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How to Sell Land in Florida — A Step-by-Step Guide
Florida land runs from old platted subdivision lots to North Florida timber and pasture, and selling each one is a different job. If you are working out how to sell land in Florida, this guide lays out the four ways to sell, what each realistically costs, the seven steps from deed to closing, and the Florida details — documentary stamp tax, the tax certificate clock and the septic site evaluation — that decide what a buyer will pay.
- Free, no-obligation guide
- Written for owners, not agents
- Florida rules with statute cites
- Or skip it: offer within 24 hours
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Selling land in Florida
Your four ways to sell land in Florida
Almost every land sale goes one of four ways: list with a real estate agent, sell it yourself (FSBO), post it on an online land marketplace, or sell direct to a cash land buyer. None is always right. A listed tract can bring a higher gross price; a direct sale trades some of that for speed, certainty and no costs. Here is how they compare.
| Option | Typical cost | Typical timeline | Your effort | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Realtor / listing agent | Often 6–10% on land | Months, commonly | Moderate | Higher gross price if the tract is in demand and you can wait |
| For sale by owner (FSBO) | Your time, ads, attorney | Unpredictable | High | Sellers with a marketable tract and patience |
| Online land marketplace | Listing fees; some take a cut | Varies widely | Moderate–high | Rural acreage with good photos and access |
| Cash land buyer (like us) | None — buyer pays closing | As little as 14–30 days | Low | Speed, certainty, inherited or hard-to-sell land |
Costs and timelines are general ranges, not quotes; they vary by tract and market.
Step by step: how to sell land in Florida
Step 1: Check the deed and the owners. Read the vesting deed line by line: every name on it has to sign, or be represented by an estate or power of attorney. Compare the parcel number and acreage with the tax record, and look for anything recorded against the land — a lien, an easement, an old loan.
Step 2: Decide whether you need a survey. Many rural tracts are described by old metes and bounds or by a plat decades out of date. A new boundary survey often runs from several hundred to a few thousand dollars depending on acreage and terrain. Retail buyers and lenders usually want one; a cash buyer often does not.
Step 3: Answer the septic question. If the land could be a homesite, whether it will support a septic system is often the biggest single value driver. In Florida, the county health department evaluates the lot under Florida’s onsite sewage rules before a septic permit issues, and the site evaluation turns on soil profile descriptions taken to a depth of six feet plus the wet-season water table (Fla. Admin. Code r. 64E-6.006) — on low, flat Florida ground that one evaluation often decides whether a parcel is a homesite or just acreage.
Step 4: Research the market. Find sold prices for tracts similar in size, access and use in the same county over the last year or two. Ignore list prices and assessed values; neither is what land actually trades for. Our land value guide explains the adjustments.
Step 5: Market it, or skip marketing. Listing means photos, a sign, land marketplace listings and fielding calls — for months, often, on rural land. Selling direct to a cash buyer skips this step entirely.
Step 6: Get it under contract properly. A real purchase agreement names the price, the deposit, how long the buyer has to inspect, what can cancel the deal and who pays which closing costs. Vague contracts are where land deals die.
Step 7: Sign and record. At closing the title work is finished, you sign the deed before a notary, the money is disbursed and the deed is sent for recording. The sale is complete once it is on record.
Florida costs, taxes and paperwork to know
Florida charges documentary stamp tax on the deed at 70 cents per $100 of the consideration — every county except Miami-Dade — and the Clerk of the Circuit Court collects it when the deed is recorded (Fla. Stat. §201.02). We build it into our numbers so the figure we quote you is the figure you work from.
Deeds are recorded with the county Clerk of the Circuit Court’s office. That office’s index is where any buyer’s title search starts, and it is free or cheap for you to look first.
Florida property tax bills come out November 1 with discounts for paying early, and anything still unpaid becomes delinquent April 1 (Fla. Stat. §197.333). The county then sells a tax certificate on the parcel — the sale is held by June 1 — and two years after that April 1 the certificate holder can apply for a tax deed and force the land to auction (§197.502). On land nobody lives on, that clock runs unnoticed.
If the tract carries Florida’s agricultural classification — the Greenbelt — it is assessed on its agricultural use rather than market value, and the classification has to be applied for with the county property appraiser by March 1 each year (Fla. Stat. §193.461). It does not stop a sale, and Florida has no rollback penalty to unwind — but never read the assessed value on greenbelt land as a market value.
Florida has a great many old platted subdivision lots, some sold decades ago to out-of-state buyers, and not all of them front a built, maintained road. Before you price a lot, confirm the road exists and who maintains it, and whether power is nearby.
Low, flat ground is common, so check the flood zone and whether part of the parcel is wetland before you set a number. Those two answers, together with the septic evaluation, often decide whether a buyer sees a homesite or just acreage.
None of this is tax or legal advice. For your own situation — capital gains, an estate, a 1031 exchange — talk to your attorney or CPA before you sign.
Where to go next in Florida
If you would rather skip the listing process, our Florida land buying page explains how we make a written cash offer within 24 hours and can close in as little as 14 to 30 days. We also have county-level pages, including Levy County, Suwannee County, Columbia County, Putnam County, Holmes County, with local tax, deed and septic detail.
Whichever route you choose, get the title questions answered first. That single step decides how fast any sale can close.
Checklist before you sell Florida land
Deed and parcel ID
A copy of the recorded deed and the tax parcel number.
Tax status
Whether taxes are current, and any use-value or deferral program.
Access
Road frontage or a recorded easement — landlocked land sells for less.
Utilities and septic
Power at the road, water source, and any perc or soil results.
Encumbrances
Mortgages, liens, leases, timber deeds or mineral reservations.
Decision-makers
Every owner on the deed, or the estate’s representative.
The fast alternative: selling Florida land to us
Three steps, no obligation at any point, and no cost to you at any stage.
One call or one form
Tell us the address or APN and the rough size. You do not need a survey, a plat or the tax bill in front of you — we look all of that up.
We value it properly
We research the parcel ourselves, at our cost, before we quote. We price it off recent sales of similar acreage and adjust for access, soil, flood mapping, timber and shape. No cost to you, no commitment.
Written offer, your decision
You have our number in writing within 24 hours. If you take it, a licensed title company closes it and we cover the standard closing costs — typically 14 to 30 days.
Selling to us vs. listing it
Both are legitimate. Listing can bring a higher gross price if you have time, the tract is easy to finance and you can carry the taxes while it sits. Here is the honest comparison.
| Selling to Dreamify | Listing with an agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Who you are dealing with | A direct cash buyer — we are the ones purchasing | An agent marketing it to someone else |
| Commission | None | Typically 6–10% on land |
| Closing costs | We cover them | Usually split or seller-paid |
| Repairs, survey, clean-up | Not your problem | Often requested by retail buyers |
| Financing risk | None — cash | Land loans fall through often |
| Timeline | As little as 14 to 30 days once title work is back | Land can sit on the market for months |
Land we buy
Land we buy
- Vacant, raw and bare land
- Inherited and heir property, including multiple owners
- Land with back taxes or a delinquent tax bill
- Out-of-state and absentee-owned parcels
- Farm, timber and hunting acreage
- Small residential lots and infill parcels
- Landlocked tracts and parcels with access questions
- Land that failed a perc test
- Tracts tied up in an estate or probate
- Property you inherited and have never seen
- Mobile home parks and RV parks
- Self-storage facilities — considered case by case
What we don’t buy
- Houses and other residential buildings
- Land you do not have the authority to sell
- Parcels where a co-owner has not agreed to sell
- Property already under contract with someone else
If we are not the right buyer for your parcel we will say so on the first call rather than waste your time.
We buy with our own money — here is what we have closed
We are a principal buyer using our own capital, not a lead broker collecting details to sell on. A sample of tracts we have bought and closed:
| Tract | Where we closed it |
|---|---|
| 32.3 acres | Perquimans County, North Carolina |
| 72 acres | Pike County, Mississippi |
| 10.7 acres | Morgan County, Georgia |
| 6.24 acres | Jasper County, Georgia |
| 8.5 acres | Pike County, Mississippi |
| 5.05 acres | Dawson County, Georgia |
A sample of tracts we have bought and closed ourselves. We are a principal buyer, not a broker — every one of these was purchased with our own funds through a licensed closing agent.
What sellers say
Every quote below is a real, verified Google review of Dreamify Properties — 4.9 stars across 14 reviews.
“John and his team are top notch investors who know what they are doing, put a plan of action in place and execute. One of the most honest people I have met… an absolute honor and pleasure working with these folks.”
“John, the ops manager, was very professional and attentive to detail in ensuring that our transaction was successfully completed. The communication, updates and follow up was excellent. Highly recommend.”
Questions we get asked
What is the fastest way to sell land in Florida?
Selling direct to a cash land buyer. There is no listing period and no financing contingency; we make a written offer within 24 hours and can close in as little as 14 to 30 days.
How much are doc stamps when selling land in Florida?
Documentary stamp tax on the deed is 70 cents per $100 of the price in every county except Miami-Dade, collected by the Clerk of the Circuit Court at recording. On a sale to us, we cover it.
Do I need a survey to sell my land?
Not always. Lenders and many retail buyers want one; cash buyers often buy on the existing legal description. Ask before you pay for one.
How do I know what my land is worth?
Use recent sold prices of similar tracts in the same county, adjusted for access, utilities, size and terrain. Assessed value is not market value on rural land.
Can I sell land with back taxes or a lien?
Yes. Taxes and liens are paid off from the sale proceeds at closing. They just need to be identified early.
Find out what your Florida land is worth to a cash buyer
Send the parcel details and we’ll research the property, answer your questions, and put a clear no-obligation offer in writing within 24 hours.