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Companies that Buy Land: What to Look Out for When Selling Vacant Land

When it comes to selling raw land, most people take the same first step – a quick online search for companies that buy vacant land. In this guide, we’ll help you work out which of the options you have is right for you.

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The Sell Land team were stellar! They handled all the technical details, and the simplicity of the process took all the stress out of selling my land.

Deborah – Sold 4 acres in Wisconsin

Companies that Buy Land: A 2024 Guide

When you search for land buyers, you’ll almost certainly get a mix of company websites and third-party websites being paid to promote some of these companies.

While this gives you plenty to choose from, it can be difficult to cut through the marketing and work out which is genuinely best for you.

With this in mind, we’ve put together a list of 9 things to look out for when choosing a land buyer. Naturally, we’d love for you to choose Sell Land – but even if we’re not right for you, it’s important to have all the information so you can make an informed decision when you sell undeveloped land.

1. Experience matters when selling land fast

In theory, anyone with some experience in the vacant land property market could set themselves up as a land buyer. However, it’s quite another thing to build a reputable land-buying company that consistently offers fair prices and excellent service.

There are lots of moving parts when it comes to buying land – so there’s no substitute for many years of experience buying vacant land properties across all 50 states. This experience counts for a lot, including:

  • Making sure you get a fair cash offer for your land
  • Having efficient processes in place to make the process quick for you
  • Having expertise in complex closing situations, making sure nothing gets in the way of your money

Does Sell Land have experience with the land-buying process?

At Sell Land, we have this experience. We have many years of helping property owners sell land fast, thanks in part to our innovative systems and processes that complement our understanding of the complex land market.

2. Look for a company with a solid reputation


When it comes to choosing a company to help you with anything, getting a personal recommendation is a huge help. Unfortunately though, selling land isn’t something people do every day – so where do you turn if you don’t know someone who’s successfully sold vacant land parcels?

A great idea is to look for trustworthy testimonials.

Testimonials come in all shapes and sizes – from single lines of text on a website to video reviews that show the real person behind the comments.

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As a rule, these kinds of video testimonials are a great thing to look for – especially if they’re supported by reviews that can’t be manipulated, such as those on Google or The Better Business Bureau.

Does Sell Land have a good reputation?

We work exceptionally hard to make sure everyone who deals with Sell Land has a great experience – and that’s reflected in our testimonials and reviews, each coming from real people who’ve dealt with us professionally.

We’re also a Veteran Owned Business with a 5-star Google rating and an A+ Rating with the Better Business Bureau.

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3. How quickly will they close when I sell my land?

Closing timeline is a factor that really sets some land buying services apart from the rest. If you deal with a real estate agent, there’s no guarantee about closing times or whether you’ll find a seller at all.

However, a company that buys land fast directly should have a number of purchases that they can refer back to and offer as a guide so you have a realistic timeline to work with.

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Don’t be afraid to ask for an estimated time to close – after all, this is your land and your money, so you need to know that you’re employing the services of people who’ll deliver what you want.

How quickly will Sell Land close?

At Sell Land, we work with tight timelines. We’ll get your no-obligation cash offer back to you within 24 hours of speaking with you, and we always aim to close within 2-3 weeks.

Naturally, there are times when it’s a little longer than this owing to factors out of our hands – but we’ll keep you informed about honest closing date estimates from day one.

4. Will they offer an earnest deposit?

Land sales companies aren’t all working with the same business model.

Some, like us, will be buying your vacant land with a view to developing it ourselves. We’ll use our real estate skills and industry connections to transform the land. When we’ve carried out this work – often over many months – we’ll sell the land to keep our business profitable.

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Other companies aren’t as interested in rolling their sleeves up and doing the work though. As such, you’ll find some businesses effectively just act as real estate agents, tie-ing up your property with a purchase contract but never intending to be the end buyer themselves.

The thing that separates the honest hard workers from the middlemen is the willingness to offer an earnest cash deposit. For the middlemen who can’t be certain that they’ll flip your land, a deposit is too risky. However, for companies who are confidently doing the work themselves, they’ll often be willing to offer a cash deposit while the sale is wrapped up.

Will Sell Land offer a deposit?

At Sell Land, we’re always happy to secure our offers with a cash deposit.

5. Is the offer genuinely reasonable?

Another way of separating the hardworking land buyers from the flip-for-profit middlemen is by comparing the prices they offer.

We’re a profitable business because we roll up our sleeves, do the hard work over weeks and months, then sell land in it’s best possible condition. As such, we can offer you a genuine “before improvement value” for your raw land. Our business is built on the work we do after we’ve bought your land.

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However, quick-flip businesses don’t have this luxury. Since they’re not going to do the work, they rely on people accepting low-ball prices; so they can turn a profit with no effort.

Do Sell Land make a fair cash offer every time?

We don’t want to stand in the way of people making money – but we do believe in treating people fairly. As such, when you deal with the Sell Land team, you’ll get a fair price for your land – and we’re always happy to explain how we get to that price.

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6. Will they pay closing costs?

We’re all aware of companies that use small print to hide the information that doesn’t make a good headline on their website. Unfortunately, companies that you can sell your land to will sometimes hide crucial information in these kinds of terms and conditions.

Something to keep a lookout for is any talk of closing costs hidden away like this. Some companies will genuinely offer to cover your closing costs – but others won’t.

By keeping you liable for things like closing costs, deed recording, and other out-of-pocket costs, some companies can offer an impressive quote, only to reduce this price significantly when it’s time to wrap the deal up.

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The key here is to ask upfront about closing costs – and if the answer is vague, then we’d recommend looking for other quotes elsewhere. The only thing you need to pay are property taxes through the day of sale and any mortgage you still owe on – the great thing is these costs do not need to be paid up front, they can come out of the proceeds of the sale.

Does Sell Land pay closing costs?

Put simply, yes. When you work with the Sell Land team, the price you’re offered is the price you’ll get. We pay all closing costs out of our pocket – including title, escrow, and the costs associated with closing safely with a closing office or lawyer. If any additional tests or surveys are needed when we buy vacant land, we’ll typically pay those too. Simple, honest, and hassle-free.

7. How flexible are they, based on your needs?

It’s important to remember that land buyers are working for you – not the other way around. This means they should be willing to take your requirements onboard – from the fair cash offer right through to the closing date.

Again, this is an area you’ll get a feel for by asking a few questions. If you’ve got a preferred closing date, let them know and see how they respond. Got any special conditions you’d like to request? Talk to the company and see what they say.

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Some companies lack the personal touch when it comes to your needs. These big land-buying firms keep costs down by using a cookie-cutter approach. However, the best companies recognize that they’re working for you and tailor their processes accordingly.

The Sell Land team works around your needs

When you deal with Sell Land, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. We’ll talk to you about your requirements and do everything we can to accommodate them.

8. Are they financially stable?

Raw land buyers are a lot like individuals who buy land – some will have the cash to spend, and others will be relying on third-party financing.

You could be fooled into thinking the way that a company finances your vacant land sale won’t matter to you – but it often will.

Firstly, it can slow down the offer process. If a company doesn’t have the liquid cash available to commit to an offer, it will have to go away and check with its funding suppliers…

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Secondly, companies that don’t have the cash to hand will often take much longer to close than a company that has the means to pay your offer price immediately. Securing funding involves jumping through a series of hoops – so expect weeks or months to be added to your closing date if this is the case.

Does Sell Land have cash available to buy land quickly?

Again, a simple answer – yes. No matter how many properties we’re currently making offers for, we have the means to pay for your land quickly and with no additional steps to take at our end.

9. Will they make a no-obligation offer?

One of the biggest benefits of using online land buyers is the flexibility that they offer. You can make an inquiry with a direct land buyer, compare that to using a real estate agent, explore marketing your land yourself, or just go away and think about your options.

Unfortunately, some offers come with strings attached. Some companies that buy vacant land will put a lot of pressure on you to accept their deal quickly. Others will even sometimes sell your details to other marketing companies involved with the real estate world.

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Don’t be afraid to ask up front how a company works. If they sound like smooth-talking salespeople in a call center, you might not be getting the genuine hassle-free offer and experience you’re hoping for.

Will Sell Land make a genuine no-obligation offer?

We firmly believe that our role is to give you all the information you need to sell your land in a way that suits you. Making a no-obligation cash offer is an important part of that.

When we give you an offer, it doesn’t come with conditions or endless phone calls following up with you. We’ll leave it with you – and we’re always here if you have any questions. In fact, not only is our offer free from obligation, we’ll even do our best to suggest alternatives if working with Sell Land isn’t right for you.

What to look for from companies that buy land: A quick conclusion

Like any industry, there’s the good, the bad, and the ugly when you deal with companies that buy vacant land. Fortunately, it’s fairly easy to find the best raw land buyers. To find the best companies to deal with, look for:

  • Lots of land-buying experience
  • A great reputation and excellent video testimonials from real people
  • Prompt closing dates
  • The offer of a cash deposit upfront
  • Fair offers based on hard work
  • Closing cost included – with no hidden fees
  • Flexibility based on your needs
  • A significant reserve of cash to fund your offer
  • Genuine no-obligation offers

What Do Our Past Customers Think?

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Can You Offer Me a Price to Sell My Land Today?

Yes! We’re Trusted Land Buyers

We hope that the information in this guide will help you find a land buyer that suits your needs. We also hope that our transparent way of doing business and focus on exceptional customer service sets us apart from the competition.

If you’d like to get a no-obligation cash offer from Sell Land, why not leave us a few contact details, and we’ll get in touch to get some property details. Even if you’re yet to make a decision about selling your vacant land, it doesn’t hurt to have a price to compare to!

Fill in our form below or call us at 314-639-9800 and let us get you a fair offer. We buy vacant land all across the USA, so there’s a good chance we could be your buyers. We’ve worked hard to make sure our entire sales process is quick and efficient to save you time and hassle when selling your land.

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Remember, getting a no-obligation cash offer doesn’t stop you from exploring other land buyers or sales routes – so why not get a price and get an idea of how quickly we could close?