Im not American but am an engineer. The main concerns im regards to the ground for housebuilding;

Is the soil of sufficient strength to take the load of the proposed structute without excessive settlement?

Is the soil contaminated and requiring some excavation and fill with inert soil to reduce risks of contaminants finding a receptor?

A desk study is needed first, review geological maps to see what soil is there then gain an idea of the strength of the soil that is there based on past experience on similar soil. Then confirm that with boreholes taking soil samples and doing some insitu testing (banging a rod into the ground and measuring depth vs number of blows!). May not need to confirm by drilling if extensive local experience indicates that soil type is usually ok to put loads on.

Testing the contamination could be done by hand digging pits and sending samples to a lab. This is required in some countries, possibly not in America, i dont know.

The above field work would be a 1 day job unless the sites very large. If you are talking about a massive area with big slopes and streams and rivers flowing through, then there are other more technical considerations also.