What 2025 taught landowners — Selling Land in 2026: How to sell smarter 🧭🏞️

If you’re thinking about selling land in 2026, you’re not alone. The land market is still active nationwide, but it’s more price-sensitive than the post-2020 boom years—and buyers are paying closer attention to access, buildability, carrying costs, and financing.

This guide, written by Steve Daria (Nationwide Land Investor) breaks down:

• What landowners saw in 2025
• What experts are projecting for 2026
• Which regions/states are showing stronger signals
• Practical, real-world tips to sell land in 2026 (even with issues)

The 2025 Land Market in One Sentence

Stable demand, selective buyers, and a bigger “quality premium” ✅

In 2025, land values (especially agricultural and rural land) continued rising nationally. USDA data shows U.S. farm real estate averaged $4,350 per acre in 2025 (+4.3% vs. 2024), with wide differences by state—from $725/acre in New Mexico to $22,500/acre in Rhode Island.

That doesn’t mean every parcel skyrocketed—vacant lots and recreational acreage behaved very differently depending on:

• location (near growth corridors vs. remote)
• whether the lot is buildable
• road access/utilities
• HOA/POA restrictions
• flood/wetlands constraints
• local buyer demand

The 2026 Land Sales Outlook

A steadier market, slightly better affordability, and more “build decision” activity 🔍

Most national housing forecasts expect mortgage rates to ease slightly but remain elevated compared to the 2010s.

Here are the big forecast signals shaping land demand:

1) Mortgage rates are expected to hover in the low-6% range

• Freddie Mac’s weekly survey had the 30-year fixed at ~6.11% (Feb 2026).
• Realtor.com projects 2026 mortgage rates averaging ~6.3%.
• Fannie Mae’s January 2026 forecast shows the 30-year fixed near ~6.0% through 2026.

What this means for land: financed buyers may re-enter slowly, but many will still prefer build-ready lots and clear due diligence.

2) Home prices are projected to rise modestly (not explode)

Realtor.com forecasts ~2.2% national home price growth in 2026 and improving inventory.

What this means for land: the “fear of missing out” is lower, so pricing and positioning matter more.

3) Builders are watching affordability, but lot conditions are improving

Zonda’s Lot Supply Index for 4Q 2025 indicates lot supply has loosened, influenced by starts/absorption dynamics.
NAHB also notes builder sentiment softened to start 2026 due to affordability/cost pressures.

What this means for land: build demand exists, but builders will be picky and numbers-driven.

4) Housing starts outlook is mixed-to-flat

Forisk projects 1.35M starts in 2025 and about 1.34M in 2026 (roughly flat).

What this means for selling land in 2026: don’t rely on “builders will buy anything” — but well-located, buildable lots remain attractive.

Regional Signals to Watch in 2026 (Nationwide) 🌎

Land is hyper-local, but a few broad regional patterns tend to matter:

Stronger “baseline” demand often shows up in:

• Southeast growth corridors (population and construction pipelines support lot demand)
• Texas metros + exurbs (large buyer pools—pricing must be realistic)
• Mountain West / high-amenity recreation areas (demand exists, but buyers scrutinize access, utilities, and wildfire risk)

Value variation is extreme by state (useful for pricing expectations)

USDA’s 2025 land values show huge differences by state and region, with the Southern Plains showing one of the strongest annual increases (+5.9%).

How to use this: if your land is in a lower $/acre state or rural county, your best strategy is rarely “wait it out.” It’s usually “remove friction” (access, docs, pricing clarity).

The 2026 Seller Playbook

How to sell land faster (and for a better net result) ✅💡

1) Price for the current buyer, not the 2021 buyer

In 2026, land buyers are comparison shopping hard. If your parcel isn’t build-ready, price must reflect:

• time to permits/septic/well
• clearing/driveway costs
• survey and boundary risk
• any restrictions (HOA, wetlands, floodplain)

2) Make the property “easy to say yes to”

Before you list or market, gather a simple “buyer confidence packet”:

• parcel ID + county link
• any survey (even older)
• HOA/POA docs (if applicable)
• zoning + allowed use
• access notes (public road? easement?)
• utility info (power nearby? well/septic likely?)

This alone can reduce buyer drop-off dramatically.

3) If the land has issues, lead with solutions (not apologies)

Examples:

• Landlocked? → highlight any recorded easement options or access paths
• Wetlands/flood? → share what can still be done (boardwalk, limited build area, mitigation history)
• Back taxes? → show payoff amount and options
• Title cloud? → explain what will be needed (and who can handle it)

If you are Selling Land With Issues this page goes into much more detail on strategy selling problem property!

And our Land Resource Center has many other articles providing land owners many solutions!

4) Choose your path based on speed vs. maximum price

Most landowners have 3 realistic options:

• List with an agent (higher potential price, longer timeline, more uncertainty)
• Sell direct (speed + simplicity)
• Hybrid (short listing window, then direct option)

5) If you want speed Selling Land in 2026, remove “financing dependency”

A big reason land listings fail is buyer financing. Land loans are harder than home loans. When you position for:

• cash buyers
• investors
• direct buyers
  …your timeline usually improves.

Investors like Steve & Joleigh buy all types of land throughout the USA 🇺🇸

Selling Land in 2026

If you are selling land in 2026 and want to know how it works selling to a nationwide cash investor like us, feel free to reach out for a no obligation offer anywhere in the United States!