Massachusetts land values, taxes, and selling rules
Massachusetts charges a state transfer tax: deed excise tax of $2.28 per $500 of consideration, or $4.56 per $1,000 (0.456%), in every county except Barnstable. Massachusetts has no general seller disclosure statute, so no form is required for vacant land.
How Massachusetts compares
- Land value rank
- #3 of 50 states
- Tax burden rank
- #5 of 50 states
- Holding cost, 10 acres
- $1,016 per year in property tax
Sources: USDA NASS Land Values 2026 (average value of farm real estate per acre); USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture (property tax per acre of farmland); state statutes (transfer tax). Averages, not appraisals. Your parcel may be worth more or less depending on location, access, and use.
County land values in Massachusetts
Selling rules by situation in Massachusetts
| Scenario | Redemption Period | Probate Requirements |
|---|---|---|
| Tax-Delinquent | The owner can redeem at the treasurer until a foreclosure petition is filed, and then only in the Land Court, on its terms, until judgment. A petition can be filed 12 months after the taking, or sooner if the amount owed exceeds the assessed value. | Not applicable |
| Inherited | N/A | The statute covers estates consisting entirely of personal property, so an estate holding real estate falls outside this procedure and needs a regular probate filing. |
| Landlocked | N/A | Not applicable |
Own land in Massachusetts?
Send your county, state and parcel number. We research the parcel and send a written offer. You pay nothing, and every closing runs through a title company.
Disclosure: this site is published by Liberty Acres, a family-owned land company. We may make an offer on your land.