Selling land yourself sounds like a paperwork nightmare. It usually isn't. A vacant-land closing needs fewer documents than a house sale, and a title company or closing attorney prepares most of them for you. Here's the whole list — what each document does, who produces it, and what you can safely skip.
The short version
Most by-owner land sales come down to six documents, and you personally prepare exactly one of them.
| Document | Who prepares it | When |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase & sale agreement | You and the buyer (buyer often supplies a form) | At the handshake |
| Your existing recorded deed | Already exists — you just find it | Before you list |
| Tax payoff / status | County treasurer | Before you list |
| Title commitment | Title company | 1–3 weeks before closing |
| New deed to the buyer | Title company or closing attorney | Closing |
| Settlement statement | Title company or closing attorney | Closing |
1. Proof you actually own it: the recorded deed
Everything starts here. Pull the last recorded deed showing the land in your name. Most counties let you search recorded documents online through the clerk of court or recorder's office — free, from anywhere. If you can't find it, the parcel number off your tax bill will get a clerk to it in about a minute over the phone.
Read what it says carefully. Is your name spelled the way it is on your driver's license? Is a deceased spouse still listed? Is it held by a trust or an LLC you dissolved years ago? These are all fixable, but they're much cheaper to fix before a buyer is waiting on you.
2. The purchase and sale agreement
This is the one document the sale genuinely depends on you getting right. It has to identify the parties, the legal description of the parcel (copy it word-for-word from the deed — not the mailing address), the price, the earnest money, who pays which closing costs, the inspection or due-diligence window, and the closing date.
You don't need to draft it from scratch. Most experienced land buyers supply their own agreement, and your state's Realtor association typically publishes a standard vacant-land contract. Read every line before signing either one.
3. The tax payoff and parcel record
Call the county treasurer and get the exact figure owed, including penalties and interest, plus whether a tax sale is scheduled. Print or save the parcel record. Buyers and title companies will ask, and having the number ready signals you're organized — which matters more in negotiations than most sellers realize.
If there are back taxes, they're a lien, and liens get paid out of your proceeds at closing. You generally don't write a check up front. We covered the details in how to sell land with back taxes owed.
4. The legal description — and whether you need a survey
The legal description on your deed is what actually transfers. It might be a lot-and-block reference in a platted subdivision, or a metes-and-bounds paragraph full of bearings and distances. Either way, it governs — not the address, not the GIS map.
A new survey is usually optional on vacant land. Order one when boundaries are genuinely in dispute, when you're splitting the parcel, or when a buyer's lender demands it — and in that last case, the buyer often pays. Otherwise it's a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars you probably don't need to spend.
5. Title work: the commitment and the clouds it finds
Once you're under contract, the title company runs a search and issues a title commitment — the document listing everything standing between you and a clean transfer. This is where old mortgages nobody released, judgments, easements, mineral reservations, and heirs who never signed off come to the surface.
Don't panic at a long list. Most items clear routinely with a payoff letter, a lien release, or a corrective affidavit. The ones that take real time are unreleased liens from defunct lenders and unresolved estate interests — both worth discovering early, which is exactly why the search happens before closing rather than at it.
6. Disclosures — lighter for land than for houses
Vacant land is generally exempt from the residential seller's disclosure form used for houses, and there's no federal lead-paint disclosure with no structure involved. Some states still require specific notices on land: coastal or flood zone disclosures, mineral rights, water rights, special assessment districts, or known environmental conditions.
Rather than guess, ask the title company or closing attorney which forms your county requires. Regardless of what's mandatory, disclose what you actually know. Undisclosed problems are how closed deals turn into lawsuits.
7. The documents you'll sign at closing
- The new deed. A warranty deed if you're guaranteeing clear title, a special warranty deed covering only your ownership period, or a quitclaim if you're transferring whatever interest you have with no promises. Buyers pay the most for warranty deeds, for obvious reasons.
- The settlement statement. Your line-by-line accounting — sale price, tax payoff, prorations, recording fees, and the exact net wired to you. Read it before you sign, not after.
- Owner's affidavit. A sworn statement that you own the parcel and know of no unrecorded liens, tenants, or work performed that could create one.
- Tax reporting forms. The closing agent typically files a Form 1099-S for the sale. Non-U.S. sellers may also face FIRPTA withholding, and some states have their own nonresident withholding.
- Notarization. Deeds require it. If you're out of state, remote online notarization or a mobile notary handles it — this is routine, not an obstacle.
Special situations that add documents
Inherited land. If the deed still reads in a deceased person's name, you need proof of authority to sell: letters testamentary, a court order, a personal representative's deed, or an affidavit of heirship where your state allows it. Start with the inherited land guide.
Co-owners. Every person on the deed signs, and in many states a spouse signs even if not on title. Track everyone down before you're under contract, not the week of closing.
LLC or trust ownership. Expect to produce the operating agreement, a resolution authorizing the sale, or the trust certificate showing who has authority to sign.
What you don't need
No appraisal is required to sell. No inspection, no home warranty, no repairs, no staging. You don't need a real estate license to sell your own property, and you don't need to prepare a deed yourself — that job belongs to the professional closing your file.
Common questions
Do I need a lawyer to sell land by owner?
Depends on your state. Some require or customarily use an attorney to conduct the closing; elsewhere a title company handles it. Neither is needed to find a buyer or agree on price. One call to a title company in the county where the land sits tells you which applies.
Can I write my own deed?
Most states technically allow it, but recording requirements are unforgiving — margins, notary blocks, preparer statements, legal descriptions. A defective deed can cloud the title for years. Deed prep is a small line item at closing; let the professional draft it.
Do I need a survey to sell vacant land?
Usually not. The recorded legal description is what transfers, and plenty of parcels close without a new survey. Order one for disputed boundaries, a parcel split, or when a buyer's lender requires it — and in that case the buyer often pays.
What if the land is still in my late parent's name?
You'll need documents proving authority to sell — letters testamentary, a court order, a personal representative's deed, or an affidavit of heirship if your state permits one. Take the death certificate and last recorded deed to a local title company before spending anything.