Believe it or not, buying Owner Financed Land is much more common than you might think. In this complete guide, you will learn how to purchase owner-financed land and how to find it, and we will even address the most common questions buyers have about the process.
So you're ready to buy some owner-financed land and have questions, look no further. Here is our complete guide to buying land in 2024.
It’s pretty simple. Here is a short guide to help you:
It is that simple. In a recent Facebook Live video, I spoke with a land seller about how simple the process is. I talk to Tate, and the conversation I’m referencing starts around the 1-minute, 50-second mark.
There is a flaw in the land market; here’s why. Some key players help keep the market moving in most real estate transactions. These key players are the realtors and the banks.
In most land transactions, the banks don’t participate.
Banks see land as a risky real estate transaction; they don’t want to finance it, and if the loan amount is less than $50,000 or, in some cases, even up to $100,000, they have no desire to hold a mortgage on the property.
Banks don’t create small mortgages; they want homes and more significant real estate deals. So, without bank financing, the sellers of these properties offer owner financing to help provide liquidity to the market.
If you want to read more about the challenge of getting a small mortgage, this article offers an excellent explanation.
A personal loan to buy land is a great option; however, you will likely need a minimum credit score of 610 to 640. And since most sellers are willing to owner finance the land with no credit check and probably no interest, getting a personal loan may not be your best option.
In most cases, no.
Some sellers will ask to perform a credit check, but this is not often the case.
Even if it is, a low credit score will likely not affect you.
The best practice is to ask the seller about their requirements and discuss your situation. As mentioned above, the seller is simply looking for a way to keep the property moving to you.
Typically, the seller will prepare three documents: a Land Sale Contract, a Promissory Note, and a Purchase Sale Agreement.
Here is a quick summary of the three documents before we further investigate each.
The Purchase Sale Agreement obligates the seller to sell the land and the buyer to buy. The Promissory note says that the buyer will pay the seller for the land; it’s a promise to pay. Finally, the Land Sale Contract is the document that secures the transaction and ensures that the buyer will receive a clean title after completing the payments.
Let’s break these documents down even further.
During typical cash or bank-financed transactions, the buyer will receive a deed when closing the property. However, since the owner is financing the property, you typically won’t get the deed in your name until you pay the note in full.
In this case, the land sales contract will be the stand-in for the deed; if you make all the payments you’ve agreed to on the promissory note, you are provided with the deed.
The Promissory Note is an agreement between you and the property seller. It lays out the commitment you are making, and it says that you promise to pay each month on time a specified monthly payment. In most of these notes, there are no pre-payment penalties.
The note also outlines other fees that could increase your monthly payment, such as interest charges, points, and even late fees.
The promissory note also explains what happens if you pay late. For example, buyers typically 35 to 60 days late will receive a notice of default. So, the promissory note discusses the default process and how many days you have to cure the default.
The cure period is crucial because it lets you be notified and make the required payments to avoid losing your land.
Recently, on an owner-financed land contract, the buyer (Mr. Doe) would mail his monthly payments and pay with USPS Money Orders. His note payment was behind, and he received a notice of default with 35 days to cure. This notice surprised Mr. Doe because he mailed his payments every month, but as it turns out, a couple of the payments were never received, so Mr. Doe’s account appeared to be late. When he received his notice of default, he contacted the seller and explained that he mailed the payment every month. They identified the issue, and Mr. Doe had the money orders reissued. Without this cure period, Mr. Doe could have lost his land.
The beautiful thing about buying land with owner financing is that most sellers are flexible. If, for some reason, you are late on your land payment, you communicate with the seller, and they will likely work with you to resolve the issue or modify your payment plans.
This agreement outlines the terms and conditions of the sale. The main highlights of this contract are:
Without this agreement, there could be some misunderstanding of the terms you and the seller have agreed. We know that excellent communication without ambiguity is the key to any good relationship.
Great question; that is really up to your seller; it’s really up to them since the seller still owns the land until you pay it off. Most will not have an issue if you want to build or access the land.
Most land sellers will allow you to access and use the property while making monthly payments.
However, since the seller functions as the bank in this transaction, it is up to them. Therefore, each seller will have to assess the risk.
If you have questions, you are encouraged to speak to your seller directly about handling this aspect of the agreement.
How can I find owner-financed land?
Finding land with owner financing is easier than you think. Here are three resources that will help you.
Landmodo.com is the premier resource for owner-financed land and land for sale by the owner. With over 21,000 properties, all with owner financing, you will likely find what you are looking for here.
Searching is straightforward; you can search from the homepage for the property you want or do a detailed search to even the county level.
You know Craigslist, but did you know they have a section for land?
Here’s a tip: go to the Craigslist site for the area you are searching for and then go to real estate for sale.
Like Craigslist, the Facebook marketplace is a classified resource to help you find your desired land.
While Craigslist offers the ability to drill down to land, Facebook Marketplace will require you to search, as shown below.
In the search box on the left, we searched for “land owner financing.”
It is possible to buy land through a Realtor with owner financing. However, you’re probably going to have to talk to many realtors to find a seller willing to do it.
Here is a shortcut that might help you in your search.
You can further zero in on a more specific area, like a county, by adding the county name to the Google Search box, as shown below.
In this example, we are looking for land in Pasco County, Florida, and while we did find properties for sale with owner financing, most of what we found were home and mobile homes for sale with owner financing. On Platforms like Realtor.com, it’s rare to find owner-financed land, but it is possible.
You can use this example on other websites as well. For example, we used the term site: realtor.com; however, you can replace realtor.com with whatever site you want to search.
It’s time to take action to find and invest in the land that you want. There is no reason to keep putting it off now that you know how to buy owner-finance land. Check out our training programs if you want training on how owner-financed land works.
Good luck in your journey, and if you have questions not covered in this guide, please let us know.
