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Selling Land to a Family Member
Keeping land in the family feels right to a lot of owners. A child wants to build, a cousin hunts the property every fall, or a sibling would like to buy out the rest of the family. A family sale can work well, but it is still a real-estate transaction with deeds, taxes and lenders involved, and a discounted price can create tax questions most people never expect. Here is how it usually works.
- Plain-English look at family sales
- Gift tax basics, not guesswork
- No commission, no closing costs
- Written offer within 24 hours
- Close in as little as 14 to 30 days
- An outside option if family can’t buy
★★★★★ 4.9 from 14 verified Google reviews — read them · we buy with our own capital and pay all closing costs
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Owners thinking about a sale inside the family
How a sale to a relative works
Legally, selling land to your daughter or brother is no different from selling it to a stranger. You agree on a price and terms, sign a written purchase agreement, and a title company or real-estate attorney handles the closing, records a new deed and makes sure the money moves correctly. Skipping those steps to save a few hundred dollars is a common mistake. A handshake deal and a deed you fill out yourself can leave title problems, unpaid taxes or a missing legal description that surfaces years later.
Get the important pieces in writing even when everyone trusts each other: the price, who pays which costs, the closing date, and what happens if the buyer cannot get financing. If your relative is borrowing from a bank, the lender will order its own appraisal and title search. If you are financing the sale yourself, put the note and mortgage or deed of trust on paper and record it.
It also helps to talk openly with other family members first. A quiet sale to one child can feel unfair to the others, and that hurt tends to show up later, often when an estate is being settled.
Selling below market value: the gift tax question
Many owners want to give a relative a break on price. That is allowed, but the IRS generally treats the difference between fair market value and the price you accept as a gift from you to the buyer. Sell a tract worth far more than the agreed price and the gap counts as a gift. Federal law gives each person an annual gift exclusion and a much larger lifetime exemption, so most families never owe gift tax, yet a large discount can still require you to file a gift tax return (Form 709). We do not quote the dollar limits here because they change every year.
The discount also affects the buyer later. In a part-sale, part-gift the buyer’s tax basis is not always simply the price paid, which matters when they eventually sell. On your side, capital gains are figured on the sale portion. Land you inherit, by contrast, generally gets a stepped-up basis, which is why some families decide to pass land at death rather than sell it cheaply during life.
This is general information, not tax advice. Before you sign, have a CPA run the numbers and a real-estate attorney draft the documents. An independent appraisal is worth its cost because it sets fair market value on paper if the IRS ever asks.
When a family sale gets complicated
Family deals stall for the same reasons other deals do, plus a few of their own. The relative may not qualify for a loan, or may ask you to carry the financing and then miss payments, which puts you in the position of having to enforce a note against your own family. Co-owners, such as siblings who inherited together, may not agree on a price. A spouse may have a say. And once a price is set, it is hard to renegotiate without hurt feelings.
Owners in that spot often decide it is kinder to everyone to sell to an outside buyer and, if they wish, share the proceeds or help the relative another way. It keeps the money clean and the relationships intact.
If the family can’t or won’t buy
We buy land for cash with our own funds. There is no loan to fall through and no appraisal to wait for. Our written offer comes within 24 hours, we can close in as little as 14 to 30 days, and we pay the closing costs. If several relatives own the land together, we work with all of them and the closing attorney splits the proceeds as the deed requires.
If you would still rather keep it in the family, that is a fine answer too. Our offer is free and gives you a real market check before you set a family price.
Why some families choose an outside cash buyer
No hard feelings
No relative has to qualify, negotiate or make payments.
Clean numbers
A market price, so no gift-tax gray area.
Co-owners welcome
We work with every owner on the deed.
No loan risk
We pay cash, so no financing falls through.
No commission
You keep the agreed price. We pay closing costs.
No obligation
Use our offer as a price check if you like.
Selling to us instead, step by step
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 |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| 32.3 acres | Perquimans County, North Carolina |
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.
“I had a great experience working with John and Dreamify on the marketing and sale of land in Georgia. John was reasonable, fair, and thorough throughout the transaction, and was very pleasant to work with.”
“John was very communicative & professional. He did what he said he would do!”
Questions we get asked
Can I sell land to a family member for less than it’s worth?
Yes, but the discount is generally treated as a gift and may require a gift tax return. Ask a CPA.
Do I need a title company to sell land to a relative?
It is strongly recommended. A proper closing records the deed and catches title problems.
Should I get an appraisal for a family land sale?
Usually yes. It documents fair market value for the IRS, lenders and other family members.
Is it better to gift land or sell it to family?
It depends on taxes, basis and your goals. A CPA or estate attorney can compare the options.
How fast can you close?
We give a written offer within 24 hours and can close in as little as 14 to 30 days. If your timeline is longer, we close on the date that suits you.
What does it cost me to sell to you?
Nothing. No commission, no closing costs, no document fees. We buy with our own capital and pay the closing costs ourselves.
Find out what your 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.
Life changes — more guides for sellers
Divorce, a move, a loss in the family, care costs, retirement or a parcel that turned into a headache. Whatever is behind the decision to sell, here is how we handle it.
- Divorce
- Relocating
- Loss of a spouse
- Paying off debt
- Bankruptcy
- Bought sight unseen
- Squatters or dumping
- Code violations
- Land that won't sell
- Buyer backed out
- Co-owner
- Owned by an LLC
- Nursing home costs
- Medical bills
- Job loss
- Retirement
- Storm damage
- Never built on
- Old mobile home on it
- Down payment on a house
- Sell or leave to kids
- Power of attorney
- Paying for college
- Farm or hunting lease
- Selling to a data center
- Selling or leasing for solar
- Capital gains tax on a land sale
- Selling to a developer
- Selling part of your land
- Owner financing
- Documents needed to sell land
- Who pays closing costs
- How long it takes to sell land
- Sell or keep your land
- Selling land on Zillow
- Selling on Facebook Marketplace
- Selling timber off your land
- Selling without mineral rights
- Pipeline easement on your land
- Property taxes on vacant land
- Selling land at auction
- Selling land for conservation
- Land prices per acre