Can you sell a lot
without clearing it first?
By Justin Kelly
NJ Real Estate Broker-Salesperson
In most South Jersey land sales, the owner does not clear, demolish, survey or apply for township approvals before selling. Here is who handles that work, and when a deal works differently.
At a glance
- Land is typically purchased as-is: wooded, rough cleared, with a building still on it, or with approvals already in place
- Clearing and demolition usually do not come first, and trees or an existing structure are rarely a deterrent
- Usually no survey and no approvals either, so in most cases nothing has to be in place before you reach out
Guide
Taking down trees, knocking down an old building, ordering a survey and getting township approvals can all look like jobs an owner has to finish before selling land. They are part of preparing a site for building, and they tend to fall to the buyer after the land is under contract.
On a single lot in an existing neighborhood, or a small split of land known as a minor subdivision, the buyer's side typically orders the survey, does the engineering and files the township applications.
Larger deals can work differently. When land is being divided into many new lots, known as a major subdivision, the deal can include a request that the seller put money toward the cost of improving the site. When that comes up, it is spelled out before anything is signed.
Terms vary deal to deal; this is how a lot purchase usually works, not a promise on any specific property. Written by Justin Kelly, NJ Real Estate Broker-Salesperson. More at South Jersey New Construction.
Our take
In South Jersey, land typically sells as-is, whether it is wooded, rough cleared or has a building on it. If you own a lot like that, we can look at it with you before any clearing or demolition.
