Land Contract

What is Land Contract?

An agreement signed between a buyer and a seller concerning a certain portion of the Land in a particular area is known as the land contract meaning. Just like Real Estate, marketers and owners advertise the land to the public. Note that land contracts can be limited to the plain land with no resources or the land, including all the natural and artificial resources in it. The buyers can finance the land contract through the credit union or a financial institution. Mostly, they apply for the loan to fund the land investment.

Land contracts can either be financed by the Bank or seller. Most buyers choose Seller Financing as it is less expensive and a flexible option.

Land Contract Scope

Like other agreements, a land contract refers to the detailed agreement that explains all the terms and conditions associated with land trading. Some contracts provide the landowners with more rights. Note that land contracts have a broad scope. You need to be careful when signing a land contract. It is important to go over all the details mentioned in the agreement to ensure that it is legally binding. Should any issue or dispute arise after the deal, the contract you have signed with the landowner will be used as evidence.

Nowadays, seller financing has become quite common for land contracts. Not all home buyers and investors can finance real estate investment. Paying a large sum to the seller in a single upfront payment does not seem to be a practical option for investors. That’s the reason they choose to finance the investment through banks and financial institutions. They obtain a loan from the banks to send the payment to the existing landowner. However, this can be a time-consuming and expensive process for homebuyers.

Understanding Seller Financing

Seller financing involves only fewer parties involves in the trade. It makes it easier for the homebuyer to make the payment for the contract. In seller financing, the buyer is allowed to make the payment in installments rather than a lump sum. They don’t have to pay the entire amount in a single upfront payment. It also reduces the total amount the buyer has to pay since only the seller is involved in the transaction. In this type of trading, the current landowner decides the down payment, interest, and repayment term.

Seller financing agreements can involve plain lands as well as the lands with certain resources. The contract also lists the assets that are being sold to the buyer. This may include the tennis court, swimming pool, backyard, playgrounds, barns, and other such resources that are part of the land. Note that the assets that are added to the contract will have a great impact on the total value of the land. The ownership title of the land will be transferred to the buyer once they have made the full payment. Until then, the seller will hold the ownership rights to both the land and resources in it.