Frequently Asked Questions

No. I buy directly from the actual property owner — the person whose name is on the deed. I do not purchase from wholesalers or assignors. If you own vacant land in Vermont and want to sell, I'd love to hear from you.

The simplest way is to send me your parcel details through this site or give me a call. I'm Mike — I buy vacant land across Vermont directly, with my own cash, so there's no listing, no showings, and no waiting on a bank. I'll look at your property and get you a straightforward cash offer, usually within a couple of business days.

Me, Mike. Vermont Land Offers is an independent, owner-operated land-buying business. This is not a marketplace or a lead site that hands your information off to strangers. When you reach out, you're talking to the person who will actually buy the land and sign the check.

You tell me about the parcel — the town, the acreage, and anything you know about access or the deed. I do my own homework using the town's grand list, the parcel maps, and recent comparable sales. I send you a written cash offer with no obligation. If it works for you, we close through a Vermont real estate attorney, who records the deed at your town clerk's office. If it doesn't work for you, that's completely fine — there's no pressure and nothing owed.

Most straightforward parcels close in about two to four weeks. What usually sets the pace is the title work and getting the deed recorded by the closing attorney. If there's a title issue, an old lien, or an estate involved, it can take a little longer, and I'll be upfront with you about the timeline once I've reviewed the details.

No. Buy it exactly as it sits. You don't need a new survey, a perc test, brush clearing, or any improvements. I buy raw, wooded, overgrown, and hard-to-reach parcels all the time — that's normal Vermont land, and it's my job to deal with it, not yours.

With a listing, you wait for a buyer to appear, hope their financing comes through, pay a commission, and often cover part of the closing costs — and vacant land can sit on the market for many months, since banks are reluctant to lend on it. Selling to me skips all of that. There's no listing, no showings, no commission, and no financing contingency, because I'm buying it myself with cash. You trade a shot at top retail dollar for speed, certainty, and no fees or hassle.

Probably not, in either direction. I buy small in-town lots and back-lot slivers as well as large wooded and hillside tracts of many acres. Size affects the offer, of course, but there's no minimum or maximum that automatically rules a parcel out. If you're not sure whether yours is a fit, just ask — it costs nothing to find out.

None. There's no agent commission because there's no agent, and I don't charge you anything to make an offer. I also cover the normal closing costs on my side — the title search, deed preparation, and recording fees. The number I offer is the number you're working from.

We'll spell out exactly who pays what in the purchase agreement before you sign anything. Vermont charges a Property Transfer Tax at closing, and I'm glad to structure the deal so the costs are clear and there are no surprises at the closing table. You'll see the full breakdown in writing well ahead of time.

I look at what comparable Vermont parcels have actually sold for nearby, the town's assessed value and grand list information, the acreage and terrain, whether there's legal road access, and any zoning or Act 250 considerations. I also factor in that I'm paying cash and taking on all the risk and carrying costs. The offer reflects a fair price for a fast, certain, as-is sale.

Just about every kind of vacant parcel: woodland and timberland, former farmland and pasture, hillside and mountain lots, sugarbush, recreational and hunting land, rural residential lots, lakefront and riverfront along Lake Champlain or the Connecticut River, and back-lot or landlocked parcels. If it's raw land in Vermont, I'm interested.

Yes — all fourteen: Addison, Bennington, Caledonia, Chittenden, Essex, Franklin, Grand Isle, Lamoille, Orange, Orleans, Rutland, Washington, Windham, and Windsor. From the Northeast Kingdom to the Champlain Valley to southern Vermont, I'll take a look wherever your parcel sits.

Yes. Back taxes are one of the most common reasons people sell, and they're usually straightforward to handle. Vermont property taxes are collected at the town level, and the amount owed simply gets paid off out of the proceeds at closing. You don't need to clear them first — just tell me roughly what's owed so I can factor it in.

I buy land with these issues regularly. Whether it's a lien, an unreleased old mortgage, a boundary question, or a cloud on the title, the real estate attorney sorts out what needs to be paid or cleared, and legitimate debts are settled out of the sale proceeds. Tell me what you know and I'll work through the rest.

Yes, and this is very common. If the property is going through probate or is held by an estate, I can often work with the executor and the real estate attorney to get it closed properly. Sometimes the estate needs to be settled first — I'll tell you honestly where things stand and what the path looks like.

It may well be. Landlocked and back-lot parcels are harder to sell on the open market, but I buy them and understand how right-of-way and easement access works in Vermont. Even a parcel with no legal road access can have value to me, so it's always worth asking.

It can, so it's worth mentioning. Vermont's Current Use program (Use Value Appraisal) lowers the taxable value of enrolled forest and farm land, but pulling land out of the program can trigger a land use change tax. I'm familiar with how Current Use works, and I'll factor the enrollment into the deal so we handle any tax the right way at closing.

Act 250 is Vermont's land-use review process, and it mainly comes into play with development, subdivision, or certain permits — not usually with simply selling a parcel as-is. If there's an Act 250 permit history on your land, just let me know; it's the kind of detail I account for, and it doesn't stop me from making an offer.

Absolutely. A lot of the parcels I buy belong to out-of-state owners who inherited land, bought it years ago, or simply never used it. The whole process can be handled remotely — documents can be signed and notarized wherever you are. You don't need to travel to Vermont to sell.

Closing is handled through a reputable Vermont real estate attorney. Once the title is clear, the deed is prepared, signed, and recorded at the clerk's office in the town where the land sits. You don't have to attend in person — out-of-state and remote closings are routine.

At closing. Once the deed is signed and recorded and the real estate attorney disburses funds, you're paid — typically by wire or certified check. There's no waiting for a buyer's loan to be approved, because I'm paying cash.

None at all. Getting an offer costs you nothing and commits you to nothing. Look it over, take your time, ask me anything, and only move forward if it genuinely makes sense for you. If the timing isn't right, there's no hard sell — just reach back out whenever you're ready.

Yes — with owner financing, which is my preferred way to buy. When you receive payments over time instead of a lump sum, I can usually purchase your Vermont land at your full asking price. You also earn interest on the balance — often adding up to significantly more than any cash sale — and you can spread your capital gains tax over the life of the loan rather than paying it all in one year. On a standard cash offer, the price reflects what a cash buyer can realistically pay, which is typically below full retail.

The documents do. Because the land secures the loan, protective clauses are written directly into the agreement — for example, that no logging or timber harvesting will be done on the land until the balance is paid in full, no subdividing, property taxes must stay current, and no dumping or new liens. Breaking a clause is a default, which means you keep everything paid so far and the land comes back to you intact. A Vermont real estate attorney drafts these protections into the closing documents.

A down payment at closing, then fixed monthly payments — principal plus interest — for the term we agree on. It works like being the bank: dependable monthly income secured by land you know better than anyone. If the buyer ever stops paying, the land returns to you and you keep every payment made to date.