How do I make an offer on vacant land that has no agent involved?

An offer on land, agent or no agent, generally needs to cover the same basic components:

• Price: what you are offering to pay for the parcel
• Earnest money: the amount you are putting down to show good faith, and how it will be held, often by the closing attorney, until the deal closes or falls through
• A due diligence period: a defined window to check title, survey, zoning, or anything else before the deal becomes final
• A closing timeline: a target date by which the transaction should close

Even for a simple, friendly deal between two people who trust each other, put the offer in writing. A verbal agreement leaves too much room for misunderstanding about price, timing, or what happens if something comes up during due diligence. A short written offer, even a page or two, protects both sides.

Either the buyer or the seller can loop in an attorney to draft or review the offer before it is signed. This is especially worth doing if the deal involves anything beyond a straightforward cash purchase, financing terms, unusual contingencies, or a parcel being carved out of a larger tract. The attorney's job at this stage is to make sure the written offer actually says what both parties think it says, before it becomes a binding agreement.