Land and house seller questions, answered plainly.

Yes. How depends on how title passed. If there was a will, the devisees named in it own the land, subject to the estate. If there was no will, North Carolina's intestate succession law (Chapter 29) decides who the heirs are. Either way, the closing attorney will confirm who must sign. See our guide to selling inherited land in NC.

To sell the whole property, yes, every owner must sign the deed. If one heir cannot be found or refuses, the remaining owners may have options such as buying that interest or a partition proceeding under Chapter 46A, which is a court process. We can buy once everyone signs, and we are patient while families sort it out.

Often, yes. Under G.S. 28A-17-12, if notice to creditors is published within two years of death, a sale by heirs before the estate is closed generally needs the personal representative to join in the deed. The attorney handles this. Ask your estate attorney about timing.

That is common with family land. The closing attorney may need an estate opened, affidavits of heirship, or other steps to clear title. It adds time, not necessarily a no. Tell us early so we can plan around it.

Out-of-state owners can usually sign the deed in front of a notary where they live and send it back. Nobody has to travel to North Carolina.

Yes. Unpaid property taxes are a lien on the land, and the closing attorney pays them, with interest, from the sale proceeds. In North Carolina, taxes are due September 1 and interest starts January 6: 2 percent for the first month, then 3/4 percent per month (G.S. 105-360). See selling land with back taxes.

Usually not until the foreclosure sale happens. Selling before then lets the attorney pay the taxes and costs and you keep the rest of the equity. Call us the day you get a foreclosure notice.

Mortgages, deeds of trust, judgments and mechanics liens are typically paid from proceeds at closing. If liens exceed the value, we can talk about whether the lienholder will accept less.

Old deeds with metes and bounds descriptions, missing plats, or a boundary dispute are fixable with a survey and attorney work. We often order the survey ourselves.

If your land is in North Carolina's present-use value program (farm, forest or horticulture) and loses eligibility, the deferred taxes for the preceding three fiscal years plus interest generally become due (G.S. 105-277.4). We account for it in the offer.

Often, yes. North Carolina uses a soil and site evaluation by county environmental health rather than a simple perc test. A site unsuitable for a conventional system may still support an alternative or engineered system, or the land may be valuable for another use. See septic and soil evaluations.

In much of Union County, sewer is provided by Union County Water, and inside Monroe by the City of Monroe. In Gaston County, cities such as Gastonia (Two Rivers Utilities), Belmont and Mount Holly run their own systems. Availability depends on distance to a line and treatment capacity. We check it for you.

Yes. Union County Water publishes how much of each treatment plant's permitted capacity is used or obligated, and a plant near its limit can slow approvals for new connections. Their wastewater capacity page is updated monthly.

Legal access, a way to handle wastewater (sewer or a permitted septic site), water (public or well), zoning that allows homes, and enough usable area outside flood zones, wetlands, steep slopes and setbacks. Our buildable lot guide walks through each.

Yes, if enough usable area remains or the land has other value. Special Flood Hazard Areas and wetlands limit where homes can go and may need permits, so they lower value. We map both before offering.

Yes, priced for the access problem. A recorded easement, a neighbor willing to grant one, or combining with an adjacent tract can unlock value. North Carolina's cartway statute (G.S. 136-69) applies only in limited situations, so we look for practical access first.

It depends on zoning (minimum lot size and frontage), sewer or septic for each new lot, road access and the town or county subdivision rules. We sketch it and tell you how many lots are realistic before we price.

With the builder residual method: estimated sale value of the homes the land can support, minus construction, site work, utilities or septic, permits, financing and selling costs, and a builder margin. Details on sell your land.

County tax values are mass appraisals, not a builder's view of cost. They do not see septic limits, sewer capacity, access or slope. Sometimes our offer is above tax value. Either way, we explain the gap.

Forma can pay the seller's closing costs, including the North Carolina excise tax, and that is written into the offer so you know your net before you sign.

North Carolina charges an excise tax of $1 per $500 of the price, normally paid by the seller when the deed is recorded (G.S. 105-228.30). In South Carolina, the deed recording fee is generally $3.70 per $1,000 of value.

No. The research and the offer are free and there is no obligation.

If your lot is clean, buildable, on sewer and in demand, listing can net more. If it has septic, access, title or tax questions, a direct sale may net more after costs and time. Run our net proceeds calculator.

We are open to talking about it on larger tracts where it helps the seller, for example spreading a gain across tax years. Tell us if it interests you, and talk to your tax advisor.

If the land is held for investment or business use, you may be able to exchange into other investment real estate under IRC Section 1031. You need a qualified intermediary in place before closing and must identify replacement property within 45 days and close within 180 days. See the IRS guidance and your tax advisor. We are happy to close on a timeline that works with your exchange.

You choose the date. Title work by the closing attorney sets the earliest possible date. Simple, single-owner parcels move fastest. Estates, heirs or survey issues take longer.

A licensed North Carolina closing attorney, or a South Carolina attorney for York and Lancaster counties. Both states are attorney-closing states. The attorney searches title, pays off liens and taxes, records the deed and disburses funds.

No. Many sellers sign with a mobile notary or at a local attorney's office and send the documents back.

Often. We can buy a portion as a recorded split if it meets the subdivision and zoning rules.

We usually build new homes on it or renovate the existing house, then sell to families who live there.

They Buy Land is the land and house buying brand of Forma Home Builders (Forma Home Builder LLC), a Charlotte-area home builder led by partners Michael Vittatoe and James Scott, with an office at 128 S Tryon St. Suite 1952, Charlotte, NC 28202.

No. We are buyers. We do not list property or charge commissions. If you want an agent, you are welcome to have one represent you.

Primarily Waxhaw, Weddington, Monroe, Indian Trail and the rest of Union County, and Gaston County (Gastonia, Belmont, Mount Holly, Cramerton, Dallas, Stanley, Lowell, McAdenville, Bessemer City, Cherryville). Also Charlotte and Mecklenburg, Mooresville and Iredell, Lincoln County, and York and Lancaster counties in SC.

Call or text 704-980-0444, email sales@formahomebuilder.com, or use the form on any page.