How to Buy Land: A Plain Guide for Our Families

How to buy land comes down to one rule: sign nothing until you know what you can legally do on it, how you reach it, and who truly owns it. These eight steps get you there.

1. Decide what the land is for

Building a home, farming and simply holding land are three different purchases. The use decides which zoning, water and road you need, so settle it first.

2. Look close to home

Searching land for sale near me is a fine start. Also call a local real estate agent who sells land, and ask your county how to look up parcels and owners. Drive the land yourself before you get attached to a listing.

3. Check the zoning

Call the county or city planning office and ask what is allowed on that exact parcel. Penn State Extension's land checklist warns buyers to be sure any dwellings or buildings they plan are allowed under current zoning.

4. Prove who owns it

Pay for a title search before you close. Owner's title insurance protects you if someone later claims a right to the property from before you bought it, such as a prior owner's unpaid taxes. Read the deed for easements and restrictions too.

Watch for heirs' property, which USDA defines as family-owned land jointly owned by the descendants of someone who died. The heirs can use the land but lack a clear title. If your seller is one relative among many, talk to a real estate lawyer before any money moves.

5. Check the ground and the water

The same Penn State checklist tells buyers to look at soil, flood history, slope, past contamination, and whether there is enough good water for your use. If you will need a septic system, the soil may have to pass a percolation test. A University of Wisconsin guide advises making a passing test a condition of the sale. Rules differ by place, so ask your county health department.

6. Check the road

Make sure you can legally and physically reach the land all year. Penn State says to confirm the roads are traversable and maintained. If the only way in crosses a neighbor's property, you want that right written down and recorded.

7. Work out how to pay

If you need a loan, ask local banks first, including Black owned banks, and get the down payment and rate in writing.

If you will farm it, look at the USDA Farm Service Agency. Its October 2026 chart lists:

• Direct farm ownership loans up to $600,000.
• Farm ownership microloans up to $50,000.
• A down payment loan of up to $300,150, where the buyer puts in at least 5 percent.

A beginning farmer is one who has run a farm for no more than 10 years and owns no more than 30 percent of the average farm size in the county.

8. Close it and protect it

Make sure the deed is recorded with the county in your name. Keep up with the property taxes. Then write a will, because land that passes with no plan is how heirs' property starts, and heirs' property is one of the ways families lose land.