We'll show you the exact method we used to find, contact, and buy land that was never listed on the market. You can reach out to land owners within a week.
This is how we bought our property for 70% below market value, and the extra savings jump-started our build budget.
Get the Course →Most people look for land on major real estate websites like Zillow, Redfin, Realtor.com, or Trulia. This is certainly the most straightforward method, but with this strategy you're competing against a lot of people at full market prices. With this method you may be paying more for less desirable or smaller properties.
By the time you see an on-market property, there's a good chance it's already been passed up by hundreds of buyers for any number of reasons:
Off-market land may have the same issues and needs the same due diligence, but there's little to no competition. That's exactly what happened with our lot. It had issues (no physical access and tons of farm trash), but no one else was bidding against us, and we used those negative features to negotiate a lower price.
We weren't investors and we didn't have connections. We found our property before it was ever listed, paid about a quarter of market value, and put the savings towards our build budget. You’ll learn more about our story and the exact timeline from sending letters to closing.
Walk away knowing what’s possible when you go beyond a traditional land search.
Most vacant land owners have never been asked if they'd sell. You’ll learn how to find vacant parcels where you want to live and the owner’s contact information. With our letter template and detailed video walkthrough, you can have your first letters in the mail within a week.
Walk away with a list of land parcels in your target area and a letter ready to mail.
Cheap land is only a good deal if you can build on it and if there are no hidden extra costs. Septic requirements, flood zones, access, slope, and utilities can all impact infrastructure costs. You’ll learn the data sources we use to check a property so you find any deal-breakers before you make an offer. Our due diligence spreadsheet helps you stay organized and compare properties in one place.
Walk away with a repeatable process for evaluating each land parcel for hidden costs and deal breakers.
Getting a loan for raw land works differently from a mortgage. You’ll learn about the different financing options available for raw land and how to put together a compelling offer that the seller wants to say yes to.
Walk away knowing how you'll pay for the land and how to make an offer the owner wants to say yes to.
It's easy to get excited about a cheap 10 acre property.
But soil composition, flood zones, distance to the road, slope, and access to utilities are all features of a property that can end up costing more than the land itself.
Most people find this out after closing, when walking away or asking questions isn't an option anymore.
We know first hand because we experienced this ourselves.
During our septic test, our excavation contractor dug up a rock the size of a twin mattress… while the inspector was watching. A rock that size wasn't going to be filtering anything.
Our failed septic test caused a lot of headaches. 6 large pits later, a second visit from the inspector, and a whole lot of luck, we found one passable site for an elevated sand mound. The entire experience taught us the importance of thorough due diligence when evaluating land parcels.
Our driveway is 1/4 mile long and the long distance combined with recently updated requirements resulted in us paying over $14k just to install the service, and we DIYed the trenching and conduit install ourselves.
If we had hired out the excavation work, it likely would've cost $25k+.
That's why Land Due Diligence is a full section in this course. We walk you step-by-step through all the checks you need to make when purchasing land. Our Due Diligence Spreadsheet helps you stay organized and compare properties all in one place.
Get the full methodOur story, finding parcels and owners, due diligence, and financing + offers. Step by step, start to closing.
The exact letter we mailed. 250 sent, 20 owners called or wrote back, 0 of those properties were ever listed.
Screen-recorded demo of finding vacant parcels in your target area and pulling owner mailing addresses.
Pair this spreadsheet with our thorough deep dive on due diligence to keep track of the features of each property all in one place.
You'll receive lifetime access to any future updates.
One-time purchase · Instant access · All future updates included
1. Is it really worth the investment?
We made this course to save you far more than it costs. The price of vacant land can easily run into 6 figures, and we are confident our strategy will get you a better deal on a better property. If you saved even 5% on a $80k property, the course paid for itself 13x over.
If you plan to buy land that is listed on the market, the Due Diligence section will still save you from expensive mistakes. One missed item during due diligence can cost tens of thousands (we learned the hard way). Our step-by-step walkthrough + spreadsheet makes sure you don’t miss an issue that could turn your dream property into a nightmare.
2. What if this is my first time buying land?
That’s exactly how we started - no real estate background or realtor friends/family, just a willingness to learn. We found it’s actually an advantage when it comes to talking with sellers.
This course walks you through every step on the journey to purchasing your dream property. It lays out an easy-to-follow action plan for reaching out to landowners and a thorough walkthrough on property due diligence.
3. I’m not ready to build a home yet. Should I wait to buy land?
Now is actually the best time to buy land, because you will have time to learn and plan for the actual home build. We waited over 2 years between buying our property and breaking ground for this exact reason.
There are certain features of land that have a big influence on house design - sun travel, typical wind direction, and topography. Owning the property for a while before you start design helps you make confident home design decisions when the time comes.
5. Can I learn all the same stuff with a Google / Reddit / AI search?
This is a definite no, and here’s why:
The internet is loaded with an overwhelming amount of great information.. and some not so great. AI is fantastic at summarizing it all, and these answers sound like they’ve covered all the bases. But where it always falls short is real-life, hands-on experience. Lessons learned the hard way that no one has bothered to write down online (yes, including Reddit).
There’s certain details that can only be learned by actually going through it in real life. We tried to capture everything we know into this resource, and we’re available for any questions you have.
6. What if I make the investment, but realize the Masterclass just isn’t for me?
If you go through the Buying Land Off Market Masterclass and don’t feel confident it’ll help during your land buying journey, email us and let us know.
We’re not a corporation with an overseas call center. It’s just the two of us trying to help you build your dream. Send us an email at elaina@buylandbuilddreams.com within 14 days and we’ll make it right.
You can read our full refund policy here.
If we haven't met yet
We spent the last 5 years building our dream home and homestead from scratch with no formal construction experience. No family in the trades, no head start, just two engineers willing to learn.
We took on the role of our own general contractor and did over 80% of the work ourselves to control cost, quality, and long-term performance. Along the way we made hard decisions, avoided expensive mistakes, and learned exactly where people get stuck, overwhelmed, or end up regretting choices later.
The journey of building our own home has been life-changing and has brought us so much joy and fulfillment. The path hasn't always been sunshine and rainbows but it definitely has been worth it. We created Buy Land, Build Dreams because want others to experience the same joy and fulfillment while bringing their dreams to life.
