How to sell land by owner

In the states we checked, you do not need a real estate license to sell your own land. Florida's license law exempts owners selling their own property (Fla. Stat. 475.011). Texas defines a broker as someone who sells real estate for another person for pay (Tex. Occ. Code 1101.002).

Price it from land that actually sold

Start with recent sales of similar land, adjusted for differences in sale date, size, condition and location (IRS Publication 561, written for donated property). For vacant land, compare location, size, zoning, road access and frontage, utilities, water rights, easements, soil and mineral rights. Favor the sales that need the fewest adjustments.

Use sold prices. REtipster, a land investing blog, says appraisers only use properties that actually sold. Active listings still help, because they show what you are competing against. Do not price off the county assessed value alone; it can be far from market value. Some states do not make sold prices public. There, the blog says a licensed agent with MLS access can get them.

Where to list it, and what it costs

Start with the neighbors. Redfin's blog says adjacent owners often make ideal buyers for vacant land in developed areas.

We checked these fees on October 9, 2026. Prices change.

LandSearch: owners can list, and the first basic listing is free. One promoted listing is $29 a month.
LandFlip: open to owners. Plans start at $50 a month for one listing, month to month, with no commission.
Land Century: a single listing is $5 a month.
Land.com network: paid plans show your listing on Land.com, Land And Farm and LandWatch. It does not post prices; ask a regional rep.
Craigslist: the US fee table lists no fee for real estate for sale posts. It says fees vary by location.

Show the lot, and be honest about the lines

Redfin's blog suggests cutting brush, mowing walking paths, marking the boundaries and making a printable map for buyers.

Online parcel lines are approximate. Wisconsin's statewide parcel map says only a licensed surveyor can set legal boundaries.

Check what your state makes you disclose

There is no single national disclosure form for land, so check your state. Look up your flood zone on FEMA's official Flood Map Service Center. Four state examples:

Arizona: a seller of five or fewer parcels in an unincorporated area, other than subdivided land, must give the buyer a sworn affidavit of disclosure. It is due at least seven days before transfer (Ariz. Rev. Stat. 33-422).
Washington: a seller of unimproved residential land must give a disclosure statement unless the buyer waives it or the sale is exempt (RCW 64.06.015).
California: an owner selling without an agent must tell buyers if the land is in a FEMA special flood hazard area. This applies if the owner knows of it or the county has posted a parcel list (Cal. Gov. Code 8589.3).
Texas: land in a utility district, often called a MUD, needs a written notice to the buyer before the sale contract is signed. If the contract is signed without it, the buyer can cancel the contract (Tex. Water Code 49.452).

Put it in writing and use a title or escrow company

Florida, for example, will not enforce a land sale contract unless it is in writing and signed (Fla. Stat. 725.01). For a model, the Texas Real Estate Commission publishes an Unimproved Property Contract (form 9-18) and a Farm and Ranch Contract (form 25-17).

A title company searches the public record for anything that clouds your ownership. It then issues a commitment that lists the problems you must fix before it issues a policy. REtipster says to close through a title or escrow company unless the deal is too small to justify one.

A warranty deed gives the buyer the most protection. A quitclaim deed makes no promise that the title is good. Florida deeds need two witnesses (Fla. Stat. 689.01). Record the deed with the county. In Florida, an unrecorded deed does not hold up against later buyers or creditors who did not know about it (Fla. Stat. 695.01).

If you offer owner financing

In one setup, you deed the land to the buyer and the buyer signs a promissory note. You keep a mortgage on the land until you are paid. Some states use a deed of trust instead. In a contract for deed, the buyer pays over time and you keep legal title until the last payment.

Texas regulates contracts for deed on land the buyer will live on, and presumes a lot of one acre or less is residential. A Texas seller must record a covered contract within 30 days and send the buyer a statement every January (Tex. Prop. Code 5.062, 5.076 and 5.077).

Federal Truth in Lending rules generally treat you as a "creditor" only if you extend consumer credit regularly. That means more than 25 times in the preceding calendar year, or more than 5 if a dwelling secures the loans. If you did not reach that count last year, the same count applies to the current year. High-cost home loans have a lower trigger. Many federal mortgage rules hinge on a dwelling, meaning a home with one to four units. Bare land is not one. Have a local real estate attorney draft the note and security papers.

What a ParcelLaunch listing gives you

Depending on the plan, a ParcelLaunch listing gives you:

A 3D link buyers can drag, orbit and zoom.
Lot lines on the 3D view. They are approximate and are not a survey.
Map layers for flood zones, wetlands, contours and water.
A branded PDF listing.
Home builders working near your lot.

Questions

Do I need title insurance to sell land?

Not always. Texas, for example, does not require it, although a buyer's lender will require a loan policy (Texas Department of Insurance). In Texas, who pays for the owner's policy is negotiable. Title insurance covers losses from ownership problems, not physical damage.

Who files Form 1099-S if no title company handles the closing?

The person responsible for closing files it, and an attorney who prepares or reviews the deed counts. If no one is, the IRS order is the mortgage lender, the seller's broker, the buyer's broker, then the buyer. Financing the sale yourself does not make you the mortgage lender for this rule. Expect to give your taxpayer ID to the filer by closing.

How is an owner-financed land sale taxed?

If you get at least one payment after the year of sale, it is an installment sale. Report it on IRS Form 6252 in the year of sale and for each year of the installment obligation. The interest you collect is ordinary income. If the contract's interest is too low, the IRS can treat part of the price as interest. If you are a dealer, meaning you hold land for sale to customers in your business, you generally cannot use the installment method.

How do I report a land sale on my tax return?

If you held the land more than one year, your gain or loss is usually long-term. Most sales go on Form 8949 and then Schedule D.

Can I use an online parcel map to show buyers my lot lines?

Yes, to show roughly where the lot sits. It does not prove the boundary. Texas requires government maps that appear to show property boundaries, and were not made from a survey, to say they show only the approximate location of those boundaries (Tex. Gov't Code 2051.102). If the exact line matters, hire a licensed surveyor.

Sources

The 2026 Florida Statutes, 475.011 Exemptions (Online Sunshine) leg.state.fl.us
Texas Occupations Code Chapter 1101. Real Estate Brokers and Sales Agents statutes.capitol.texas.gov
Publication 561 (12/2025), Determining the Value of Donated Property | Internal Revenue Service irs.gov
How To Find The "Market Value" of Vacant Land | REtipster retipster.com
A Map of Every Non-Disclosure State in the U.S. | REtipster retipster.com
How to Sell Land | Redfin redfin.com
Advertise | LandSearch landsearch.com
Sell Land | LandFlip landflip.com
Pricing | Land Century landcentury.com
Advertise: Listing Plans | Land.com Network network.land.com
craigslist | about | help | faqs | fees craigslist.org
Texas Government Code Chapter 2051. Government Documents, Publications, and Notices statutes.capitol.texas.gov
Wisconsin Statewide Parcel Map Initiative: Data sco.wisc.edu
Texas Property Code Chapter 5. Conveyances statutes.capitol.texas.gov
FEMA Flood Map Service Center msc.fema.gov
Arizona Revised Statutes 33-422: Land divisions; recording; disclosure affidavit azleg.gov
RCW 64.06.015 (Washington State Legislature) app.leg.wa.gov
California Government Code Section 8589.3 (California Legislative Information) leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
Texas Water Code Chapter 49. Provisions Applicable to All Districts statutes.capitol.texas.gov
The 2026 Florida Statutes, 725.01 Promise to pay another's debt, etc. (Online Sunshine) leg.state.fl.us
Unimproved Property Contract | TREC trec.texas.gov
Farm and Ranch Contract | TREC trec.texas.gov
Title insurance FAQ (Texas Department of Insurance) tdi.texas.gov
How to Close a Land Deal: A Closing Guide for New Investors (REtipster) retipster.com
warranty deed | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute law.cornell.edu
quitclaim deed | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute law.cornell.edu
The 2026 Florida Statutes, 689.01 How real estate conveyed (Online Sunshine) leg.state.fl.us
The 2026 Florida Statutes, 695.01 Conveyances and liens to be recorded (Online Sunshine) leg.state.fl.us
mortgage | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute law.cornell.edu
deed of trust | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute law.cornell.edu
contract for deed | Wex | US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute law.cornell.edu
§ 1026.2 Definitions and rules of construction | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau consumerfinance.gov
ParcelLaunch: Sell your lot faster parcellaunch.com
ParcelLaunch: 3D Property Listing (public sample) parcellaunch.com
Parcel Program | Vermont Center for Geographic Information vcgi.vermont.gov
Instructions for Form 1099-S (12/2026) | Internal Revenue Service irs.gov
Publication 537 (2025), Installment Sales | Internal Revenue Service irs.gov
Topic no. 705, Installment Sales | Internal Revenue Service irs.gov
Topic no. 409, Capital gains and losses | Internal Revenue Service irs.gov

General information, not legal, tax or survey advice. Laws differ by state and change over time.