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What Is LiDAR?

How Land Realtors like myself Use LiDAR to Sell Property (And How You Can Understand the Map)

If you’re buying or selling land, you may come across something called a LiDAR map. It might look like a shaded or color image of the land—but it’s much more than a pretty picture.  The ones I use are shaded and are sourced from the USGS.

What Is LiDAR?

LiDAR stands for Light Detection and Ranging. It uses lasers from planes or drones to scan the ground and create a super-detailed image of the land’s surface—even under trees and thick brush.

As land a specialists, I use LiDAR maps to:

  • Show the natural shape of the land—like dips, hills, ridges, and flat spots
  • Point out buildable areas or ideal places for driveways or cabins
  • Reveal old logging roads, trails, abandoned dams, old farm terraces or creeks that aren’t visible on foot or from an aerial photo

This helps buyers understand what they’re really getting, especially if the land is hard to walk or covered in trees.  For example if a buyer wants to install a new road, a LiDAR map will show if any old roads exist and if so those will be prime locations for a new road.

How You Can Read a LiDAR Map

Even without labels or lines, you can learn a lot by just looking at how the light and shadows fall on the map:

  • Light areas usually mean flatter ground
  • Dark or shadowed areas often show lower ground, dips, side slopes or valleys.  The darker the shade the steeper the slope.
  • Curved shapes might show hills or ridges
  • Flat-looking areas are often great for building or farming

It’s a bit like looking at the land from above and seeing the highs and lows without trees in the way.

Why It Matters

If you’re buying land, a LiDAR map helps you spot good building sites, plan access roads, and avoid problem areas.

If you’re selling, it helps you show the true value of your property—especially if it’s wooded or hard to explore.

See the LiDAR map below of one of my listings:

This map is based on publicly available LiDAR data and is provided for informational purposes only. It is not a legal survey and should not be used as a substitute for a survey conducted by a licensed professional land surveyor.

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Eddie Stone

Eddie Stone is a Land Realtor for Great Southern Land helping people buy and sell land in Alabama. He is also an Alabama Registered Forester. His specialties include: land sales, land valuations, timber sales, and timber valuations. An Alabama resident, Eddie has used his extensive knowledge to work and sell land in 15 counties surrounding the Birmingham Metro area. Eddie obtained a Master's Degree in Forest Business from Mississippi State University in 1988 and started his career in the forest industry. In 1999 he left the corporate sector and began his career as and Land Realtor while still practicing as a Registered Forester. Eddie's forestry expertise, coupled with being a REALTOR, has made him uniquely qualified to help clients navigate all aspects of buying and selling land.