A Comprehensive Guide for Landowners in 2025

Deciding how to sell your farmland is one of the most important financial choices you’ll make. And in 2025—with changing interest rates, more inherited land coming to market, and shifting buyer demand—choosing the right method matters more than ever.

As a Tennessee Realtor® and Auctioneer who works with rural properties every day, I’ve seen how the way you choose to sell can impact everything from the final sales price to how smoothly the closing goes. Here’s a straightforward, neighbor-to-neighbor look at your options.

Understanding Your Selling Options

Most sellers start with the same question:
“Should I list my farm or auction it?”

The truth is that each method works, but each one works best in different circumstances. Your property type, your timeline, your family goals, and even your comfort level with privacy or public exposure all shape the right path.

Traditional Listing: A Familiar, Flexible Approach

A traditional listing is what most people picture when they think about selling land. You set an asking price, your property is advertised publicly, and buyers make offers. It gives you time—time for buyers to walk the property, time for negotiations, and time to weigh multiple offers if you’re fortunate enough to receive them.

This approach is especially helpful when your property is better suited to bank financing or might appeal to buyers using 1031 exchanges. It gives you a wider audience and a more relaxed pace.

Of course, the tradeoff is time. Listings may sit longer in today’s market, especially if buyers are cautious or if financing becomes harder to secure. Prices can also shift during the listing period, sometimes resulting in a lower number than you expected.

Off-Market Listing: Quiet, Private, and Strategic

Not every seller wants their property blasted across the internet or posted with a big sign by the road. Off-market listings give you privacy while still allowing serious, qualified buyers to take a close look.

This approach works well when you want to negotiate directly and quietly, when family matters require discretion, or when you’re planning to lease the land back after the sale. It also gives you the chance to improve or prepare the property before going public.

The challenge is limited visibility. With fewer eyes on the property, the market may not push the price as high as it could with wider exposure.

Public Auctions: Competition at Its Best

Auctions remain one of the strongest tools for selling farmland, especially when the land is desirable or when several buyers are already interested. An auction creates a level playing field—everyone shows up on the same day, with the same information, and competes fairly. It’s fast, transparent, and removes the need for weeks or months of back-and-forth negotiations.

In-person auctions work beautifully for high-quality row-crop land, estate sales, and properties where emotion or competition may drive up the price. Online auctions offer the same advantages in a digital format, opening the door to buyers from across the region.

The unpredictable part, of course, is that you don’t know the final number until auction day. Proper marketing and timing are essential.

Choosing the Best Path for Your Land

There’s no single method that works for every property or every family. Your land has its own story, and your situation deserves a tailored plan.

Some landowners need privacy.
Others want speed.
Some prefer the predictability of a listing.
Others want the competition of an auction.
Some are working through estates, divorces, or inherited property where timing and fairness matter.

What matters most is choosing the strategy that aligns with your goals—not someone else’s.

You Don’t Have to Make This Decision Alone

Selling farmland is a big step, and the method you choose can impact generations. As a Tennessee Realtor® and Auctioneer, I help landowners walk through these choices every day—explaining the options, evaluating the property, and designing a plan that fits the land and the family behind it.

If you're considering selling in 2025, I’d be glad to talk through your goals and help you chart the right path forward.

Call or message anytime. Let’s make the best plan for your lan