August 16, 2025 | Rural
Buying Vacant Land in Ontario – Do You Need a Realtor?
Purchasing vacant land in Ontario is an exciting opportunity full of many possibilities – whether you are planning on building your dream home, cottage, shop, starting a business, or have other extravagant plans.
When you are buying vacant land in Ontario, one of the most frequently asked questions is: Whether or not you need a Realtor?
The simple answer is: yes. Well, it is certainly possible to purchase land off-market; this process also raises many red flags because, without professional advice and experience, it is easy to run into roadblocks and legal issues.
Finding Vacant Land for Sale in Ontario
Realtors have access to an internal system, ours is called PropTx, which is our Greater Toronto and beyond board, giving us access to many properties, including those that are not on third-party sites such as Realtor.ca or Zolo. Within these systems, listing agents have the option to deny third-party distribution, meaning some properties are only available through your Realtor.
Our second internal system that provides us exclusive access to inner-board vacant land listings is Cornerstone, which comprises all the active real estate across Kitchener, Waterloo, and Cambridge. The idea is that Realtors have primary access to listings across these boards and can navigate through them based on their clients’ criteria, such as specific acreage, soil requirements, out-buildings and services/utilities on the land.
As board members, we are able to refine your search based on all of your wants and needs more than any other third-party website. Therefore, if you are looking for the most access and exposure, working with a Realtor will give you this advantage.
Your Realtor can also set you up on an Auto Email based on your search criteria, which will send you vacant land listings in your desired area, acreage, and other requirements which you can send back to your Realtor so that they can book a showing and look into the property further. In a lot of cases, this speeds up the process of finding your desired property.
Thinking about buying a rural home? Check out these related blogs next!
- How to Buy a Rural House in Ontario
- Acreage Landscaping Ideas to Increase Property Value
- Tips For Transitioning to Rural Living
How is Buying Land Different From Buying a House?
This is a common question, and there are various different reasons. Firstly, the zoning on vacant land is much different than traditional Residential zoning.
A Realtor who specializes in Rural Properties, like our team does, will understand the possibilities and limitations associated with specific zoning codes.
The second reason that rural land is much different than residential land is the availability/presence of utilities. Access to essential utilities, particularly if you are planning on running a business, farm or building a home, will be key. Water, cable, wifi, sewer, gas and electricity are all common necessities. A Real Estate Agent will walk you through the checks to determine that the land you are interested in will meet the utility requirements you desire.
Thirdly, Environmental Restrictions are common for rural properties because of the nature of the land. Your Realtor will make the appropriate phone calls and inquiries to ensure you are aware of any conservation authority requirements, protected space authorizations and potential floodplains on the land.
Understanding Property Access
A common mistake between buyers is the miscommunication or misrepresentation of any existing land restrictions during the private sale of a property. If the sellers are unaware of the future use of the property, then not disclosing this information can be detrimental to the buyer’s intent to purchase the land. Ultimately, property access is a crucial consideration in the broader context.
Does the property have year-round road access? Now this will look a little different depending on the kind of vacant land you intend to purchase. If you are looking to build your dream home, you will want a road that has year-round maintenance and likely falls on a school bus route.
However, if you are in the market for a cottage, then settling for boat-only access or a road that is functional 3-seasons of the year might still make sense for your wants and needs. Having a Realtor who understands these details will ensure that the proper due diligence is taken care of. You may have to look into putting in a driveway, and having a quote for a project/undertaking of this size is something we can refer you to.
Can You Get a Mortgage for Land?
A mortgage for land will look different than a traditional home mortgage. Lenders will often see land purchases as a higher investment risk, meaning that a greater down payment is needed for this kind of purchase.
Vacant Land Buyers can expect to put down between 25-50% on their purchase, depending on the assessment done by your mortgage company. If you are planning on taking out a loan, then you will have to prepare yourself for higher interest rates because of the distinction between a regular residential mortgage and a mortgage for vacant land.
However, there is a program in Ontario called the Construction Mortgage, and if you qualify for this, it will put together the land purchase costs and building costs into one lump sum. A knowledgeable Realtor has the internal connections with Mortgage brokers that work with rural land and development projects, who will help determine the best specialized option for your plans.
Looking for more farm-related real estate resources? Check out these blogs next!
- Your Guide to Starting a Farm in Ontario
- What to Know About Buying a Horse Farm
- Where Can I Buy a Hobby Farm Near Toronto?
How to Buy Land in Ontario
Now, what about a step-by-step process for buying land in Ontario? If we were to sum this up
in a quicker process, here is what it might look like:
– Determining your Wants and Needs/ Budget
– Get a Pre-Approval for Financing
– Select a Realtor to Assist You
– Research Zoning, Utilities, Restrictions and More
– Make an Offer
– Conduct Final Due Diligence
– Accept the Deal and Close!
It is important to remember that although this process makes everything look extremely straightforward, every deal has its own intricacies and making sure that you have the proper professional help will ensure that costly mistakes are not made during or after close.
Where to Buy Land in Ontario
There are so many options and with access to Vacant Land Sales across Ontario, your Realtor will have the best network of properties for your examination.
Some of the popular areas in cottage country include: Muskoka Lakes, Kawartha Lakes and Haliburton, due to their long history of cottage culture and stunning lakeside properties. If you are interested in a true rural property, areas in Wellington County, Dufferin and Grey are all excellent for farming lands.
If none of this seems to match your needs, then consider exploring the more Northern parts of Ontario for a rural lifestyle that is affordable, off-grid and perfect for hunting and self-sufficient lifestyles.
Why Work With a Realtor?
Consider the value of experience and expertise in rural real estate as the biggest advantage. Your Realtor understands negotiations and will do the proper due diligence to ensure that all of your wants and needs are met.
Beyond that, we touched on the access to off-market listings and how the Waterloo and GTA board opens up your options to listings which have not been disclosed on third-party websites.
Finally, between their local knowledge and private network, working with a Realtor ensures you are in touch with the right people at the right time. So whether you are looking currently or planning on exploring the possibility of owning vacant land in Ontario, we are here to help you. As experts in Rural Property sales and with over 175 successful transactions, we understand Rural land.
Ready to buy? Contact the experts in Rural Realty at Capstone REPS today! Reach us by email at info@capstonereps.com or call 519.824.9050.
Ready to Get Started?
Thinking about buying or selling a home in Guelph or Wellington County? Start the conversation with our team today.
