Two years ago I almost bought a "deal" that would've locked up my capital for 8 months with zero exit.

Here's the mistake, and the 3-question filter I now run on every parcel before I send a single offer:

The mistake: I found a 5-acre parcel listed way under market in a county I hadn't worked before. Seller was motivated, price was right, I was ready to wire earnest money same day. Good thing I didn't — because the parcel had no legal recorded access. It bordered a private ranch with no easement on file. That "deal" would've been unsellable to 95% of buyers, who all want drive-up access.

The 3-question filter (takes under 10 minutes per parcel):

1. Does it have legal access? Pull the plat map from the county GIS site. If there's no road frontage or recorded easement, walk away — no negotiating this one.

1. What's it zoned for, and does that match what buyers in this county actually want? A gorgeous 20-acre parcel zoned for agriculture only isn't the same buyer pool as residential-buildable. Check the county's zoning department page before you get excited about acreage.

1. What have comps in a 5-mile radius actually closed for in the last 12 months — not what's listed for. Listed price on raw land is fantasy. Closed comps (county recorder's office or a title company contact) tell you the real ceiling.

If a parcel fails #1, it's dead — no amount of negotiating fixes missing legal access. If it passes all 3, that's when I start building an offer.

Most people lose money in land flipping not because they negotiated badly, but because they never ran this filter before falling in love with the acreage and the price.

What's the worst "deal" you almost bought before catching something in due diligence? Drop it below — trying to build out a running list of red flags for anyone getting started.