Before you sell, know what your lot may allow
A large yard, side lot, or oversized parcel may carry development value that is not obvious from the house alone.
Do not sell development potential you did not know you owned
An informed buyer may see more than a house. Legal lots, subdivision options, and permission to add homes can affect what the land is worth before anything is built.
An unsolicited offer may reflect development potential that the offer does not explain. The information difference between a knowledgeable buyer and an owner can become part of the buyer's profit.
Start with a 50-by-100-foot lot
This common-size example helps explain the scale. It is not a finding about every Spokane property.
A 50-by-100-foot lot contains 5,000 square feet, about one-eighth of an acre. At the proposed Residential Low planning range of 6–10 homes per acre, that amount of land works out to roughly one home.
But the City's planning range is not a per-lot building limit. Under Spokane's current residential code, the maximum-density calculation does not apply to a development site of two acres or less. The code also allows up to six middle-housing units on one lot, including accessory dwelling units.
Six units are not guaranteed. Setbacks, height, lot coverage, access, utilities, easements, drainage, terrain, and fire and building codes can reduce what is possible.
- Lot area5,000 sq. ft.
- Acres0.115
- At 6 homes/acre0.69 home
- At 10 homes/acre1.15 homes
- Current allowanceUp to 6 units
How added development capacity creates value
The opportunity is sometimes called a split-and-flip. The more precise idea is an information advantage: one party understands development potential that another party may not.
A property may contain old legal lots, qualify for a short plat or boundary adjustment, or support additional homes under current middle-housing rules. Establishing separate buildable lots or additional units can create development opportunities that were not reflected in the value of the existing house alone.
That does not make every large yard buildable, and it does not guarantee a profit. Survey, title, access, utilities, easements, site conditions, permitting, construction costs, financing, and market demand can change the result.
Highest and best use is the appraisal idea behind this calculation: what use is legally allowed, physically possible, financially workable, and most valuable. A property's answer can change when the rules change.
Before accepting an offer
You do not need to become a developer. You should know what opportunity may be included in the sale.
Find out whether the property contains more than one legal lot. A tax parcel, platted lot, and buildable lot are not always the same thing.
The Future Land Use Map guides later zoning. Current zoning and site rules govern what may be permitted now.
Include access, utilities, easements, terrain, drainage, and other constraints—not only a unit count.
Consider the value of selling everything together with the possible value of dividing or retaining part of the property.
An independent surveyor, appraiser, land-use professional, or real-estate attorney can evaluate facts that a map cannot resolve.
The bottom line
Permission is not construction, and development capacity is not a guaranteed property value. But added permission can affect what an informed buyer is willing to pay. Know what may be included before you sell it.
This page provides a general explanation, not a determination that a particular lot is buildable or personalized legal, appraisal, tax, or real-estate advice.