Realtor wants 6-10% on vacant land in Colorado. That's $6,000 on a $60,000 parcel — gone. Plus months on the MLS, showings that go nowhere, and buyers who back out after their soils test. You don't need a realtor to sell land in Colorado. Sell direct to us and skip every fee.
Land is not a house. The retail MLS model is built for residential transactions with pre-approved buyers and lenders. It works poorly for vacant land and Colorado land sellers lose money every year chasing a listing that never closes. Here's what nobody tells you about going the realtor route on vacant land.
Most Colorado realtors charge 6% on homes but 8-10% on vacant land. Why? Because land takes longer to sell and the broker knows it. On a $100,000 parcel, that's $8,000-$10,000 out of your proceeds. Plus closing costs, title, transfer fees, and a $300 TD-1000 prep charge. Net to you might be 15-20% below contract price after everything shakes out.
Industry data shows vacant land has a median MLS time of 180-240 days in Colorado — more than double residential. Roughly 40% of land listings expire before they close. The realtor took your listing photos, charged you nothing upfront, and got nothing when it didn't sell. You lost six months and paid another tax bill. That's the realtor risk model: cheap for them, expensive for you.
Even when a realtor finds a buyer, vacant land financing is brutal. Raw land loans require 50% down at 9-11%. USDA only works on buildable lots. Most "ready to build" retail buyers can't actually qualify. You'll watch 2-4 contracts fall apart before one finally closes — if one ever does. Each failed contract wastes 30-45 days of title work.
Most Colorado realtors specialize in homes, not land. They don't know prior appropriation water law, they don't know ECMC oil and gas setbacks, they don't know how to read a BLM easement, they don't know the difference between fee simple mineral rights and a severed estate. You'll spend hours educating your own agent. Meanwhile buyers ask questions the realtor can't answer and the deal dies.
Colorado is a full FSBO state. C.R.S. Title 38, Article 35 governs deed recording and requires nothing from a licensed broker. You can sign a purchase agreement, hire a title company, and close a land sale yourself without touching the MLS. Selling to us is even simpler — we handle every document, pay every fee, and you just sign at closing.
Our simple 3-step process makes selling your land fast and easy
Fill out our simple form or give us a call. Tell us about your property and what you're looking for.
We'll evaluate your property and present you with a fair, no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours.
Choose your closing date. We handle all the paperwork and cover closing costs. Get paid in as little as 7 days.
Seller had the parcel listed with a Colorado Springs broker for 11 months at $95,000. Two failed contracts. Broker wanted to cut to $82,000 and extend the listing. Seller came to us instead. We offered $78,500 net with no commission and no closing costs. Compared to the realtor path — $82,000 minus 8% commission ($6,560) minus closing costs (~$1,400) — the seller would have netted $74,040. Our direct offer put $4,460 more in their pocket and closed 4 weeks faster. See our El Paso County page.
Listed at $140,000 for 8 months. Expired. Realtor wanted another 6-month listing at $125,000 with a 10% commission. We offered $118,000 all-in. Realtor path would have been $125,000 minus $12,500 commission minus $2,100 closing costs = $110,400. Our direct deal netted $7,600 more and closed in 22 days. Seller had been holding the parcel for 6 years and was ready to be done.
California seller inherited 80 acres near Keenesburg. Didn't want to fly out, didn't want to hire a realtor she couldn't meet, didn't want to deal with DJ Basin mineral rights questions. We handled the whole transaction remotely with RON signing under C.R.S. § 24-21-514.5. Closed in 18 days without her leaving California. No realtor, no commission, no travel.
Related pages: raw land, inherited land, out-of-state owners, mineral rights.
Serving all 64 counties across the state
Get answers to common questions about selling your land
Yes, 100% legal. Colorado has no law requiring a licensed broker for real estate transactions. Thousands of Coloradans sell land FSBO every year. The required documents — deed, TD-1000, title commitment — can all be handled through a title company without any realtor involvement.
Typically 8-12% of the sale price. That's 8-10% commission plus 1-2% in closing costs the seller usually pays. On a $100,000 Colorado parcel that's $8,000-$12,000 back in your pocket. Our offers include zero fees — the number we quote is the number you keep.
Flat-fee brokers charge $300-$1,500 upfront but you still pay the buyer's agent commission (usually 3%) and closing costs. Net savings are smaller than people think and you still spend months on the MLS with failed contracts. Direct sale to us is faster and usually nets you more after all costs.
Not legally required. Colorado is not an attorney-closing state — title companies handle closings. If your situation is complex (probate, partition, dispute) an attorney helps, but standard land sales close through title without legal counsel. We work with your attorney if you have one.
We do. Our title company prepares the Colorado deed (warranty or special warranty based on your preference) and the TD-1000 Real Property Transfer Declaration. You just review and sign. Everything gets recorded and filed on your behalf at closing.
Check the terms — most listing agreements have an "excluded buyer" clause or expire after 3-6 months. If yours is still active, we can usually time the closing after expiration, or the realtor may release the listing if it hasn't performed. We've closed plenty of deals with expired or released listings.
Get a second offer. We encourage sellers to get offers from other land buyers and compare. You can also pull recent sale comps from Zillow or the county assessor yourself. Our value is transparency — we'll tell you exactly how we priced the parcel and show you the comps we used.
Yes. Colorado allows remote online notarization under C.R.S. § 24-21-514.5. We've closed dozens of deals with sellers in California, Texas, Florida, and overseas. You sign electronically with a licensed Colorado RON notary and never touch a pen.
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