using GIS to find vacant land parcels

[Ross Benedict]

is anyone familiar with using GIS to locate vacant lots for sale. I'm currently trying to use the GIS located on county websites but have had minimal luck. Any specific strategies would be great. Thanks

[Ryan Bergeron]

@Ross Benedict I have not done much investigation into other states' GIS portals, but in CT, none of the towns afford you the ability to search the database for anything other than by address or owner's name. That being said, if the town has a GIS website, that means that they have a file that is accessible through a tool such as ArcGIS. ESRI offers a free version of the software (ArcGIS Explorer http://www.esri.com/software/arcgis/explorer) that has the very advanced features trimmed, but will allow you to view the map on your computer and search the database more thoroughly than your town/city/county GIS website will. That's the easy part.

What might prove more difficult is obtaining the actual file from your town. I am in the fortunate position of being a university student developing a project to make available all town GIS databases for CT parcels in the name of advancing surveying and civil engineering. You would need your own story. Some town/city engineering departments may be receptive to a real estate investor, but you may need some fluff to convince others, even though this is all public record.

If you are able to obtain the files, PM me and I would love to help guide you through how to extract the information that you want. I would love to put together a tutorial on YouTube for the benefit of you and the community at large.