How to Buy Your Land
Two ways to buy from Top Shelf Land: owner financing (no credit check, monthly payments) or cash. Both start the same way, and both are simpler than a traditional closing.
What It Costs to Get Started
$299 Document Fee
This covers preparation of every document in your purchase — your Purchase Agreement, Promissory Note, and Land Contract — sent to you for electronic signature, plus preparation and recording of your deed.
In a conventional land closing, you’d be looking at title company fees, escrow fees, and often an attorney bill. Here it’s $299, flat. That’s your closing cost.
The moment we receive it, the property comes off the market and we start drafting. Because that work begins immediately and the listing goes down that same day, the document fee is non-refundable.
Option 1: Owner Financing — No Credit Check
We finance our own properties. There’s no bank, no credit pull, and no loan application.
Step 1 — Reserve your property. Pay the $299 document fee. Your property comes off the market immediately and no one else can purchase it.
Step 2 — We prepare your documents. We draft three documents: your Purchase Agreement, Promissory Note, and Land Contract. You’ll receive them by email through SignNow and can sign from your phone or computer. Nothing to print, nothing to mail.
Step 3 — Make your down payment. Once your documents are signed, we send a secure payment link for your down payment.
Step 4 — Monthly payments begin. Your first monthly payment is due 30 days after signing. Payments are automatic through Geek Pay, our payment platform, using either ACH or a debit card. You’ll get a login where you can view your documents anytime, track your balance, and make extra payments toward principal whenever you want — there’s no penalty for paying ahead or paying off early.
Step 5 — You get the deed. When your principal is paid in full, we prepare and record your deed within two weeks. The land is yours, free and clear.
While You’re Making Payments
Go see your land. Walk it, camp on it, have it surveyed, and clear it — all subject to your county’s rules.
What waits until payoff is permanent infrastructure — a well, a septic system, a structure — and living on the property full time. That’s standard for owner-financed land: until the balance is paid, the property is still held under contract. Once you’re deeded, all of it is on the table.
Option 2: Cash Purchase
Step 1 — Reserve your property. Pay the $299 document fee. Your property comes off the market immediately.
Step 2 — We prepare your deed. We draft your deed and send it for signature.
Step 3 — Send payment. Wire transfer is preferred and is the fastest option.
Step 4 — We record the deed. Recording typically happens the same day. You’ll receive your recorded deed as soon as it comes back from the county.
Cash purchases are final once the deed is recorded.
Everything You'll Pay
We'd rather you see all of this up front than discover it later.
One time
Document fee | $299 |
Down payment (financed purchases) | Varies by property |
Monthly — financed purchases only
Principal and Interest Payment | Set by your contract |
Note Servicing Fee | $12 |
Payment Processing (ACH or Debit) | 3.9% |
Property Taxes | Prorated monthly |
HOA / POA dues, if the property has them | Varies by property |
There are no prepayment penalties, no balloon payments, and no other fees.
Common Questions
Do you check credit? No. There’s no credit check, no income verification, and no loan application. If you can make the down payment, you can buy the land.
Why isn’t the document fee refundable? Because the work starts the day you pay it. We take the listing down, turn away other buyers, and begin drafting your documents. That’s real work and real opportunity cost on a property we can only sell once.
Can I pay it off early? Yes, and a lot of buyers do. Make extra principal payments anytime through your Geek Pay login. There’s no penalty and no minimum term — the sooner the principal is paid, the sooner you’re deeded.
What happens if I miss a payment? Reach out to us before it happens. We’re a small company, not a bank, and we’d much rather work something out with you than start over on a property.
How long until I own it outright? That depends on your term and how fast you pay it down. Once the principal hits zero, your deed is prepared and recorded within two weeks.
Questions about a specific property? Contact us today — we’ll walk you through it.
What Our Clients Say About Our Purchase Process
