How to Buy the Vacant Lot Next to Your House (Side Lots)

That empty lot beside your house might be one of the cheapest pieces of real estate you'll ever buy. If a land bank or city owns it, there's a good chance you can get it for a few hundred dollars — or a single dollar — through a side-lot program built for exactly this. Here's how.

Step 1: Find out who owns it

Before anything, identify the owner:

Check your county assessor or GIS site by the lot's address or parcel number — it lists the current owner.
If it's a land bank, city, or county, you're in luck: there's almost certainly a program to sell it to the neighbor.
If it's a private owner, that's a direct negotiation, not a land bank deal.

On this site, the map and land bank directory show which nearby lots are held by the land banks we track — the fastest way to know if the one next to you is available.

Step 2: Understand the side-lot deal

Land banks price side lots to the adjacent owner nominally — commonly a few hundred dollars, and as little as $1 in some programs. Why so cheap? Because a maintained, owned, tax-paying lot under a responsible neighbor serves the land bank's mission far better than a vacant, delinquent one it has to hold. The full side-lot explainer covers the national picture.

Typical conditions:

You must own the adjacent property — that's what makes you eligible.
Maintain the lot — mow it, don't dump on it.
Sometimes combine it with your parcel into one, which can also simplify taxes.

Step 3: Apply

Confirm the lot is in a side-lot program on the land bank's page (every listing links to the official source).
Apply as the adjacent owner — show your ownership of the neighboring property and agree to the maintenance terms.
Close. Side lots are usually the fastest land bank transaction there is — days-to-weeks, not months.

Why it's worth doing

A side lot is the single highest-certainty deal in the land bank world: no renovation, minimal taxes, and it usually raises what your own home is worth at sale by giving you more land and control of the block. For a homeowner next to an empty parcel, it's close to a no-brainer.

Start here

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy the vacant lot next to my house?

Often yes, and cheaply. If a land bank or city owns the empty lot beside your home, most run a 'side lot' program that sells it to the adjacent owner at a deep discount — sometimes as little as $1 — to get it maintained and back on the tax roll. First find out who owns it, then apply.

How much does a side lot cost?

Very little by design. Side-lot pricing is nominal — commonly a few hundred dollars, and $1 in programs like Louisville's — because the land bank's goal is maintenance and reoccupation, not profit. You typically agree to maintain the lot and sometimes to combine it with your parcel.

How do I find out who owns the vacant lot next to me?

Check your county assessor or GIS site by address or parcel number — it lists the owner. If it's a land bank, city, or county, there's likely a program to buy it. If it's a private owner, you'd approach them directly. LandBankSearch shows which lots are held by the land banks we track.

Why would a land bank sell me a lot for $1?

Because a maintained, owned lot beats a vacant, tax-delinquent one. A dollar side lot gets the parcel mowed, insured, and back on the tax roll under a responsible neighbor — which serves the land bank's whole mission far better than holding it. The low price is policy, not a fluke.