How we sell land
Land does not sell the way an income property does. There is no rent roll to underwrite. The value depends on what a buyer can build, when they can build it, and what it will cost them to get there. Our job is to answer those questions before a buyer asks them, and to make sure the answers reach the builders, developers and investors who are active in your submarket.
We represent landowners across Volusia and Flagler, the Orlando metro and the Space Coast, on parcels from a single commercial outparcel to several hundred acres of residential land. The process below is the one we run on every assignment; the emphasis shifts with the parcel.
Who we represent
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Private owners, families and estates
Owners who have held land for years, sometimes generations, and want a clear view of value and a process they can trust. Many are weighing a sale against holding, entitling first, or a tax-deferred exchange into income property.
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Investors and entitlement groups
Owners who bought to entitle and are ready to sell approved land to a builder or developer, or who hold a larger parcel and need a builder partner under a phased contract.
How we work
- Broker opinion of value We start with a written opinion of value built from comparable land sales, builder lot pricing, entitlement status and the cost to develop. A broker opinion of value is not an appraisal; it is a market view you can act on.
- Positioning We assemble what a buyer’s land committee will ask for: survey, title, zoning and future land use, utility availability, wetland and soils information, access, and any approvals already in hand. Gaps show up here, not in the buyer’s due diligence.
- Marketing to the right buyers Land is sold by direct outreach. We contact the homebuilders, developers and investors active in your submarket, alongside exposure on the commercial listing platforms, and we keep the conversation confidential where you need it to be.
- Offer selection and negotiation Offers are compared on price, deposit, contingency periods, closing timeline and what the buyer still needs to approve — not on price alone. We negotiate the contract with your attorney.
- Due diligence and closing We manage the inspection period: buyer access, information requests, extensions and the path to a firm contract, then the closing itself.
What we analyze
- Zoning, future land use and the approvals a buyer would need
- Water, sewer and reclaimed availability, capacity and fees
- Road frontage, access permits, median openings and traffic counts
- Wetland lines, soils, flood zones and stormwater
- Entitlements in hand, their conditions and expiration dates
- Comparable land sales, builder lot pricing and absorption
- Highest and best use: residential lots, a commercial pad, or a future assemblage
- Title, easements and anything recorded against the parcel
Frequently asked questions
How is land priced?
Most land is priced from what a buyer can build on it. For residential land, builders work backward from finished-lot value: the price of the home they will sell, less construction cost and margin, less the cost of developing the lots. For commercial sites, buyers look at price per square foot or per acre against comparable sales, corner and frontage, traffic, and what it costs to make the site pad-ready.
Entitlements, utilities and timing move the number in either direction. Two parcels of the same size on the same road can trade at very different prices if one has approvals and sewer at the property line and the other does not.
Should I entitle before selling?
Sometimes. Entitled land usually sells for more and to a wider pool of buyers, but entitlement takes time and money and carries risk: approvals can take longer than planned or arrive with conditions that reduce the yield. In some cases a builder or developer will carry that risk under an option or a contingent contract, paying more at closing in exchange for time.
We walk through both paths with you — what the land is likely worth as-is, what it might be worth entitled, and what it would cost and take to get there — before recommending one.
How long does a builder takedown take?
A takedown is a purchase in phases. The builder contracts for the whole project and closes on groups of lots over time, usually after entitlements and lot development are in place. Depending on the size of the project, the first closing can follow the contract by months and the last by years. The schedule, the price escalation between phases and what happens if the builder stops taking lots are all set in the contract, which is why its terms matter as much as the headline price.
Our guide Selling land to a homebuilder: from LOI to takedown covers the structure in more detail.
Will you tell me what my land is worth?
Yes. We prepare a written broker opinion of value based on comparable sales and the factors above, and we will tell you plainly if the market is below what you hoped for. A broker opinion of value is not an appraisal and may not be referred to or relied upon as one (s. 475.612, Florida Statutes). If you need an appraisal — for an estate, a lender or a tax matter — we can refer you to a Florida certified appraiser.
Can I exchange the proceeds into income property?
Land held for investment is generally like-kind to improved real property under Section 1031, so many landowners exchange into an income property to defer tax on the sale. The deadlines are strict: 45 days from closing to identify replacement property and 180 days to acquire it. We help exchange buyers find and negotiate replacement property inside that window, but we are not a qualified intermediary and cannot hold exchange funds. Talk to your tax advisor and a qualified intermediary before you go under contract, and see our 1031 exchange page.
How is the brokerage paid?
By a commission paid at closing under a written listing agreement. The terms are agreed before we begin, and nothing is owed if the property does not sell during the term of the agreement.