Frequently asked questions

Call a land buyer or a land broker, not a home agent. A land buyer like Wasatch Land Advisors will tell you within days what the parcel is worth to a developer, based on zoning, utilities, water, and what builders pay for lots nearby. If you want market exposure instead, a land brokerage lists it and brings builders and developers who already buy land.

Possibly. We buy raw or farmed ground, usually 3 to 40 acres, in Utah County, Wasatch County, and the surrounding counties, where there is residential zoning or a path to it and sewer or culinary water within reach. If it is not a fit, we say so and tell you who it might fit.

No. We do not use a lender's approval as a contract contingency. We also do not fund other people's deals or bring in investors to buy your land; we buy it ourselves or broker it.

Plan on 12 to 18 months from contract to final approval in Utah County cities, and 18 months or more in Wasatch County, where separate sewer, culinary, and irrigation providers and an outside reviewing engineer each have a say. Our Heber project went from preliminary plat in March 2025 to final approval in October 2025 and a construction permit in November 2025.

A paper lot is an approved lot on a recorded or recordable plat with no improvements built yet. A finished lot has the streets, sewer, water, power, and gas installed and inspected, ready for a building permit. Builders pay more for finished lots; the seller of paper lots carries less construction risk.

A letter from the sewer district or water company stating it will serve a specific project, how many connections, and on what conditions and fees. Utah cities and counties require them before approving a plat. Getting them early is the first real test of whether a parcel can be developed.

Land assessed under Utah's Farmland Assessment Act pays tax on its agricultural value. When it leaves agricultural use, the county collects the difference for up to the previous five years. The rollback is usually paid at closing and should be part of the price negotiation from the start.

Yes. Cities and water companies require water to be dedicated or conveyed for each lot, counted in acre-feet per lot for indoor use and per irrigated acre for outdoor use. If the land does not come with enough water, the developer buys rights or shares. We broker water rights, so this is a cost we price rather than a reason to pass.

Usually under an agreement of sale with phased takedowns: a first closing of about 10 lots, then more every 6 to 12 months, with a deposit that applies to the last takedown. Prices often step up with each takedown. The seller delivers lots in a defined finished condition before each closing.

When we buy your land, nothing; we make our money developing it. When we list land or a home, a straight commission at closing with no retainer. Water brokerage is a small percentage of the water sale. Development consulting is hourly.

All of Utah, centered on Utah County (Eagle Mountain, Saratoga Springs, Lehi, Cedar Fort, Fairfield, Spanish Fork, Payson, Santaquin) and Wasatch County (Heber Valley), plus Salt Lake, Summit, Tooele, Juab, and Sanpete counties.

Josh Wagstaff is the Owner/Broker of Wasatch Land Advisors LLC. He holds a Master of Real Estate Development and a Utah principal broker license, develops land through his own entities, brokers land and homes, and brokers Utah water rights through WHS Realty. He works from Eagle Mountain, Utah.