Sell a Land Contract (Contract for Deed)

A land contract — also called a contract for deed or installment land contract — is a form of owner financing in which the buyer makes payments directly to the seller and takes possession of the property, but the seller keeps legal title until the contract is paid in full. Only then does the deed transfer. It's a common way to sell vacant land, modest homes, and mobile homes on terms, and the resulting payment stream can be sold for cash. We buy land contracts and contracts for deed.

How a land contract differs from a mortgage note

The practical economics resemble a residential mortgage note — regular payments at an agreed interest rate — but the legal structure is different in a way that matters to a buyer:

• Title stays with the seller. With a mortgage or deed of trust, the buyer owns the property and the seller holds a lien. With a land contract, the seller retains title, and the buyer holds equitable interest until payoff.
• Default remedies vary widely by state. Some states let a seller cancel (forfeit) the contract relatively quickly; others treat a land contract much like a mortgage and require a foreclosure-style process and even a redemption period. This state variation directly affects value and is something a buyer underwrites carefully.
• Documentation can be thinner. Land contracts are sometimes drafted informally and not always recorded, which can complicate a sale until the paperwork and title are cleaned up.

What we look at

• The contract terms — balance, rate, payment, and remaining term, which define the present value of what you're selling.
• The property — its value and condition relative to the balance (investment-to-value).
• Payment history — seasoning on a land contract works the same way it does on a note: a documented, on-time history raises the price.
• Title and recording — whether title is clean and the contract (or a memorandum of it) was recorded.
• State default rules — forfeiture vs. foreclosure treatment in the property's state.

Performing and non-performing land contracts

We buy both. A current land contract is valued on its payment stream. A defaulted one is valued on the property and the cost to recover it — the same framework as a non-performing note, adjusted for the contract's specific default remedy in that state.

Getting a land-contract quote

Send us the contract itself, the current balance, the payment terms, the payment history, and any title or recording information. If title or documentation needs cleanup, we'll tell you what's required. Many land-contract holders find that selling converts an informal, hard-to-manage arrangement into a clean lump sum of cash.

Land-contract law is highly state-specific. This page is general information, not legal advice; verify your state's forfeiture and foreclosure rules and consult an attorney before acting.