Most municipalities have their zoning code online these days.If you are dealing with a farmer or vacant land, you also want to make sure they haven't either sold their Transferrable Development Rights (TRD's) away which could negate the use depending on the town/county or that they haven't elected some agricultural reserve status which would trigger a tax issue for them.After all that, then you are going to need to check what the rates are on them (I have NO CLUE on that one) and the cost to construct and your ROI/COCR.  

I get so frustrated when I have to talk to customer service in India in which the rep. has no clue in what I am trying to say.

Without any clue and given a basic RE question I give newbie advice, if it turns out they have been around awhile they get their panties twisted up in some response.

But, of course, that's with no clue what you do now or would be doing then.  

Dave, thank you for all the details as I have truly no clue what this business entails.  

We get copied on the first late invoice, but that doesn't always clue us in enough that there is an issue.  

You see folks wanting to get into the business, but they don't have a clue as to how to swing a hammer.

Jay, let me clue you in to something I learned awhile back.

I have no clue where the $25,000 came from and you seem to not account for the total of the CD money over the first 7.5 years.So the easy thing to clear from your post is what you said above. 

If you pay anywhere near 140 you won't find a flipper (that has a clue) that will even consider it.