Pricing
What It Really Costs to Sell Land: The Full Breakdown
It’s easy to fixate on the sale price. But the number a parcel sells for and the number that actually lands in your bank account are two very different things. Here’s every cost that comes out in between — so you can see what you’ll really keep.
The costs that come out of a traditional sale
Agent commission. On land, commissions tend to run higher than on houses — often 8–10% rather than the ~6% on a home, because land is harder to sell and agents price that in. On a $100,000 parcel, that’s $8,000–$10,000 off the top.
Survey. To market land well — or to satisfy a buyer or lender — you’re often asked to pay for a new boundary survey, commonly several hundred to a couple thousand dollars depending on the parcel.
Soil / perc test. If a buyer needs to confirm the land can support a septic system, a perc test may be on you — another few hundred dollars, with the risk of a “fail” that tanks the deal.
Closing costs. Title work, transfer taxes, recording fees, and settlement charges. Depending on your area and the contract, some or all of this can land on the seller.
Back taxes. Any unpaid property taxes get settled out of your proceeds at closing.
Income tax on the gain. Separate from the sale itself, you may owe capital gains tax on any profit — worth planning for, even though it’s not a closing-table cost.
The hidden cost: time
There’s also a cost that never shows up on a settlement sheet — the months or years the parcel takes to sell. Every month it sits, you keep paying property taxes and any dues, and you carry the risk of the deal falling through and starting over.
A quick example
Say your land sells for $100,000. After 9% commission ($9,000), a survey and soil test ($1,500), and seller-side closing costs (~$2,500), you’re netting closer to $87,000 — if and when it closes. The sticker price was six figures; what you kept was noticeably less.
How a cash sale changes the math
A direct cash buyer pays below full retail (about 60–80% of market value), but the deductions look very different:
- No commission.
- No survey, no soil test, no marketing — nothing to prepare or pay for.
- We cover the closing costs.
- The only thing that stays with you is any back taxes.
So the offer we send is essentially your take-home (minus back taxes) — no line items eating into it, and it arrives in weeks, not a year of carrying costs.
The real comparison
Don’t compare a retail asking price to a cash offer. Compare what you’d actually keep — after commission, prep costs, closing costs, and months of holding — against a clean cash number that closes fast. When you run it that way, the gap between the two is usually much smaller than it first looks.
See your keep-it number
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The part most sellers miss
It's not what you sell for — it's what you keep
It's easy to fixate on the highest possible sticker price. But on land, the gap between what a parcel sells for and what you actually walk away with is bigger than most people expect — and it takes far longer to arrive.
Selling with an agent
- 8–10% commission on smaller land deals — higher than the ~6% on houses
- To market it, you often pay for a new survey and a soil / septic (perc) report
- Closing costs come out of your side
- Small buyer pool → the parcel can sit for months to years
- Land deals fall through more often before they close
Example on a $100,000 sale: after ~9% commission, a survey, a soil report, and closing costs, you might net closer to $86,000 — if and when it finally closes.
Selling to Secure Land Deals
- No commission and no closing costs — we cover them; you only owe any back taxes
- No survey, no soil test, no photos, no marketing — nothing to pay for or prepare
- A firm cash offer in 24 hours, and we close in about 3–4 weeks
- We pay cash → no financing to fall through
The offer we send is your take-home (minus any back taxes) — and it arrives in weeks, not a year.
A lower sticker price you keep more of — sooner, and with far less risk of the deal collapsing — often beats a higher one that bleeds out in fees and months of waiting.
See what your land is worth — free
Enter your parcel number for a preliminary cash value range in seconds, then a firm written offer within 24 hours. No commissions, no closing costs, no obligation.
Or call (754) 253-0150