From Burden to Bonus: vacant land and a family-focused sale
Owning land sounds dreamy, right? Wide open space, potential for future use, maybe even a legacy to pass down. But what happens when that land sits unused for years, the taxes keep climbing, and no one in the family wants to build on it?
In this episode of Real Life and Real Estate, I talk with a client who found herself in exactly that situation. She and her siblings inherited a piece of vacant land—but over time, it became more of a financial and emotional weight than a gift.
💸 The Pain: Unused Land, Rising Taxes, and No Clear Plan
Here’s what my client was dealing with:
Annual property taxes that kept increasing
No one in the family using or maintaining the land
Guilt and indecision about what to do next
A strong desire to avoid selling to a developer
Vacant land can be deceptively complicated. It doesn’t generate income, it still requires upkeep, and it can feel like a ticking clock when the bills keep coming.
🏡 The Solution: Selling to a Family Who Truly Valued It
The turning point came when we shifted the focus from “just selling” to finding the right buyer—someone who saw the land not as a development opportunity, but as a place to build a life.
We found a family who:
Wanted space to grow and connect with nature
Respected the land’s history and potential
Had no intention of subdividing or overbuilding
It was a win-win: my client and her siblings let go of the financial burden, and the land went to someone who would cherish it—not bulldoze it.
💬 What We Talk About in the Episode
The emotional side of selling inherited land
How to navigate family dynamics during a shared sale
Why vacant land requires a different marketing strategy
How we honored the seller’s values while solving the problem
Watch or listen to the whole episode on Real Life and Real Esate: You Tube or Spotify
