# Patriot Plots — full guide content > Veteran and family-owned land buyer. We buy vacant, inherited, and problem land directly from owners for cash across 10 states — no agent, no commissions, no fees. We buy as-is, including parcels in probate, behind on back taxes, or without legal access. A cash sale typically closes in about three weeks. Run by Brian and Katie Desmarais. Contact: (706) 710-2258 / operations@patriotplots.com --- # How to sell land you inherited ## How do I sell land I inherited? First confirm the estate has legal authority to sell — that usually means the property has cleared probate, or that an executor or personal representative has been appointed and can sign. Once someone has authority to convey title, you can list the land with an agent, sell it yourself, or sell it directly to a cash land buyer. A direct cash sale is usually the fastest route and is generally the one people choose when the land is rural, hard to value, shared between heirs, or carrying unpaid taxes. ## Start by finding out whether you can actually sell it yet This is the step that trips most people up. Inheriting land and having the legal authority to sell it are two different things. If the property is still in the deceased owner's name, somebody has to be formally appointed — usually an executor named in the will, or a personal representative appointed by the court if there wasn't one — before a deed can be signed. How long that takes depends heavily on the state and the county, and on whether anyone contests the estate. Some small estates move through a simplified process in weeks. Others take many months. A title company or probate attorney can tell you quickly which situation you're in, and that's worth a phone call before you make any plans. You do not have to wait for all of this to finish before talking to a buyer. Most cash buyers, including us, will look at a parcel and make an offer while probate is still working its way through — the sale simply closes once authority to sign exists. ## When the land is split between several heirs Shared inheritance is extremely common with rural land, and it's one of the main reasons parcels sit unused for years. If the property passed to several siblings or cousins, every person holding an ownership interest generally has to agree to the sale and sign at closing. That's usually a coordination problem rather than a legal one. Heirs live in different states, have different feelings about selling family property, and disagree about what it's worth. A written offer helps more than you'd expect here: it turns an open-ended family argument into a specific yes-or-no question with a real number attached. If some heirs want to keep the land and others want out, it is sometimes possible for one party to buy out the others. That's worth raising with an attorney before assuming the only options are 'everybody sells' or 'nobody sells'. ## You do not need to visit the property A large share of inherited land belongs to people who live hundreds of miles away and have never walked the parcel. That's normal and it doesn't complicate a sale much. Everything can be handled by phone and email. Title companies routinely arrange remote signing, so you don't need to travel to sign closing documents. If you don't know exactly what you own — which happens often with inherited property — the parcel number or a copy of the deed is enough for a buyer to pull the county records and figure out the boundaries, acreage, and access. ## Back taxes and liens usually aren't a dealbreaker Inherited land frequently comes with unpaid property taxes, especially if it sat for a few years while an estate was unsettled. People often assume this has to be cleared up before they can sell. It usually doesn't. Unpaid taxes and most liens are typically paid out of the sale proceeds at closing, which means the debt comes off the top of what the buyer pays rather than out of your pocket beforehand. The title company identifies what's owed and settles it as part of the transaction. Where it does get more involved is if the county has already started a tax foreclosure. If you've received notices about a tax sale, that's time-sensitive and worth acting on quickly. ## Your realistic options, and the honest tradeoff Listing with an agent can bring the highest price if the land is attractive, has clear access, and there are active buyers in that market. The tradeoffs are time and cost: vacant land often sits far longer than a house, and you'll pay a commission at the end. Selling it yourself avoids commission but means you handle marketing, tire-kickers, and a buyer whose financing may fall through. Selling to a cash buyer is the fastest and most certain route, and there's no commission or fee. The honest tradeoff is that a cash buyer generally pays less than a flawless retail sale would, because we're taking on the time, the carrying costs, and the risk of whatever problems the parcel has. Which option is right depends entirely on whether speed and certainty are worth more to you than squeezing out the last dollar. ## How to sell inherited land, step by step 1. **Confirm who has authority to sell.** Find out whether the estate has cleared probate or an executor or personal representative has been appointed who can legally sign a deed. 2. **Gather what you have.** A deed or the parcel number is enough to start. A recent tax bill and any probate paperwork help but aren't required. 3. **Get the land valued.** Have the parcel evaluated on access, terrain, usable acreage, zoning, and comparable local sales — not on the tax-assessed value, which is often far off. 4. **Agree with the other heirs.** Make sure everyone holding an ownership interest agrees to sell, since they will generally all need to sign at closing. 5. **Close through a title company.** The title company clears any back taxes or liens from the proceeds, prepares the deed, and arranges remote signing if you live out of state. ## Frequently asked **Can I sell inherited land before probate is finished?** You can usually get an offer and go under agreement, but the sale itself can't close until someone has legal authority to sign the deed. Many cash buyers will hold an agreement open while probate finishes. **Do all the heirs have to agree to sell?** Generally, yes. Everyone holding an ownership interest normally has to sign at closing. If some heirs want to keep the property, a buyout of the others is sometimes possible — that's a question for an attorney. **What if I owe back taxes on the inherited land?** Unpaid property taxes are typically paid out of the sale proceeds at closing rather than up front by you. If a tax foreclosure has already started, act quickly, because those timelines are enforced. **Do I have to travel to sell land I inherited out of state?** No. Title companies routinely arrange remote signing, and the whole process can be handled by phone and email. **How do I find out what the land is even worth?** Don't rely on the tax-assessed value — it's frequently well off the mark on rural land. Value comes down to legal access, road frontage, terrain and wetlands, usable acreage, zoning, and what comparable parcels nearby have actually sold for. > General information, not legal or tax advice. Probate, tax, and property rules differ by state and county. --- # How to sell land without a realtor ## Can I sell my land without a realtor? Yes. There's no legal requirement to use an agent to sell land in any state. You can sell directly to a buyer and have a title company or closing attorney handle the deed, title search, and money transfer. Skipping the agent saves the commission — typically a meaningful percentage of the sale price, and often higher on land than on houses — but it means you're responsible for finding a buyer and making sure the paperwork is done properly. ## Why land is different from selling a house Most advice about selling property is written about houses, and land doesn't behave the same way. There are far fewer buyers for a vacant parcel. Ordinary mortgages usually don't apply, so buyers are often paying cash or using specialized land financing. And a lot of the things that decide whether land is worth much — legal access, wetlands, terrain, zoning — aren't visible in photographs. The practical consequence is that vacant land commonly sits on the market much longer than a house in the same area. Many agents also aren't especially interested in land listings, because the commission on a modest rural parcel doesn't justify the work involved. That's a real reason some owners end up selling directly. ## What you actually need to sell Less than most people expect. A deed or the parcel number is enough to begin — that lets anyone pull the county records showing boundaries, acreage, and ownership. You generally do not need a survey to sell. Surveys are expensive and often unnecessary; if a boundary or access question comes up, it's usually resolved through the title company during closing. You also don't need to clear brush, mow, or improve the land. Buyers of raw land expect it to look like raw land. What you do need is a clean transfer of title, and that's what a title company or closing attorney is for. They run the title search, find any liens or tax debt, prepare the deed, and handle the money. ## The three ways to sell without an agent Sell it yourself to a retail buyer. You market the parcel, field inquiries, and negotiate directly. This can get you the best price if you're patient and the land is appealing. Be prepared for a lot of low-quality inquiries and for deals that fall apart when a buyer's financing doesn't materialize. Sell at auction. Fast and definite, but you accept whatever the market gives you on the day, and there are usually fees. Sell to a direct cash buyer. You get a specific offer, no commission, and a short, predictable timeline. The tradeoff is price: a cash buyer takes on the carrying time and the risk of whatever's wrong with the parcel, so the number is generally below what a flawless retail sale would eventually produce. ## When you should still use an agent We'd rather tell you this straight than pretend it's never the right answer. An agent is often worth the commission if your land is in or near a growing town, has clear road frontage and utilities, is an easily developable size, and there's visible demand in the area. In that situation the market can produce a price well above what any cash buyer will offer, and paying a commission to reach it can leave you better off. The calculation shifts when the parcel is remote, landlocked, oddly shaped, in probate, carrying back taxes, or has already sat unsold on the market. Those are the situations where listing tends to mean months of nothing happening, and where a direct sale usually wins. ## How to sell land without a realtor, step by step 1. **Collect your documents.** Find the deed or parcel number, and a recent tax bill if you have one. That's enough to start. 2. **Work out what it's worth.** Look at what comparable parcels nearby have actually sold for, and account for access, terrain, usable acreage, and zoning. Ignore the tax-assessed value. 3. **Find your buyer.** Market it yourself, take it to auction, or approach a direct cash buyer for a written offer. 4. **Agree terms in writing.** Put the price, the closing date, and who pays what into a written purchase agreement. 5. **Close through a title company.** A title company or closing attorney runs the title search, settles any liens or back taxes from the proceeds, prepares the deed, and transfers the money. ## Frequently asked **Is it legal to sell land without a real estate agent?** Yes, in every state. There's no requirement to use an agent. You will normally still use a title company or closing attorney to transfer title properly. **Do I need a survey to sell my land?** Usually not. The deed and parcel number are typically enough to start, and boundary or access questions are generally resolved through the title company as part of closing. **How much does selling without an agent save?** You avoid the sales commission, which on land is often a higher percentage than on residential property. You may still owe closing costs, though some cash buyers cover those. **Who handles the paperwork if there's no agent?** A title company or closing attorney does. They handle the title search, the deed, any payoff of liens or back taxes, and the transfer of funds. **Will I get less money selling without an agent?** Not necessarily — you save the commission. But if you sell to a cash buyer for speed and certainty, expect the offer to be below what a perfect retail sale might eventually achieve. --- # What is my land actually worth? ## How do I find out what my land is worth? Land is valued on what comparable parcels nearby have actually sold for, adjusted for the things that make your specific parcel more or less usable: whether it has legal access to a public road, how much of the acreage is genuinely usable versus wetland or steep slope, what the zoning permits, and whether utilities are reachable. The tax-assessed value is not a reliable guide and is frequently well off the real market figure in either direction. ## Why the tax assessment misleads people The number on your tax bill is produced for the purpose of taxation, often using broad formulas applied across a whole county, and it may not have been revisited in years. On rural land it can be dramatically higher or lower than what a buyer would actually pay. We mention this first because it's the single most common reason a conversation about price goes badly. An owner anchors on the assessed value, and the real market has a different opinion. Neither figure is dishonest — they're just answering different questions. ## Legal access is usually the biggest single factor The question that moves land value more than almost anything else is whether you can legally get to it. Not whether there's a dirt track, or whether the neighbor has always let people drive across — whether there's a legally recorded right to reach the parcel from a public road. Land without legal access is described as landlocked, and it's worth substantially less than an otherwise identical parcel with frontage, because most buyers can't do anything with it. This is also why an informal arrangement with a neighbor matters less than people assume: a handshake doesn't transfer with the deed. ## Usable acreage, not total acreage Twenty acres of buildable, gently sloping ground is a different asset from twenty acres that's largely wetland, floodplain, or steep hillside. Buyers price the usable portion. The same goes for shape and frontage. A long, narrow strip is harder to use than a square parcel of the same size. Road frontage adds value both for access and because it may allow the parcel to be divided later. ## Zoning and what you're allowed to do Zoning and local land-use rules decide whether a parcel can be built on, subdivided, farmed, or used commercially — and that changes what it's worth considerably. So can restrictions that aren't in the zoning code, like recorded covenants, easements running across the property, or conservation restrictions. Utilities matter too, though less than people expect on rural land. What counts is how far away power and water actually are and what it would realistically cost to reach them. ## How we work out a number When we evaluate a parcel we look at the county records and mapping for legal access and road frontage, terrain and wetlands, usable versus total acreage, zoning and any recorded restrictions, and what comparable land in the same county has genuinely sold for recently. That research is what the cash figure is built on, and we'll walk you through the reasoning behind it rather than just handing you a number. If the offer isn't right for you, there's no obligation — plenty of people get an offer, decide to hold the land, and that's a perfectly good outcome. One thing worth being clear about: a cash offer and a retail listing price are not the same measurement. A cash buyer is pricing in the time the parcel will take to resell, the carrying costs, and the risk of whatever problems it has. Comparing a cash offer against an optimistic listing price isn't comparing like with like. ## Frequently asked **Is the tax-assessed value what my land is worth?** Usually not. Assessments are produced for taxation using broad formulas and may be years out of date. On rural land they're often far from the real market value in either direction. **What makes land worth more per acre?** Legal access to a public road, road frontage, a high proportion of usable ground rather than wetland or steep slope, permissive zoning, reachable utilities, and a usable shape. **Does it cost anything to find out what my land is worth?** Not with us. We research the parcel and give you a no-obligation cash figure along with the reasoning behind it, free. **Why is a cash offer lower than the listing prices I see online?** Listing prices are asking prices, not sale prices, and a cash offer accounts for the time to resell, carrying costs, and the risk of any problems with the parcel. They measure different things. **Do I need an appraisal to sell my land?** Not to sell it to a cash buyer. An appraisal can be useful for your own confidence or for estate purposes, but it isn't required for a direct sale. --- # Selling land when you owe back taxes ## Can I sell my land if I owe back taxes on it? Yes. Owing back property taxes does not prevent you from selling. In a normal sale the unpaid taxes are paid out of the proceeds at closing — the title company identifies what's owed and settles it from the purchase price, so you don't have to pay the debt up front. You only need to act with more urgency if the county has already begun a tax foreclosure or scheduled a tax sale, because those deadlines are enforced. ## Unpaid taxes come off the top, not out of your pocket This is the part that surprises people most. You do not need to find the money to clear years of back taxes before you're allowed to sell. The title company runs a search, establishes exactly what's owed to the county, and pays it from the sale proceeds at closing. What you receive is what's left after the debt is settled. The same generally applies to other liens against the property. They're identified during the title search and paid off as part of the transaction so the buyer receives clear title. If the total owed is more than the property is worth, that's a harder conversation — but it's still worth having, because the alternative is usually continuing to accrue penalties on land you don't want. ## Why land ends up with years of unpaid taxes It's rarely carelessness. The most common story is inherited property: the owner died, the tax bills kept going to an old address, and nobody living nearby knew the parcel existed. By the time an heir finds out, several years have accumulated. The other common story is land somebody bought years ago intending to build on, then never did. The taxes are small enough to be easy to ignore and large enough to add up. Either way, the debt tends to grow faster than people expect once penalties and interest attach, which is why doing something is usually better than waiting. ## If a tax sale or foreclosure has already started This is the situation that's genuinely time-sensitive. When taxes go unpaid long enough, counties can move to recover them — the mechanism and the terminology vary by state, but the outcome is that you can lose the property. If you've received notices mentioning a tax sale, tax deed, tax certificate, or foreclosure, read the dates on them carefully and act quickly. In many states there's a redemption window during which the owner can still resolve things, but it closes. It's often still possible to sell in this window, and selling can be a better outcome than losing the land entirely for the tax debt. But the timeline is set by the county, not by you or a buyer, so speed matters. ## What we do with tax-burdened parcels We buy land as-is, including parcels with back taxes and liens, and we resolve those during closing rather than asking you to clear them first. That's a routine part of how these deals work for us, not an exception we make reluctantly. If you're in a redemption or foreclosure window, tell us early — the deadline shapes everything about how fast we need to move, and it's better to know at the start than to discover it a week before closing. ## Frequently asked **Do I have to pay off back taxes before selling my land?** Normally no. The title company pays what's owed to the county out of the sale proceeds at closing, so the debt comes off the top of the purchase price rather than out of your pocket beforehand. **Can I still sell if the county started a tax foreclosure?** Often yes, but the county's deadlines control the timeline. Read any notices carefully and act quickly — many states have a redemption period, but it does close. **What if the back taxes are more than the land is worth?** It's still worth a conversation. The alternative is usually continuing to accrue penalties on land you don't want, and there may be options depending on the numbers. **Will a buyer take on the tax debt?** In a cash sale the debt is typically settled at closing out of the purchase price, so the buyer receives clear title and you're released from the obligation. **Does owing taxes lower what I'll be offered?** The amount owed is accounted for because it has to be paid from the proceeds. It doesn't disqualify the parcel or make it unsellable. > General information, not legal or tax advice. Probate, tax, and property rules differ by state and county. --- # Selling landlocked property with no legal access ## Can I sell land that has no legal access? Yes, though it takes a buyer who understands the problem. A landlocked parcel is one with no legally recorded right to reach it from a public road. That blocks most conventional buyers, because without access the land generally can't be built on or financed. Your realistic options are to obtain a recorded easement from a neighboring owner, pursue a legal right of way where state law allows it, or sell the parcel as-is to a buyer who will take on the access problem themselves. ## What landlocked actually means Landlocked is a legal description, not a physical one. It means there is no recorded legal right to cross from a public road onto the property. It does not mean there's no way to physically get there. This distinction catches a lot of owners out. There may be a dirt track that's been driven for forty years. A neighbor may have always been happy for people to cross their field. None of that is legal access, and none of it necessarily transfers to a new owner when the property is sold. A permission that can be withdrawn is not a right. Conversely, a parcel can have perfectly good legal access on paper via a recorded easement while being physically awkward to reach. That parcel is not landlocked. ## Why it stops most sales Without legal access, most buyers can't get a building permit, can't obtain financing, and can't insure the property normally. That removes nearly everyone who might otherwise buy it — which is why landlocked parcels often sit on the market for years, or get listed, expire, and get relisted repeatedly. It's also why landlocked land is worth meaningfully less than the same acreage with frontage. That gap isn't a buyer being opportunistic; it reflects a genuine, sometimes expensive, sometimes unsolvable problem. ## The routes to fixing it Negotiate an easement. The most straightforward fix is to agree a recorded easement with a neighboring owner whose land sits between yours and the road. This is a real legal document, recorded with the county, that runs with the land. Whether a neighbor agrees — and what they want for it — varies enormously. Pursue a legal right of way. Many states have a mechanism by which an owner of otherwise-inaccessible land can seek a court-ordered right of way, sometimes called an easement by necessity. The rules, the names, and the likelihood of success differ considerably from state to state, and it generally requires an attorney. Check whether access already exists. Occasionally the access is there and nobody realized. Old plats, historic deeds, and county records sometimes contain an easement that never made it into current paperwork. A title search can reveal this, and it's worth doing before assuming the worst. ## Or sell it as-is Access problems are one of the most common reasons we're contacted, and we buy landlocked parcels regularly. We take on the access question ourselves rather than requiring you to solve it first. We'd rather be straightforward about pricing here: a landlocked parcel is worth less than one with frontage, and our offer will reflect that, because whoever owns it next has to deal with the same problem. What we can offer is that the problem stops being yours, without you paying an attorney to attempt a fix that may not work. If you're not sure whether your parcel actually has legal access, that's worth finding out before doing anything else. Tell us the parcel number and we'll look at what the county records show. ## Frequently asked **What does landlocked mean for a piece of land?** It means there's no legally recorded right to reach the parcel from a public road. A physical track or a neighbor's informal permission is not legal access, because it can be withdrawn and may not transfer with the deed. **Can I force a neighbor to give me access?** Many states allow an owner of otherwise-inaccessible land to seek a court-ordered right of way, sometimes called an easement by necessity. The rules and the odds vary a lot by state, and it generally needs an attorney. **How much does landlocked land sell for?** Meaningfully less than comparable land with road frontage, because without legal access most buyers can't build, finance, or insure it. The size of the gap depends on how fixable the access problem looks. **Can you buy my land if it has no access?** Yes. We buy landlocked parcels regularly and take on the access problem ourselves rather than asking you to resolve it first. **How do I find out if my land is legally landlocked?** A title search will show whether a recorded easement exists. Old plats and historic deeds sometimes contain access that never carried into current paperwork, so it's worth checking before assuming there's none. > General information, not legal or tax advice. Probate, tax, and property rules differ by state and county. --- # Selling land that's in probate ## Can I sell land that is still in probate? Usually you can agree a sale while probate is underway, but the closing itself can't happen until someone has legal authority to sign the deed — normally an executor named in the will or a personal representative appointed by the court. In some states and some estates, a sale during probate also needs court approval. Many cash buyers will make an offer and hold the agreement open while the estate finishes, so the process runs in parallel rather than one after the other. ## What probate is doing, in plain terms Probate is the legal process that confirms who has the right to deal with a deceased person's property and settles any debts of the estate. Until that's established, nobody can validly sign a deed transferring the land, because the person whose name is on it has died. That's the whole obstacle. It isn't that the land can't be sold — it's that the paperwork needs a person with the legal authority to sign it. ## How long it takes, honestly It varies enormously, and anyone who gives you a confident single number is guessing. The variables are the state, the county's caseload, whether there was a valid will, whether the estate is straightforward, and whether anyone disputes it. Many states have a simplified route for smaller estates that moves considerably faster than full probate. Whether the estate qualifies is one of the first things worth asking a probate attorney or title company, because it can change the timeline substantially. What we'd caution against is waiting passively. Probate finishing doesn't automatically make the land easier to sell — it just makes it possible. Using the waiting time to find out what the parcel is worth and who'd buy it means you're ready when authority comes through. ## Can you accept an offer before probate finishes? In most cases you can enter into an agreement, with closing conditional on the authority to sign being in place. This is routine for buyers who deal with estate property regularly. Some states or some estates additionally require the court to approve a sale of real property. Where that applies it adds a step and some time, but it's a normal part of the process rather than a barrier. A written offer can also be genuinely useful to the estate itself. It gives the executor and the heirs a concrete figure to work with instead of a vague sense that the land is worth something, and that often settles disagreements faster than anything else. ## What a buyer will want from you Less than you'd think. A deed or the parcel number is enough to evaluate the land and produce an offer. Probate documents — the will, letters testamentary, or letters of administration — matter at closing rather than at the start. We're patient with probate, heirs' property, and out-of-state owners, and we don't need the estate resolved before we'll look at a parcel. Closing coordinates with the title company once there's someone who can sign. ## Frequently asked **Who can sign to sell land in probate?** Normally the executor named in the will, or a personal representative appointed by the court. Until someone holds that authority, a deed can't be validly signed. **How long does probate take before I can sell?** It varies widely by state, county, and estate. Many states have a simplified process for smaller estates that's considerably faster — worth asking a probate attorney or title company whether the estate qualifies. **Do I need court approval to sell property in probate?** Sometimes. Some states and some estates require the court to approve a sale of real property. It adds a step rather than blocking the sale. **Can I get an offer before probate is complete?** Usually yes. Many cash buyers will evaluate the parcel and make an offer while probate is underway, with closing conditional on authority to sign being in place. **What paperwork do I need to sell land in probate?** To get an offer, a deed or parcel number is enough. The probate documents — the will, letters testamentary, or letters of administration — are needed at closing. > General information, not legal or tax advice. Probate, tax, and property rules differ by state and county.