Contract to buy land

[adrianrog]

Does anyone know if there is a good source for a free contract template to buy land? I would like to buy a small sliver that adjoins my land. It's under an acre and under $1k because it's land locked, and underwater some parts of the winter. Anyway I don't want to spend $250 to get a lawyer to draw up a contract for such a small transaction What all do I need to do?

 

[HoopDawg42]

PM sent...

 

[Jdadams]

In for info. I am assuming that you are planning on closing with an attorney.

 

[libertysteeth]

Is it surveyed as it's own plot? If it is being divided from another plot it may be difficult without an attorney.

 

[rockyfatcat]

pay a real estate attorney. It'll prevent any of the loads of problems you probably could create for yourself if you don't.

 

[GAgunLAWbooklet]

The bigger the risk, the more careful you should be.
This piece of property is almost worthless.
Certainly it's not going to be worth fighting over in court later, right?
I think you could write a "bill of sail" on lined spiral-bound notebook paper in brown crayon and that would work.
(You know, just like we ODT folks use when celling guns.)

Just make you you also type-out a warranty deed and have the seller sign it to officially deed the property over to you. That document will be recorded in the county courthouse as a public record.

LIBERTY'S TEETH brings up a good point-- surveying. Will your county recognize that little bit of land as a separate parcel, for tax purposes, without having a professional survey done that fixes the boundaries of it to the millimeter, and which then calculates the number of acres (square feet) from that? Will they let you do it yourself, if you are capable of doing the measurements and calculating the area?

If you have to get it surveyed, it's really expensive, and probably "not worth it" for that deal. But, if you don't get the property recorded in your name for tax purposes, you won't really have clear title that lasts forever even when you and the seller are dead or feeble-minded elders, and your grandkids want to know who owns that muddy strip of land. They are likely to say that whoever owns it per county real property records at the courthouse is the true owner.

 

[hamburglar3]

do you think you could get a neighbor to sell you an easement wide enough for a driveway?

 

[adrianrog]

Thanks for all the replies and PM's. The deal is that several years ago, someone divided up and sold a big plot of land. When it was surveyed, there was ~3/4 acre not included in the deal that the original owner retained ownership of. The problem is that it was landlocked and the owner couldn't use it. He neglected to pay taxes for a while and it was eventually auctioned a few months ago. An investor bought this land, sight unseen along with several other parcels. The land is landlocked and covered in water for part of the year, mostly unusable except maybe to camp on. There are 3 people in the entire county that could use the land because they have land that touches it and I'm one of those 3. I invited the investor over last night and showed the land to her. She agreed to sell the land to me for what she paid for it, well under $1k. The land has little value and I'm only buying it so that someone else doesn't. Considering it was just sold by the county, do you think I really need an attorney? It is indeed considered a separate parcel by the county and there is a legal description for it already. Again, it's almost worthless land, swampy and in a flood plain. I wouldn't even think it was worth paying a surveyor if a property line dispute arose. All the surrounding land lots are large and mostly unused except for a house near the road.

 

[rockyfatcat]

Thanks for all the replies and PM's. The deal is that several years ago, someone divided up and sold a big plot of land. When it was surveyed, there was ~3/4 acre not included in the deal that the original owner retained ownership of. The problem is that it was landlocked and the owner couldn't use it. He neglected to pay taxes for a while and it was eventually auctioned a few months ago. An investor bought this land, sight unseen along with several other parcels. The land is landlocked and covered in water for part of the year, mostly unusable except maybe to camp on. There are 3 people in the entire county that could use the land because they have land that touches it and I'm one of those 3. I invited the investor over last night and showed the land to her. She agreed to sell the land to me for what she paid for it, well under $1k. The land has little value and I'm only buying it so that someone else doesn't. Considering it was just sold by the county, do you think I really need an attorney? It is indeed considered a separate parcel by the county and there is a legal description for it already. Again, it's almost worthless land, swampy and in a flood plain. I wouldn't even think it was worth paying a surveyor if a property line dispute arose. All the surrounding land lots are large and mostly unused except for a house near the road.


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All real estate transactions must be written on paper. While you could go down to the appropriate government office with the seller to transfer the property into your name, but you are rolling the dice.

I would offer $100 cash to a paralegal or real estate attorney who regularly works with real estate paperwork, crank out a sales agreement. They should be able to punch in a few details into a software program and spit out a legal contract that should avoid all of the gotcha's.

BTW I think I paid $100 or so to have a surveyor identify my property lines 15 years ago. Mostly they uncovered existing monuments, and precisely placed stakes at 15 yard intervals for me

 

[gh1950]

Thanks for all the replies and PM's. The deal is that several years ago, someone divided up and sold a big plot of land. When it was surveyed, there was ~3/4 acre not included in the deal that the original owner retained ownership of. The problem is that it was landlocked and the owner couldn't use it. He neglected to pay taxes for a while and it was eventually auctioned a few months ago. An investor bought this land, sight unseen along with several other parcels. The land is landlocked and covered in water for part of the year, mostly unusable except maybe to camp on. There are 3 people in the entire county that could use the land because they have land that touches it and I'm one of those 3. I invited the investor over last night and showed the land to her. She agreed to sell the land to me for what she paid for it, well under $1k. The land has little value and I'm only buying it so that someone else doesn't. Considering it was just sold by the county, do you think I really need an attorney? It is indeed considered a separate parcel by the county and there is a legal description for it already. Again, it's almost worthless land, swampy and in a flood plain. I wouldn't even think it was worth paying a surveyor if a property line dispute arose. All the surrounding land lots are large and mostly unused except for a house near the road.


View attachment 1268419

But, but, but, but, it's impossible to have a landlocked piece of land in Georgia. I know that because I read it on the internet, in fact, some real estate agents told me it was so because they took an hour long on-line course that sort of said that.

Assuming that the $250 includes a title check and opinion from the attorney, deed preparation and filing, that's a bargain for the piece of mind.

If the owner landlocked himself, you have no idea what other adverse actions were taken by the owner or his predecessors. it may well be that the piece of land is included in one of the adjoining landowners description.