Maximum offer worksheet for a land parcel
A printable worksheet that takes one parcel from comparable sales to a walk-away price, with a column for where each number came from.
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One page per parcel: comparable sales at the top, a walk-away price at the bottom. Every line has a column for where its number came from and whether it was checked or guessed, so a filled-in copy shows its evidence gaps before any offer goes out. A worked example with made-up numbers follows the blank sheet.
Using the sheet
- Write your walk-away conditions before you look at any numbers.
- Fill in the comparable sales and the value range from sales you have confirmed.
- Fill in the cost lines from quotes, bills and records. Mark any number you estimated or guessed.
- Set your margin as three separate numbers.
- Do the arithmetic and round down.
- Run the evidence check. If it fails, go back before you offer.
Walk-away conditions, written first
These are the facts that end the deal at any price. Examples: legal access not confirmed in writing, a parcel mostly in a floodway, and a lien on the title that the seller cannot clear.
- Condition: ______________________________
- Condition: ______________________________
- Condition: ______________________________
Comparable sales
Parcel name or number:
Acres (from the deed or survey):
| Sale | Recorded date | Price | Acres | Price per acre | Confirmed with (name, role) | Adjustments and their source | Adjusted price per acre | Superior, similar or inferior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ||||||||
| 2 | ||||||||
| 3 | ||||||||
| 4 | ||||||||
| 5 |
Rejected sales, and why:
Value at exit
| Item | Amount | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Low end of the range | ||
| High end of the range | ||
| The value used in the arithmetic |
Costs
In the source column write one of: quote, bill, record, estimate or guess.
| Line | Amount | Source | What would confirm it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Closing and title to buy | |||
| Recording fees | |||
| Survey | |||
| Back taxes owed by the seller, paid by the buyer | |||
| Tax due if the land leaves a current-use program | |||
| Property tax while held (months times monthly amount) | |||
| Insurance while held | |||
| Loan interest while held | |||
| Marketing | |||
| Commission on sale | |||
| Closing costs on sale | |||
| Other | |||
| Total costs |
Margin, as three numbers
| Line | Amount | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Profit | ||
| Risk buffer, one line per named risk | ||
| Risk buffer, second risk | ||
| Error buffer | ||
| Total margin |
The arithmetic
| Step | Amount |
|---|---|
| Value at exit | |
| Minus total costs | |
| Minus total margin | |
| Maximum allowable offer | |
| Rounded down, the walk-away price | |
| Opening offer, below the walk-away |
Evidence check before an offer
- Every comparable sale was confirmed with someone who was part of it.
- Every rejected sale has a written reason.
- The value used is below the top of the range, or a written reason says why it is at the top.
- Every cost has a source written next to it.
- No more than two cost or margin lines say guess.
- Each risk buffer names the one risk it covers and the test that would clear it.
- The margin has not changed to make the price fit.
Worked example
Invented numbers: the parcel is 10 acres zoned for one house, with county road frontage and no power at the road.
Walk-away conditions: legal access not confirmed; more than 2 acres in the floodway; any lien the seller cannot clear before closing.
| Sale | Price | Acres | Per acre | Confirmed with | Adjustment | Adjusted per acre | Compared |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | $66,000 | 12 | $5,500 | Listing agent | Has power, minus $9,000 (utility quote) | $4,750 | Similar |
| B | $52,000 | 8 | $6,500 | Buyer | None | $6,500 | Superior, smaller |
| C | $49,500 | 11 | $4,500 | Seller | None | $4,500 | Inferior, easement access |
Rejected: a 40-acre sale (size) and a 10-acre sale from a father to his son (not a market sale).
Value at exit: range $45,000 to $55,000; value used $47,500, from sale A.
| Line | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Closing and title to buy | $1,200 | Quote |
| Survey | $2,500 | Quote |
| Back taxes owed by the seller | $800 | Record |
| Property tax, 9 months at $50 | $450 | Bill |
| Commission and closing costs on sale, 8 percent | $3,800 | Guess |
| Total costs | $8,750 | |
| Profit | $8,000 | |
| Risk buffer, septic not yet tested | $2,000 | Estimate |
| Error buffer, 5 percent of value | $2,375 | |
| Total margin | $12,375 | |
| Maximum allowable offer | $26,375 | $47,500 minus $8,750 minus $12,375 |
| Walk-away price | $26,000 | Rounded down |
Evidence check: one line says guess (the selling costs), so the sheet passes. The septic test is the next thing to order. If it passes, the $2,000 risk buffer drops out and the maximum rises to $28,375.
Where the rules in this sheet come from
- Confirmation and adjustment rules: Uniform Appraisal Standards for Federal Land Acquisitions, 2016, sections 1.5.2.2 and 1.5.2.3. Accessed 2026-09-27.
- Back taxes and a penalty when land leaves a current-use program: the same standards, section 1.3.1.7.
- The method behind each part: How to comp vacant land and The maximum allowable offer.