Well thanks for that @Kyle J.I've just never thought of it that way and no one has said that I could do that as an option - and I have worked with at least 2 realtors (1 seasoned in the business for a few years and the other new-er) that never mentioned anything like this as an option.Armed with the right tools one can achieve much. :)I've always looked at this beginning process as having to follow a certain standard.

Look for Quality over QuantityAn essential ingredient to building a good referral network is keeping the focus on quality and not quantity. 10 Ways to Build a Good Referral NetworkHere are 10 things to consider while building a good referral network for your business.1.

@Leigh Ann Smith I deal with land in the Phoenix, AZ area and the Maricopa county online tools are very helpful as they show both the flood plains (which can be built on but needs to be "built up") and the flood zones (cannot be built on).

A license is a useful tool!

Several months of applying the @Marcia Maynard school of being firm fair and swift brought a turnaround but the essential message is that the signs were there.

You're essentially going into debt on a car just to allow you to then go even further into debt on a property. 

Account Closed  I use Buildium and it has its own credit check / background check tool.

Once you accept this as part of being a landlord and view your home as a "tool of the trade", although and expensive one, and that this is a business of damages, repairs, fixing up your home, evictions and doing it all over again and again, only then will you be a true landlord!

Essentially what the big picture is so I can expand my perspectives (unfortunately I don't know enough to be more specific - LOL!)

Like Josh said do not worry too much about obtaining exact building costs just focus on the essential information about the lots.