We Buy Land In California For Cash
Want to sell land in California for cash? We buy California land with no agent and no months-long listing. California land ranges across coast ranges, the Central Valley, the Sierra Nevada, and the Mojave and Great Basin deserts. Below: how selling works here and the California-specific points to know, then a form to request a cash offer for your land. New to this? Start with our guide to selling vacant land yourself.
California at a glance for landowners
- Deeds are recorded with the county recorder.
- California has 58 counties.
- Recorded sale prices are generally searchable at the county level.
- Water law mixes riparian and appropriation rules depending on the source.
Where California land sells
Fastest in and around Los Angeles, the Bay Area, Sacramento, the Inland Empire, and the High Desert. Counties owners ask about most: Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Kern, Fresno, Lassen, and Modoc. Remote parcels, far from a paved road, power or water, get a different review than lots on the edge of town.
Regional markets across California
- High Desert: San Bernardino County’s Phelan, Piñon Hills, Apple Valley and Lucerne Valley offer 1- to 40-acre parcels at far lower prices than the coast.
- Central Valley: Productive farmland from Bakersfield to Sacramento, priced by water access and crop, with development pressure at the edges of growing cities.
- North State and Sierra foothills: Rural parcels in Shasta, Tehama, Butte and the foothill counties, with timber, ranch and cabin land and wildfire risk to weigh.
California land we review
High Desert lots around the Antelope Valley, Phelan, and Joshua Tree, Central Valley ag ground, foothill and mountain parcels, and rural northeastern parcels in Lassen and Modoc.
What affects the value of California land
Desert and far-northern parcels can be very cheap per acre; anything near the coast, in a growth path, or with utilities runs into the six figures fast.
Selling land in California: transfer taxes and land-tax rules
California counties may impose a documentary transfer tax on deeds under Revenue and Taxation Code 11911, set at $0.55 for each $500, or fractional part of $500, of value above $100, measured without counting any lien or encumbrance that stays on the property. That is $1.10 per $1,000, and some cities add their own transfer tax, so the total depends on where the parcel is. The county recorder collects it when the deed is recorded, and a deed claiming an exemption has to cite the exemption section.
California also has real estate withholding at closing. On a sale for more than $100,000, the escrow or title company has to withhold 3 1/3 percent of the sales price for the Franchise Tax Board (Form 593) unless an exemption applies. The Franchise Tax Board lists the exceptions as a sales price of $100,000 or less, a property in foreclosure, a bank acting as trustee, and a seller who certifies an exemption on Form 593, Part III. Ask your escrow officer which one applies to you before closing.
California land values: what USDA data shows
USDA measured average farm real estate (all land and buildings on farms) in California at $14,100 per acre in 2026, up 12% from $12,600 in 2022. That ranks California 5 of the 48 states USDA reports, and it is 3.1 times the U.S. average of $4,500.
Pasture (grazing land), the closest USDA series to undeveloped rural land, averaged $4,250 per acre in 2026, up 14% since 2022 and above the U.S. pasture average of $2,000.
These are averages across working farms and ranches, not asking prices for any one parcel. A homesite near a town, a lot with road and power, or a parcel with water can sell well above these figures, and remote land with no access can sell well below them. Use them to see which way the market is moving and how it compares with the next state over, then check recent sales and current listings for the area you are looking at.
For comparison, USDA farm real estate averages per acre in the bordering states:
- Oregon: $3,880 per acre in 2026 (72% lower)
- Nevada: $1,230 per acre in 2026 (91% lower)
- Arizona: $4,300 per acre in 2026 (70% lower)
Frequently asked questions
How do I get a cash offer for my California land?
Fill out the form on this page with the parcel's address or APN and acreage. We review it and reply with an offer, or a clear reason we cannot make one.
What land do you review in California?
Mostly High Desert lots around the Antelope Valley, Phelan, and Joshua Tree, Central Valley ag ground, and foothill and mountain parcels, with a focus on Los Angeles and San Bernardino and the surrounding area. Unusual parcels are welcome; the form has room for details.
Are land sale prices public in California?
Generally yes: recorded transfers are searchable at the county level, so comparable sales can be checked.
Who records the deed when I sell land in California?
The county recorder. A title or escrow company normally handles it at closing.
Do I pay a commission to sell my California land to you?
No agent commission when you sell directly to us. Normal closing costs still apply.
What taxes come out of a California land sale at closing?
A county documentary transfer tax of $0.55 per $500 of value (some cities add their own) and, on sales over $100,000, real estate withholding of 3 1/3 percent of the sales price unless the seller certifies an exemption on Form 593.
How much does land cost in California?
USDA reports farm real estate in California averaging $14,100 per acre in 2026, against $4,500 for the United States. That is an agricultural average; vacant lots, land near towns and land with water or utilities price differently, so compare current listings for the area you want.