida condominiums
How Florida statutes treat a first sale by a developer versus a resale: disclosure documents, 15-day and 7-day cancellation clauses, deposits and turnover.
OpenWho does what in a Florida branded residence
The developer, brand licensor, operator, condominium association, manager and unit owner in a Florida branded condo, and the document that states each role.
OpenListing wording check
Paste listing text to flag phrases that may raise Fair Housing questions or need a source. It runs in your browser.
OpenClosing-day checklist
For buyers, sellers, lenders and closing offices: Closing Disclosure, payoffs, title, prorations, signing authority and recording.
OpenWire-fraud safety checklist
Verify wiring instructions by phone, protect email and act fast if money goes astray.
OpenThe Florida guides cover the statutes that apply to a first sale by a developer. They are general information, not legal advice.
Read this first
What do these tools not tell you?
The address lookup reads free federal sources at one point. It does not show a parcel boundary, zoning, utilities, easements, permits, taxes, ownership or listing data. Those come from county and municipal offices and need their own checks. A licensed surveyor, civil engineer, soil scientist, your insurance agent, the county planning and health offices and your attorney are the people who can look at the ground and the records.
These pages carry no data about schools, crime, who lives in an area or neighborhood scores, on purpose. Those topics can work as stand-ins for protected characteristics. See ABODE’s fair housing commitment and editorial standards.
The full list of planning tools, including buyer, seller, agent, lender and title tools, is on the planning tools page, and the address tools are on the property research page.
Questions
Builders and developers: frequently asked questions
What can builders and developers find on this page?
ABODE’s free tools and guides for land projects, in the order a project usually runs: screening a site, reading the local rules, budgeting and funding, scheduling, keeping title and records straight, and selling or handing over a finished project. Each card opens the full page.
Do the tools supply costs, rates, prices or approvals?
No. The worksheets work on figures you type from your own quotes, contracts and lender documents. The checklists list what to verify and whom to ask. Permits, zoning, septic, flood and title questions are decided by the responsible office, a licensed professional or an attorney.
Does ABODE receive what I type or tick?
No. The checklists, worksheets and calculators run in your browser, and nothing you tick or type is saved, sent to ABODE or logged. The address lookup sends the address to the U.S. Census Bureau’s locator and the coordinates to the federal sources it reads, straight from your browser; ABODE does not receive them.
Does ABODE advise developers?
ABODE advises developers of Florida condominium projects on how a project is positioned and priced. For that, or for buying or selling land in Tennessee or Florida, use the consultation form on this page and choose Developer advisory, Buying or Selling. Principal broker Adrian L. Jackson leads the firm in both states.
Which states do these cover?
Tennessee and Florida, where ABODE has offices. Items that apply to only one state are labeled. Federal items apply everywhere.
Private consultation
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