Which of the following would most likely be classified as excess land?
Correct Answer
C) A field the house does not need that can be split off and sold
Excess land is beyond the land needed to support the existing use and can support a separate use or sale. The independently accessible, buildable portion satisfies those facts. Large area, landscaping, or unused parking by themselves do not establish excess land.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Option C is correct because a field the house does not need that can be split off and sold is land beyond the existing use's needs and is separately marketable. Land with that independent utility can be valued separately, which makes the field excess land.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: The entire landscaped yard that zoning requires for the house
Option A, the entire landscaped yard that zoning requires for the house, is wrong because land required to support the existing use is not excess. Landscaping alone does not make land separately marketable.
Option B: A required drainage buffer running beside the existing dwelling
Option B, a required drainage buffer beside the existing dwelling, is wrong because the buffer serves a necessary function for the existing improvement. Required land cannot be split off and sold separately, so it is not excess.
Option D: The minimum lot area that zoning requires for the existing house
Option D, the minimum lot area that zoning requires for the existing house, is wrong because that land is needed for the existing use to conform. Land needed to support the current improvement is not excess.
Excess can exit
Excess land can exit the parcel, meaning it can be split off and sold; surplus land stays stuck with the parcel.
How to use: Use this to distinguish excess land from surplus or required land.
Exam Tip
Look for the option describing land that is not needed by the current use and can be sold or developed separately.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- -Calling any large yard excess land
- -Treating zoning-required land as excess
- -Confusing excess land with surplus land
Concept Deep Dive
Analysis
This question tests the definition of excess land. Excess land is land beyond what the existing use needs that can be sold separately or support an independent use. Land required by zoning or for site function is not excess.
Background Knowledge
Excess land differs from surplus land: excess land is not needed for the existing use and can be sold separately or support an independent use, so it is valued separately, while surplus land is extra area that cannot be separated and usually adds less value. Identifying excess land correctly affects both highest and best use and the valuation approach.
Real-World Application
An appraiser inspects a house on a 10-acre tract where only two acres serve the home and zoning would allow the remaining field to be split off with its own access. The appraiser values the house site and the excess field separately and adds them.
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