I inherited a vacant plot but had no idea what to do with it. After 6 months without a single viewing, I talked to Bob at Sell Land and had an offer 48 hours later – and the cash in the bank 2 weeks after that! I just wish I’d found you sooner!
Frances – Sold 1.8 acres in Texas
You’re a Land-Buying Company – Why Should I Trust Your Advice if I Want to Sell My Land?
We’re a business that buys undeveloped land – so you’d be right to wonder if we’re going to offer impartial advice. Surely we want to buy land wherever possible, right?
This isn’t how we work. Actually, it’s not uncommon for us to talk to people who want to sell their land and we point out alternatives that would better suit their situation. If we’re not the right land buyers for you, we’ll tell you right away.
As a family-run business, we believe that word-of-mouth advertising is the best kind – and we make that happen by offering sincere and honest advice. This commitment to integrity almost always leads to our customers recommending us to friends and family if they also need to sell raw land. In fact, we even get recommended by people we’ve advised to sell their land in other ways.
We’re proud to be an A+ rated business with the Better Business Bureau – an accreditation we’ve gained by doing what’s right for land owners, not just what’s right for our business.
What Are Your Options If You Want To Sell Land?
If you’re hoping to sell land, you’ll generally have three options to choose from:
- Selling directly to an individual or business who’s buying land to build on;
- Selling to a buyer through a real estate agent; or,
- Selling directly to a land buyer like us that specializes in vacant lots
Each one of these options has its advantages and disadvantages. The thing is, looking through a list of ‘pros and cons’ isn’t always helpful, as your situation is unique to you. So, instead of creating quick lists – we’ve put together some important questions to consider and which direction your answers might point you in!
Question 1: Do I Have The Time and Resources to Improve My Raw Land?
The first question to ask yourself is whether or not you have the time, skill, and resources needed to improve the vacant land you want to sell. Don’t worry; there’s no right or wrong answer here.
This question is important because the current state of your vacant lot may reduce the number of potential buyers it appeals to. When a piece of land is cleaned up or developed, it helps a potential buyer envision what they’re planning to put there. In addition, it also reduces the money they’ll need to spend out of pocket to get to their result.
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If you’ve got the time, skill, money, and desire to make your vacant land look its best, then you might be able to mark your price up to reflect this work. You might consider clearing trash and debris, removing old trees and foliage, and possibly even installing utilities or cutting driveways and roads.
Yes! I’m happy to do this work
If you decide you are able to put in a lot of effort before you sell your land and you are willing to wait awhile for the perfect buyer to come along, you’re likely to realize a better price selling through a real estate agent. Remember, you’ll need to keep on top of this work so the property is always in tip top shape when buyers come out for viewings all the way until it officially sells.
No, I’d rather not take this on
Don’t feel guilty if the idea of doing this kind of work doesn’t appeal to you – there aren’t many people willing to take on such a large workload, especially if it’s something you have little or no experience with.
If you’d prefer to sell your vacant land fast, then using an online land buyers service – like ours – is likely to be the better option. We buy land specifically to do this work ourselves, so you’ll get a fair price, a quick sale, and you won’t have to worry about keeping up with maintenance.
TELL US ABOUT THE LAND YOU WANT TO SELL
(Takes less than 2 minutes!)
Question 2: Do I Want to be Tied to a Real Estate Agent?
As you almost certainly know, real estate agents act as a “middleman” in any land or property sale they handle. For doing so, they collect a fee or commission, usually based on the final selling price of your land.
Most buyers appreciate that good realtors can connect with huge audiences thanks to their marketing budgets. However, to access this service, you will be required to sign a legally-binding contract. Contracts are usually 6-12 months long. It’s these contracts that make sure realtors get paid for the work they do.
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Signing a contract is standard practice in the real estate world – so it’s not necessarily a bad thing. But many agents are used to selling houses and don’t have much experience selling land so they often fall short of getting the job done. This can become a problem if you change your mind about selling land through your agent and decide to explore other options. In short, there’s no simple way out of this agreement, so even if you find a buyer yourself, you’ll be required to pay your realtor their fee.
Many folks come to us after several months or years of being unhappy with their agent’s results. That time waiting can cause you to pay another property tax bill or several mortgage payments if you have a loan.
I’m happy to sign up to an agreement with a real estate agent
If you’re confident that your real estate agent will do a great job, it means they’ll often take any hard work off your plate. They’ll professionally photograph your land, they’ll talk to people they know who are in the market for land like yours, and they’ll help you value your land.
Remember though, realtors don’t make any guarantees about the timeline involved with selling land. Or any guarantee the property will sell at all. We’ll explore this in depth later – but it’s something to be aware of before you sign.
I’d rather keep my options open
If the idea of being tied to a realtor doesn’t appeal to you, then you’ve got two options. Firstly, you could look at marketing your property yourself. Be aware of the effort, time, and money needed to do this though – it often ends up taking more of those three things than you first think!
Secondly, you might decide to get a no-obligation cash offer from a company that specifically buys land – like we do here at Sell Land. When you deal with a land-buying company, there’s no effort needed on your behalf, and there’s no down side. In fact, you can look at your offer and weigh it up against the pros and cons of using a realtor or marketing your property yourself.
If you sell through an agent you might get a higher price but often you are selling to a buyer who wants you to pay for their portion of the title company closing costs. As professional land buyers we pay all the real estate attorney, title company closing costs, and even transfer taxes.
Question 3: Do I Want to Offer Financing When I Sell Land?
It’s not difficult to find banks or other financial institutions that are happy to lend money to someone intending to buy a house. However, finding financing for land is significantly harder. Companies that do lend for land purchases typically have very tight rules around who they will lend to and what kind of land they will lend against.
In short, this makes it very difficult for anyone but cash buyers to get their hands on the money you’re asking for when selling land.
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To combat this, lots of companies that offer advice on how to sell your land will recommend you offer owner financing. This usually involves a formal agreement between you and the buyer, with a set amount paid directly to you each month. For the protection of everyone involved, this agreement should be written-up and overseen by a lawyer specializing in this kind of deal.
If you’d like to appeal to a broad audience, offering financing will help. However, it’s not without its own risks and potential headaches – not least because you’ll need professional help setting up and managing the deal.
I’m happy to offer financing
If you feel comfortable putting together a financing deal with a prospective buyer, then offering this kind of arrangement can help you to attract a larger audience. The fact that you’re happy being paid monthly means your property is going to be affordable for people who might not otherwise have the cash waiting.
I’d rather not offer financing to land buyers
Most people don’t like the idea of getting involved with financing agreements. Frankly, this is hardly surprising – alternative financing agreements like these are attracting more and more attention from legislators and are definitely not guaranteed to be problem-free. You have risk your buyer stops making payments which can drag you into a lengthy and costly legal battle to get your property back.
If you don’t want to offer this kind of “installment sale contract”, you may decide to hold out and look for a cash buyer. Although this audience is smaller, advertising in the right places will help.
Alternatively, you’ll always be able to sell land fast online using a service like ours. We have cash available immediately, we close very quickly, and we’ll even cover closing costs, back taxes, and all associated fees.
Question 4: How Long Am I Prepared to Wait for My Land Sale to Close?
Although many people aspire to build their own homes, it’s a dream that few people realize. This means that vacant land doesn’t get nearly as much attention as properties with an existing house on it.
As a result, most vacant land parcels sit on the market for a long time. In fact, it’s not uncommon for a vacant land parcel to make it through a full 6-12 month contract with a realtor with little or no viewings.
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Now, time isn’t necessarily a problem. If the proceeds from your land sale are going into a retirement plan that you won’t touch for another 20 years, then there’s likely no rush. However, if it would be useful to have cash in your pocket on the sooner side, working with a real estate agent can be a painfully slow process.
I’m in no rush to sell my land
If time is on your side, then you might decide to test the real estate market in your area. You could start by listing your land online using websites and apps that connect you directly with potential buyers. Many of these services do charge a monthly fee to list your property with them. And you will need to make yourself available to answer calls from interested buyers and handle showings. If you don’t get the results you’re looking for there, then maybe working with a realtor is the next step.
There’s only one minor word of warning if you decide to try this route. Keep tabs on what your land is costing you – both in maintenance costs, mortgage payments (if you have one) and annual property taxes. These costs can add up in the time it takes to sell, so just be careful to make sure time doesn’t end up eating into the proceeds of the sale.
I’d prefer to sell my land quickly
If it would be helpful to have cash in the bank sooner rather than later, then using a realtor or selling it for sale by owner might not be a good plan. Instead, start thinking about who has the cash available right now.
Some people find that property owners in your county who are expanding their holdings will be interested in buying your land. Again, their circumstances will vary – but if you know they’re interested, they might be eager to do a quick deal.
Of course, this is where direct land buyers – like us – are a perfect match. We have cash that’s ready to transfer to you- and we can often do our “homework” in as little as 24 hours and close as fast as 2 weeks later. We’ll also cover all closing costs – including the cost of drawing up and concluding a purchase agreement with a title company or real estate attorney.
SELL YOUR LAND THE EASY WAY
(Takes less than 2 minutes!)
Conclusion: Who Should You Sell Your Vacant Land To?
As we stated earlier, there’s no right or wrong answer that applies to everyone – only what’s right or wrong for you. Some people like to roll up their sleeves, while others prefer a more hassle-free approach.
Ultimately, you need to think about the amount of time, effort, and money you want to invest – and whether or not you’ll recoup that when your land sells. As you can see from our reviews, we’ve helped countless people sell their land – so it’s clear that lots of people like you just don’t have the time to deal with real estate agents or attempt to market vacant land property themselves.
What Do Our Past Customers Think?
![How To Sell Land Fast [ Review ] - See what Susan has to say about working with us](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/1cC3EfSI3DE/hqdefault.jpg)
Can You Offer Me a Price to Sell My Land Today?
Yes! We’re Trusted Land Buyers
If you ask for an offer, we’ll get in touch to ask a few questions about your property. From there, we’ll research your land and make you a cash offer with a quick closing date.
Remember, our cash offer doesn’t stop you from looking elsewhere. So if you’re not 100% sure about who to sell your land to, talking to us first is a great starting point. What’s more, we have many years of experience as land investors in the real estate industry – so we’re always happy to offer advice and insider knowledge if it’s useful to you.
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.
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?
