Sell Land by Owner in Florida - Guide to Selling Your Vacant Land

Selling Land in Florida

Are you interested in selling land, but aren't sure where to begin? Selling land by owner can be difficult if you've never done it before. Who purchases vacant land? And what is required to sell vacant land?

Once you break down the process of selling unwanted land into manageable steps, it is a straightforward task. In this guide, we will walk you through the steps to sell land without a realtor.

First, let's look at how to market a parcel of land. If you already have a buyer such as a neighbor or family member, you can skip ahead to the documents required to sell property in Florida.

Second, we cover the paperwork to sell your land in Florida including the important legal documents for such as the deed. We'll also guide you on selecting a template contract to sell land by owner in Florida.

Lastly, we provide an alternative to going through all these steps yourself - selling your vacant land to a cash buyer. If you want to learn how to sell your Florida land fast, this may be a good option to consider.

Key Takeaways

  • Obtain survey, title, and photography before marketing
  • Utilize a For Sale sign and neighbor letter campaign
  • List land on Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and Zillow
  • Consider selling to a land buyer for fast cash

1. Traditional ways to sell your land by owner in Florida

To sell your property in Florida, you'll need to market it in a variety of ways. The land selling market is different from the house selling market. Want to sell your Florida land quickly? The most effective way to sell a piece of land is by utilizing both local outreach and online marketing. To successfully sell land without the assistance of a real estate agent, you must follow many of the steps real estate agents typically take.

Attract buyers with a For Sale sign

A simple sign is a low-tech method to let passersby know that you're selling land. The point of a sign is simply to let people who are passing by know that your land is for sale. It also helps buyers to find your property.

A for sale sign helps to:

  • Alert passersby that your land is for sale
  • Help a potential buyer find the property

A neighbor may be interested in your vacant land

A For Sale sign is good for catching the attention of passersby. But wouldn't it be good if there was a way to reach everyone near your property? You can do that with a neighbor letter campaign. What do we mean by campaign? It's an organized way of sending out many letters at once.

The people living closest to your land are some of the most likely buyers. Through a neighbor letter campaign, you will get in touch with these potential buyers quickly and easily. For that reason, neighbor letters should be one of the first things you do when promoting your Florida land.

2. List your Florida land for sale online

After you have your sign up and have notified your neighbors, the next step is to list your land online.

Craigslist

With millions of visitors per month, Craigslist.org is one of the most visited websites in the US. If you only know Craigslist as a place to find a used sofa, there's much more to it. Craigslist is also home to millions of listings for properties.

The main reason to use Craigslist is that it has high traffic. It also has a specific category for placing a listing for land for sale, and it is free to use.

There are some downsides to the platform too. Craigslist attracts bargain buyers, so it's not the ideal website to use for selling the most valuable kinds of properties. There are also a lot of 'tire kickers' - people that will ask questions but are not serious about land buying.

Still, since it's free and allows you to create detailed land listings, it should be one of the first places you list your land for sale.

Facebook Marketplace

Facebook Marketplace is another free place to list your land for sale by owner. Facebook is used by approximately 200 million Americans, so it's not surprising that it's a great place to get exposure for your land listing.

The 'classifieds' area of Facebook is called Marketplace, where you can buy and sell just about anything, including real estate. But, there's no specific category for land.

The unique thing about Facebook is that people can share your ad with their friends who are looking for land. Facebook Marketplace encourages people to share your listing. It's also free!

Zillow

When it comes to buying or selling land online, many people first think of Zillow. Zillow is the number one most visited real estate website, with tens of millions of visitors every month.

Zillow makes it easy to create attractive real estate listings, like those offered by real estate agents. Zillow's interface makes it simple for you to connect with potential buyers. Also, it's free to post your listing on Zillow!

The main problem with Zillow is it makes it hard to find for sale by owner listings. That's because it prioritizes listings by real estate agents. That's why for many sellers, it may make sense to list your property for a flat fee on the MLS (described below). This will still get your listing on Zillow where it will be shown with listings from realtors.

Either way, as the number one real estate website it's an essential step in advertising your land for sale.

MLS

What is the MLS? MLS is the acronym used for multiple listing service, and there isn't just one MLS. Hundreds of MLSs cover various local areas and overlap each other. There are over 50 local and regional realtor associations across Florida.

An MLS is simply a database for realtors to post their listings for sale. Other realtors participating in that MLS can view these listings through websites such as Zillow or Realtor.com. The public can also view these listings via the internet.

What you may not know is that listing on the MLS without a realtor is also an option. A flat fee MLS listing is when the seller pays a flat fee to a broker instead of a commission.

3. Paperwork for selling land in Florida

Here's a brief overview of the documents required for selling a property:

  • Getting things organized
  • Preparing the contract
  • Closing on the sale

For a complete guide, learn about the most important documents to sell land by owner in Florida.

Before marketing the land for sale

The paperwork for selling your land by owner may start even before you market it for sale. These documents provide key information that a prospective purchaser will want to see. It will also show them that you have everything required to transfer the property to them. Here are a few of the most important ones:

Survey or topographical map of the property

Once you decide to sell your land, it can be beneficial to have it surveyed. The survey shows the property boundaries, and nearby objects, such as fences, trees, and buildings. Buyers will want to visualize these boundaries when considering their intended use.

Title to the property

Before selling your land, it is important to evaluate the title. The title shows who owns the property, so it is important to understand who is on the title to ease the transfer of ownership. You don't want any uncertainty about who the rightful landowner of the property is. It's also important to know who is on the title before preparing the purchase and sale agreement.

List of assets to sell with the land

You may be selling the land and the rights to other items, such as farm equipment or timber stands, as part of your property sale. This often happens with ranch and farm sales in Florida. Listing all the items included in the sale can help potential buyers understand what they are getting, and it can even speed up the sale process.

Contract to sell vacant land in Florida

The contract between buyer and seller is a crucial legal document for land deals. The purpose of the sale contract or purchase agreement is to create a legally binding land agreement between two parties. This document sets out the terms of the purchase, including price, closing date, and any contingencies.

In Florida, you can find contract templates provided by the Florida Realtors. Although not available for free to the public, it's easy to find them. 

For more detail, see our guide on how to fill out the Florida contract to buy and sell land.

Closing on the sale of your land

The financial details of a transaction are listed in the closing statement. This includes the amount of money paid by each party, as well as any taxes or fees associated with the sale. The closing statement ensures that both buyer and seller are aware of all costs involved in the sale of that transaction.

If you are planning on selling your land without an agent, you may still want to use a title company for the closing. The title company can create the closing statement and prepare and record the deed for you. They will also transfer the purchase funds from the buyer to the seller when the deed is signed.

If you decide to prepare the deed yourself, you should be aware that under Florida law certain rules apply for a deed to be considered valid:

  1. The name and address of the person that prepared the deed
  2. The name and address of the seller
  3. The name and address of the buyer
  4. An original signature from the seller
  5. Two witness signatures
  6. A valid property legal description
  7. Notarization of all signatures

4. Alternative - sell your land fast to a land buyer

The process of selling land in Florida can be a complex, but it doesn't have to be. If you're looking to sell land fast for a fair cash price, a land buyer can get you cash for your land without the hassle of dealing with a broker or real estate agent. Direct land buyers specialize in buying and selling land including vacant land, raw land, and agricultural land. They can help you sell your property quickly and easily, without the need to wait on banks or go through a traditional real estate transaction.

Our business buys land in Florida as-is, so we're able to use a simple, one page land sale agreement in most cases. When you sell to a land buying company, you sell the property at a discount. But you won't have to pay any real estate commissions or closing costs. The other benefit of selling land for cash is that it's fast - usually the entire process takes less than two weeks.

If you'd like to find out more, consider selling your land fast by requesting a cash offer for your land. We'll make you a cash offer for your land today! We're ready to buy your Florida land directly for a fair price so you can move on with your life.

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Please consult your financial advisor, accountant, real estate attorney, or tax specialist. This article is for informational purposes and is not tax or legal advice.