What should be in a purchase agreement for raw land?

A solid land purchase agreement covers a handful of core clauses:

• Legal description of the parcel: this should reference the actual recorded legal description, not just a street address or a general location, since addresses can be imprecise or nonexistent for raw land
• Purchase price and earnest money terms: how much, when it is due, and how it is held
• Contingencies: conditions that must be satisfied for the deal to proceed, commonly title being clear and insurable, survey confirming boundaries and acreage, and financing if the buyer is not paying cash
• Closing costs: who pays what, since this is negotiable and varies deal to deal
• Closing date: a target date, ideally with some flexibility built in if title work or a survey takes longer than expected

A short due diligence period is worth building in even for a straightforward-looking deal. This gives the buyer a defined window to check title, review a survey, or confirm zoning, and a clear exit if something unfavorable turns up, rather than being locked into closing regardless of what the research shows.

Because this document is what actually protects both sides if something goes wrong, it is worth having a real estate attorney draft or review it rather than relying on a generic template found online, especially for anything beyond the most basic parcel.