Frequently Asked Questions

General

How long does it take to sell land?

When speaking of traditional ways of selling (through a realtor), it's very difficult to predict how long it will take to sell any given piece of land. There are too many factors to consider - market conditions, how desirable the location is, the size of the land, how affordable it is, what the access is like - the list really could go on and on.

To get a quick visual check of the health of the land market in your area you can view the for sale and sold land listings on a website like Zillow. Filter 'Home Type' so you're only viewing Lots/Land. The red dots are currently for sale. Compare to the sold listings which appear as yellow dots in Zillow.

Roughly the same number of red and yellow dots in your area means there is a healthy demand for land and that when land becomes available, there is usually a buyer for it. When there are many more for sale listings than sold ones (more red dots than yellow), it's a sign that there aren't enough buyers for all the land that people want to sell in that area and it could take a very long time to sell land there.

To analyze further, you can click on a sold listing and check how long it was listed before it sold. Many, but not all, listings will have this information. To find it on Zillow, scroll down to 'Price History.' There should be a date listed when the property was listed for sale, and also when it sold. Some listings may have several dates where the property was listed, removed, and relisted before finally selling.

By checking how long several similar properties to yours were listed before they sold, you can get some idea of how long it will take your property to sell if it's priced appropriately and marketed well.

How can I sell my land quickly?

When it comes to selling land yourself, there is no silver bullet to selling quickly. With that said, there are many things that you can do to make it more likely to sell your land in a reasonable amount of time.

These include putting up a for sale sign for passersby to see, getting professional photos of the land taken, listing the land on several websites where people are searching for land, reaching out to neighbors to see if they may be interested, and contacting special groups that you think would value the land such as builders, hunting groups, or RV owners.

If a property really needs to be sold quickly, the alternative to taking these steps yourself or listing it with a realtor is to sell it to a company like ours at a discount. In many cases, we're able to purchase land in two weeks or less.

How much is my land worth?

The value of your land is based on many factors, including location, size, zoning, terrain, improvements, and of course, market conditions. The best way to value land is to compare your parcel to others that are currently listed for sale or have sold recently. This is called the sales comparison approach for determining value. Still, land is often difficult to value precisely because sales are not as frequent as for homes, and very few comparable listings or sales will be exactly like yours.

Can I sell my land without a realtor?

Yes. Many parcels of land are sold without realtors or real estate agents. You may be able to sell your land yourself with enough marketing effort.

Why would I use a realtor to sell my land?

If you choose to list your property with a realtor, they’re going to do the ‘heavy-lifting’ for you in selling your property, in exchange for a sales commission. The realtor’s job is to market your property broadly to find possible buyers and also to help you with the sale contract.

Successful realtors are also skilled in sales and this may help get the best possible price for your land. For some landowners, the convenience of listing with a real estate agent is worth paying the sales commission.

What is the typical real estate commission on a land sale?

Real estate commissions on land sales can be as high as 10% of the sale price. That's because a parcel of land normally doesn't sell for as much as a house. A realtor needs to charge a higher commission rate to make it worth their time.

How can I find realtors who sell land?

Any licensed realtor can list your land for sale, but we recommend finding one that is familiar with land sales as the knowledge to successfully market and sell land is different than selling homes.

Understanding how to value land, how to find potential buyers, and answering the questions that land buyers will have are all important skills for selling land successfully.

One place to start is to find land for sale or recently sold in your area on websites like Zillow. From there, you need to evaluate how qualified the real estate agent is for selling land specifically.

One way to do this is to research what other listings the realtor currently has on that website or searching for their name and their broker (company they work for). Are most of their listings land, or are most of them homes with just one or two parcels of land? It's also worth noting that many real estate agents don't take land listings because the sales commissions are typically lower than from selling homes.

Next, we recommend evaluating the quality of the photos used. One picture taken from the side of the road may not be enough to convince someone to buy! Good listings have lots of photos that give buyers a sense of the land and surrounding area before they come to see it in person.

Finally, how well is the property described in the listing? A listing that just says 'two wooded acres available' is not going to create much interest. Buyers want specifics so they know they're not wasting their time. A good listing will include details like what the property can be used for, what utilities are available, and if there are any improvements to the land.

Do I need a lawyer to sell my land?

No. Although there are many reasons you might choose to hire an attorney or lawyer to help with a land sale, it is not required. Some situations where you may want to use an attorney include inheriting land, dealing with title issues, or selling commercial land which may have more complex sale contracts.

Will I have to pay taxes when selling my land?

Generally speaking, if you're selling land for more than you paid for it, you will pay federal taxes on the amount of capital gains. Most people selling land will have owned it for two or more years, so the long-term capital gains tax rate would apply, which is between 0-20% depending on your income bracket. Depending on where you live, some states also tax capital gains. For a list of states that tax capital gains, visit taxfoundation.com

Selling Your Own Land

Can I sell my land myself?

Yes. Many land owners sell their land themselves. As the land owner, you know what the land can be used for and who may be interested in buying it. It really comes down to whether you want to take the time and energy to market the property for sale.

What websites can I use to sell my land?

There are several high-traffic general-purpose websites that allow you to list your land such as Facebook, Craigslist, and eBay and also real estate and land specific websites like Zillow and Land.com. We recommend posting to as many of them as possible to get the most attention to your land listing.

How can I sell my land on Zillow?

Zillow will list your for sale by owner land listing, although it will not be advertised as prominently as if it were listed through a realtor.

The benefit of posting to Zillow is that it's the number one real estate website with more than 30 million views per month. It's also free to list your property for sale and they allow you to upload unlimited photos.

To get started, head to Zillow.com and navigate to 'Post For Sale by Owner' under the Sell menu in the navigation bar. Often, your vacant land will not have a full street address. If this applies to you, just enter the name of the road the property is on along with the city, state, and zipcode.

After clicking continue, Zillow will prompt you to enter the missing street number or to provide the parcel number. The parcel number can be found on your deed or property tax bill and is the unique number identifying your property to the county.

From there, you'll be able to add a description to your listing, set a price, list your contact information, and upload photos of the property.

How can I sell my land on Facebook Marketplace?

Facebook Marketplace may seem like an unconventional way to sell your land, but with over 200 million Facebook users in the US, there's potential to reach many people. Facebook Marketplace is the 'classifieds' area of Facebook and it's where you can list your land to sell. There is not a specific category for selling land, and we recommend posting under the "Miscellaneous' category. You can add a price, description, and photos to publish your listing.

How can I sell my land on Craigslist?

Craigslist.org is one of the most visited websites in the US and they have a specific category for listing land for sale, although it's not intuitive to find the right place to list it.

To list your land for sale, first select 'housing offered,' then 'real estate - by owner.' This will take you to the listing page where you can select 'land' under the dropdown menu called 'housing type.' Add the description, price, and contact information to the listing, then click continue.

The next page allows you to more precisely locate your land on the map. Finally, the last page allows you to upload photos before publishing your listing.

You will need to check your listing every few days to renew or report your listing as recently posted listings are much more likely to be seen.

How can I sell my land on eBay?

eBay is another one of the most visited websites in the US and they allow real estate including land to be sold. One option to sell your land on eBay is in a no reserve auction format. This will often generate a lot of interest, but we only recommend this for lower value properties as shoppers on eBay are very price-conscious and you're not setting a minimum sale price. Instead, you're hoping that what starts as a very low price for your property will attract many potential buyers and create a buying frenzy that drives the price up.

Selling to Us

Why should I sell my land to you?

Once you're thinking of selling your land, you have a decision to make about how to sell it. We try to provide information on this website about the three ways to do this - selling the land yourself, listing it with a realtor, or selling to a company like Sell Now Land Buyers. Each option has it's pros and cons. If you decide you want to sell your land quickly and hassle-free, then Sell Now Land Buyers can be your trusted partner to purchase your land.

Do you buy any type of land?

Yes, with very limited exceptions. We primarily buy residential and rural land, but we can also buy commercial and industrial land.

I'm ready to sign the sale contract, what's next?

We will sign the contract as well and send it to you for your records. We'll select a title company and pick a mutually agreeable closing date. The title company will prepare the closing documents for you to sign. On the closing date, the sale proceeds are transferred to you and title to the property is transferred to us as the buyers.

Will it cost me anything to sell my land?

In our standard purchase contract, we pay all closing costs including document preparation, settlement fees, recording and transfer fees. The only costs to you at closing are property taxes or other assessments like homeowner's association fees up to the date of closing. After closing, those costs are our responsibility as the buyers.

Where will I sign the closing documents?

We will select a title company local to you and you can sign all closing documents at their offices or wherever you typically get documents notarized such as your local bank. If you prefer to sign the documents at home we will send a notary public to meet you.

When will I get my money?

You'll receive the sale proceeds at closing. As the buyers, we send the purchase funds to the title company in advance of the closing and then the title company releases the funds to you at closing once they've received all the signed documents.

What size land parcels do you buy?

Most of our purchases range between 1 to 10 acres, but we will buy a parcel as small as .1 acres in a more urban location all the way up to 100+ acres in a rural location.

Special Situations

What if my property doesn’t have legal or physical access?

We can still evaluate your property to see if we can purchase it. Lacking physical access is not typically a problem. This can happen when an easement was created for a road, but the road was never constructed, for example. Lacking legal access can be more of an issue.

An example of this is property that cannot be reached by a road and no easement or right-of-way exists to gain access through another property. Sometimes we can solve these issues by contacting the neighboring land owners or even getting a court action to provide an easement by necessity.

We're experienced with these issues and can evaluate your property to see if we can find a solution.

What if I owe back property taxes on the property?

Not a problem. At closing, any back property taxes owed will be paid out of the sale price. After closing, we will make all property tax payments as the new owner.

What if my property is part of a homeowner’s association (HOA)?

We buy property in HOAs. We'll just need a copy of the HOA rules (typically called declarations) and if there are any HOA fees due.

What if I don’t have a copy of the deed?

Not a problem. Once we sign the purchase contract, we will order a title search which will include finding a copy of the deed that was recorded in your county.

Can I sell my land if I have a mortgage?

Yes. At closing, the remaining balance of the mortgage will be paid out of the sale price. After closing, you will receive a mortgage release notification from your lender.

What if there's a lien on the property or the title isn't clear?

We evaluate properties that have liens or that don't have clear title on a case by case basis. Often the attorneys that we work with are able to resolve liens and title issues so that we're still able to purchase the property., although it can delay the sale process. If we're not able to purchase a property because of a title issue, we'll let you know why.

What happens if the original owner has died?

When a family member passes away, most often probate will be required unless the deceased had a living trust or transfer-on-death deed, or if the deceased co-owned the property with someone still living. If probate is required, we can still make you an offer so you know what to expect after the probate process is complete. In certain limited cases, we can pay for the costs of the probate process to allow you to sell the property.