Raw land as opposed to improved property is much more difficult
to finance through traditional lenders. The main reasons are 
that it generates very little income, development costs can be
expensive, there are no buildings or improvements that can be
used as collateral, and it is often considered speculative.

For those reasons mentioned we find that sellers are often our
first choice regarding financing. It is typical for a seller of
raw land to accept 10 percent down and the rest to be paid over 
time at a specified (below market) interest rate. This would be 
an example of an installment land contract. Other forms are 
contract for deed, mortgage and note and purchase money 
mortgages. In these cases, a real estate attorney usually 
drafts these contracts and a bank will act as an escrow agent to 
facilitate verifiable records of payments received. The seller 
often retains the deed until the property is paid for in full.

If you want to investigate bank financing, then you may start 
out by offering 30 percent down with a seven-year mortgage, with 
the bank getting an extra percentage point over and above the 
current interest rates for standard loans. This may not be 
accepted, but it does give you a starting point to see just 
what they may be willing to do.

If you plan on building on your land, then having a development
plan with an appraised set of blue prints for the project will
help the lender in justifying your loan. If you can use equity
from other property, then paying substantial down payments may
also be an option.

Final words of caution here are to know values and don’t
overpay. Always offer less when possible and research recent
sales of comparable properties. The larger a parcel is, the
cheaper it tends to get per acre. Ask an agent what an acre of
land tends to go for in the area that you are considering; try 
to buy more than one acre.

When buying residential lots, builders try to keep raw land 
costs down to 10 percent of the overall value of the project. 
If streets and utilities are already in place, then they will 
use 25 percent as their guideline. If you can combine or 
assemble parcels or achieve zoning changes with property, 
you have a good chance of immediately increasing its value.

Always physically inspect the property and do your research 
before obligating yourself to buy it. And try using contracts 
with contingencies put in to protect yourself. In essence, 
these are really options that let you control the deal while 
you investigate and research the land’s potential to satisfy 
your objectives. Happy Hunting and buy the high grounds!