Ocala and Marion County land
Lots in Marion Oaks, Silver Springs Shores and Rainbow Lakes Estates, horse country acreage, inherited parcels and land behind on taxes. We show you cash, owner financing and a 1% listing side by side, in writing.
Many Marion County lots belong to owners far away: a lot never built on, an acre left to the family, a parcel nobody has walked in years.
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Marion County land
HOMKEYS buys vacant lots, acreage and land with a mobile home all over Marion County, for cash, on owner financing or through a 1% listing.
Many lot owners who reach us live in another state and have only a parcel number from a tax bill. That is enough to start.
Two lots in the same subdivision can differ a lot in value. Water and sewer, septic rules, flood zone, district charges, a dirt road, an old mobile home on the land or back taxes all move the price. We check the records first and explain each one.
From our files
This month we signed a contract to buy a vacant lot in the Lake Wales area of Polk County. Our Polk files also include a package of seller-financed homes in Lake Wales, a cash purchase in Winter Haven and a subject-to purchase in Lakeland. A Marion County lot gets the same process: records first, then every option in writing.
Real HOMKEYS situations in Polk County. Names, addresses and prices left out for the sellers’ privacy.
Where Marion land sits
About 14 miles south of Ocala, off I-75 at County Road 484. A Deltona Corporation community with homes since the 1970s, it had 19,034 residents on 29.5 square miles in 2020. In January 2026 a builder announced homes on one-acre sites in its south end.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3Six miles north of Dunnellon, in Marion and Levy counties. Its county district, formed by a 1969 vote, covers more than 11,000 lots and about 175 miles of roads, and a large share of the lots are still unimproved.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3About 10 miles southeast of Ocala, with 24,846 residents in 2020. AMREP, behind the original subdivision, sold its properties there in 1983. In December 2024 the county planning commission backed 157 new D.R. Horton homes in Unit 25.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3In 2005 the county made about 200,000 northwestern acres its Farmland Preservation Area. Per the USDA, Marion has more horses and ponies than any other U.S. county. Rural density stays low, so splitting a tract is not a given.
Source 1 · Source 2The Rainbow River runs about 5.7 miles from springs averaging 493 million gallons a day, an aquatic preserve since 1986. Land near it draws buyers, and springs rules shape what can be built. Our Dunnellon page covers houses.
SourceNot every subdivision has paved streets. In Silver Springs Acres, owners paid $150 per lot a year in 2022 to a district grading 8.5 miles of dirt road. Buyers ask about access before price.
SourceWe also buy land in Belleview, Summerfield, Ocklawaha, Citra, Reddick, Fort McCoy and unincorporated Marion. Own land in Polk too? See selling land in Polk County.
Three ways to sell
More on the cash sale, the 1% listing, subject-to, comparing options and Florida land. Subject to qualification, property inspection, and transaction terms. HOMKEYS does not give legal or tax advice. Talk with a Florida attorney or tax professional about your situation.
Owner financing
Land loans usually carry higher rates and bigger down payments than home loans. When you carry the financing, more buyers can say yes, and you usually get a higher price than cash, paid over time.
The buyer signs a note, and a mortgage on the lot is recorded in Marion County. Florida charges 35 cents per $100 in stamp tax on the note and 2 mills of intangible tax on the mortgage, and who pays is negotiable. Under section 697.01 an agreement for deed is treated as a mortgage, so a default still means foreclosure. Have a Florida real estate attorney draft the papers.
Sources: SoFi on land loans · Stamp and intangible tax · Fla. Stat. 697.01
Estimate
A rough illustration. Put in your own price and terms. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Illustration only, not an offer. It leaves out taxes, district charges, closing costs and the risk of a buyer default. Subject to qualification, property inspection, and transaction terms.
Marion County land knowledge
Marion taxes go delinquent April 1 with a 3% charge. Certificates are sold by June 1, with interest bids from 18%. Two years later the holder can apply for a tax deed, and the Clerk sells the land online unless the certificate is redeemed.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3Many Marion subdivisions have county taxing districts, and vacant lots pay too: $50 a parcel in Marion Oaks, $35 a parcel plus 2.25 mills in Rainbow Lakes Estates, and 3.0 mills in Silver Springs Shores. All of it is collected on the tax bill.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3Since July 1, 2025, the Florida Department of Environmental Protection issues Marion septic permits online. Each needs a site evaluation: at least two soil profiles to 6 feet, plus the wettest-season water table.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3Silver Springs and Rainbow Springs are Outstanding Florida Springs, under a new DEP basin plan adopted in June 2025. The county says almost 90,000 Marion homes use septic. Since July 1, 2023, new septic systems on lots of one acre or less in a basin plan area must be enhanced nitrogen-reducing.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3Utilities vary lot by lot. A Marion Oaks quarter-acre listing we checked showed no water or sewer, while a Silver Springs Shores listing advertised both. A 2020 report said the springs plan counted about 3,000 Shores lots buildable without central water and sewer.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3The Sheriff’s Office notes that Marion limestone sits at the surface or under thin soil, and sinkholes can occur anywhere in the county. After Tropical Storm Debby in 2012, officials estimated 53 new sinkholes, most away from homes and roads.
Source 1 · Source 2Before pricing a lot as a homesite, call county Growth Services with the parcel number. City rules apply inside Ocala, Belleview or Dunnellon. New homes pay impact fees, including $4,307 for schools since July 2024, and in 2025 the county raised road fees and restored fire and EMS fees.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3Check your parcel on FEMA’s flood map. In a special flood hazard area, a new home’s lowest floor must sit at or above the base flood elevation. Filling wetlands takes a state Environmental Resource Permit. With no legal access at all, the way of necessity law, section 704.01, can open a route.
Source 1 · Source 2 · Source 3 · Source 4Marion County land details
Confirm anything time-sensitive with the office listed.
How it works
It is on your Marion County tax bill and in the Property Appraiser’s records. Or send the address.
Taxes, district charges, flood zone, zoning, utilities, springs rules and access.
In person, or by Zoom or video call if you prefer.
Cash, owner financing and a 1% listing, with your net on each. Close at a licensed Florida title company in 7 to 90 days, with signing arranged where you live. On a cash sale, we pay the closing costs.
Real closings
Each one closed at a licensed Florida title company. We show the city and month only, never the address, to protect the seller's privacy.
28 closings in 23 Florida cities and 17 counties since September 2024. See them on the map.
Short reads on the questions we hear most from owners here.
Questions
Yes, and across Marion County, from horse country acreage to lots near Dunnellon. This month we signed a contract on a vacant lot in the Lake Wales area, and a Marion lot gets the same process.
Yes. We see the land in person or by video call, send your options in writing and close at a licensed Florida title company, with signing arranged where you live.
Usually, yes. Until a tax deed sale, the certificate can be redeemed. If you sell first, the back taxes are paid from your proceeds at closing. If a tax deed application is already filed, call right away.
Many Marion subdivisions have county districts for roads, mowing, lighting or recreation, and vacant lots pay too. Unpaid charges are paid off at closing with any back taxes.
Often, depending on soil, water table and springs rules. Inside a springs basin plan area, a new system on a lot of one acre or less must be enhanced nitrogen-reducing. We check this before we price your lot.
Not automatically. The classification needs a return filed by March 1, and the short renewal form only works when ownership and use have not changed, so a buyer generally applies on their own. Offering land for sale is not, by itself, a reason to deny it.
You set the price, down payment, rate and term, a mortgage is recorded, and you collect monthly payments. A Florida real estate attorney should draft the papers. Subject to qualification, property inspection, and transaction terms.
Usually, once someone has authority to sign. Marion probate runs through the Clerk in Ocala, and the original will must be deposited within 10 days of learning of the death. Since July 1, 2026, estates of $150,000 or less may qualify for summary administration. A Florida probate attorney can say which path fits.
Sources: Fla. Stat. 193.461 · Fla. Stat. 732.901 · Marion County probate guide · 2026 probate law change. See also our inherited property guide.
More help
Getting letters from other land buyers too? Read how to spot a bad buyer in Florida before you sign anything.
Ready to compare your three options? Start with the parcel.
About a minute. 4 short steps.
Dor oversees every offer and closing. We explain every number before you decide anything.
Send the parcel number or address. We will come back with your options in writing.
HOMKEYS LLC is committed to the letter and spirit of U.S. fair housing laws. We do business without regard to race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status or national origin. This page is general information about selling land in Marion County, Florida, not legal or tax advice.
