What happens before you get an offer?
A cash buyer starts with the parcel. Have the county, the parcel number (also called the APN or tax ID) and the owner names as they appear on the deed. If you have a survey, a recent tax bill or a copy of the deed, keep them ready.
Tell the buyer about known problems early: unpaid property taxes, no road access, other owners or heirs, liens or a pending probate. A buyer that knows the facts can price the land once. Surprises found later in the title search are the main reason offers change or deals fall apart.
A cash offer is usually below full retail value, in exchange for speed and certainty. If you have time and the land is easy to sell, you may get more by listing it. Compare a written cash offer with what similar land sold for before you sign.
What should the purchase contract say?
The contract is the deal. Read it before you sign, and ask a real estate attorney if anything is unclear. Check these points:
- The price, written in numbers and words.
- The earnest money amount and that a title company or attorney holds it.
- The name of the title company or closing attorney.
- The closing date and any due diligence or inspection period.
- Who pays closing costs, title insurance, recording fees and back taxes.
- Whether the buyer can assign the contract to someone else.
- What happens to the earnest money if either side backs out.
Do cash land buyers use a title company?
Most legitimate cash buyers do. A title company or closing attorney acts as a neutral third party. It searches the county records, finds liens and back taxes, prepares the settlement statement, holds the buyer's money in escrow, records the deed and pays the seller. In some areas, closings are usually handled by an attorney instead of a title company.
Owner's title insurance protects the buyer if someone later claims an interest in the land from before the sale. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau describes this coverage in its mortgage key terms. A buyer who wants to skip the title company, pay you directly and record the deed itself takes on that risk, and you lose a neutral party who confirms the money before the deed changes hands. Treat that as a red flag.
Do I sign the deed before I get paid?
Yes, you usually sign first, but the deed does not go to the buyer until the money is in. You sign the deed and closing papers in front of a notary. The title company or attorney holds the signed deed in escrow. When the buyer's funds have cleared and every condition is met, it records the deed with the county and sends your proceeds.
This is why a neutral closing agent matters. Never mail a signed, notarized deed straight to a buyer, and never sign a deed in exchange for a promise to pay later, unless you are knowingly doing owner financing with a lawyer's help.
How do I get paid when I sell land for cash?
You get paid by the title company or closing attorney, not by the buyer. The settlement statement lists the price, minus any back taxes, liens, your share of costs and any payoffs. The rest is your net proceeds. Most title companies pay by wire transfer to your bank, often the same day the deed is recorded or within a few business days. Many also offer a mailed check.
Criminals target closings. They send fake emails that look like they come from the title company and ask you to change where the money goes. The CFPB says never follow wiring instructions in an email and to confirm account details by phone using a number you already trust. If you think you were targeted, call your bank right away and report it to the FBI at ic3.gov.
The closing agent usually reports the sale to the IRS on Form 1099-S. The IRS instructions say the form covers improved or unimproved land. If you are a foreign person, the buyer generally must withhold 15 percent of the amount realized under FIRPTA. Ask a tax adviser about capital gains. General information, not legal or tax advice.
Can I sell land if I live out of state and cannot meet a notary?
Yes. Most land sales to cash buyers are closed by mail. The title company sends you the deed and closing papers. You sign them in front of a notary where you live, such as at a bank, a shipping store or a mobile notary who comes to you, and mail them back by overnight courier. The title company tells you which forms the county where the land sits will accept.
Many states also allow remote online notarization, where you sign electronically and the notary watches you on a live video call. Texas, for example, commissions online notaries under Chapter 406 of its Government Code. Rules differ by state, and the county must accept the document for recording, so ask the title company which method it can use.
How long does each step take?
The offer often comes within a day or two. The title search is usually the longest step and depends on the county and the title. A clean title can close in days or a few weeks. Heirs, probate, old liens or boundary questions can add weeks or months. See our guide on how long it takes to sell land for a step by step range.
Red flags at any step
Stop and ask questions if a buyer:
- Asks you to pay an upfront fee to get an offer or to close.
- Will not name a title company or attorney, or wants you to send the signed deed directly to them.
- Changes the wiring instructions by email or text.
- Pressures you to sign the same day or will not put the offer in writing.
- Has no business registered with a secretary of state.
How EasyLotBuyer handles this
EasyLotBuyer was founded in 2021 and buys land directly. We send a written cash offer within 24 hours. There are no fees or commissions, and we pay the closing costs. Every closing goes through an independent title company or attorney, which holds the funds, records the deed and pays you. We close by mail when you live out of state, and we can close in as few as 7 days when the title is clear.
Get a cash offer for your land