Selling Your Langley Acreage

An acreage is not priced like a house in town. Two five-acre properties on the same road can sell for very different prices because of the land itself: how much of it is usable, what the rules allow on it, and what shape the well, septic and outbuildings are in. If you have owned yours for 20 or 30 years, the house may be the smallest part of the value.

Ian Wiggins grew up on more than 20 acres in south Langley, where his family raised cattle, kept horses and later grew 5,500 Jonagold apple trees. This page covers what drives the price, what a buyer will ask you for, and how to get ready, whether you are selling this year or just starting to think about it.

• Usable land. Cleared, dry, level ground is worth more than ravine, wetland or steep bush. Total acres on the tax notice tells a buyer very little.
• What the rules allow. ALR status and Township of Langley zoning decide whether a buyer can add a second home, a suite or a bigger shop. Buyers pay for options.
• Water. A well with strong flow and clean test results is an asset. A weak or untested one is a negotiating point.
• Septic. Age, type and maintenance records matter. A failing system is one of the most expensive surprises in a rural sale.
• Buildings. Shops, barns and suites add value when they were built with permits. Without permits they raise questions.
• Creeks and setbacks. A creek is beautiful and it also limits where a buyer can build.
• Location and access. Road frontage, driveway condition, and distance to the highway, schools and town.

• Septic records: the health authority filing, the maintenance plan, and pump-out and inspection receipts
• Well information: the drilling record, a flow test and a recent water potability test
• A survey or site plan showing boundaries and where the buildings sit
• Permits for shops, barns, suites and additions
• Anything registered on title: easements, rights of way, covenants
• Farm classification details and any lease with a farmer
• Whether there is, or ever was, a buried oil tank

Sellers who have these ready tend to get cleaner offers with fewer conditions. Sellers who do not often learn about a problem in the middle of a deal, which is the most expensive time to find it.

Before your property goes on the market, we build a file on it, at no cost and with no obligation to list:

1. We walk the property with you: boundaries, buildings, well, septic field, creeks and ditches.
2. We pull the records: title, the provincial well record, ALR status, Township zoning and watercourse mapping.
3. We flag what a buyer’s inspector is going to flag, so you can fix it or price for it on your terms.
4. We price the land and the improvements against recent acreage sales in your area, not against houses in town.
5. We turn it into a one-page property summary that answers a buyer’s first ten questions before they ask.

Most people who sell an acreage after decades are not in a hurry, and should not be. The best results come from starting about a year ahead. Have the septic pumped and inspected. Test the water. Find the permits. Deal with the old outbuilding.

Talk to an accountant early as well. The principal residence exemption generally covers the home and up to half a hectare of land, about 1.24 acres. Land beyond that only qualifies if it is shown to be necessary for the use and enjoyment of the home. Minimum lot size rules and subdivision restrictions can count toward that, and land used in a farming business is treated differently. This is a conversation to have before you list, not after you accept an offer.

We are REALTORS®, not accountants. This is general information, not tax advice. Get independent advice from an accountant about your own situation.

We will come out, walk the land with you and give you a written opinion of value with the sales that support it. If the honest answer is "wait a year and fix these two things first," that is what you will hear.

Use the form below, or call or text Ian at 604-897-2514.

How do you price an acreage?
By separating the land from the improvements. We look at recent acreage sales nearby, adjust for usable land, ALR status, water, septic and outbuildings, then value the home on top of that. Price per acre on its own is misleading.

Do I need a septic inspection before I sell?
It is generally not required in order to list, but it is worth doing. An inspection by a Registered Onsite Wastewater Practitioner before you list gives you time to correct problems and lets you answer buyer questions with paperwork instead of guesses.

Should I test my well before listing?
Yes. Buyers and their lenders often ask for a potability test and a flow test. Having recent results ready removes a common condition from offers.

What if my shop or suite was built without a permit?
Do not hide it. It gets disclosed either way, and buyers find out. The choice is between legalizing it through the Township before you sell or pricing the property with that in mind. We can talk through which makes more sense for yours.

When is the best time to sell an acreage?
Land shows best from spring through early fall, when fields are green, the ground is dry and buyers can walk the whole property. Serious acreage buyers look all year, though, and a property that shows well in a wet January has nothing to hide.

Wiggins Group Real Estate is Ian and Denise Wiggins, REALTORS® with RE/MAX Treeland Realty, serving Aldergrove and Langley. Ian grew up on more than 20 acres in south Langley, near the border, where the family raised cattle, kept horses and later grew 5,500 Jonagold apple trees. He knows what it takes to look after land. That is why the first meeting happens in your yard and not across a desk.

Buying instead?
Browse Langley acreages for sale →
Read the Langley Acreage Buyer’s Guide →

We are REALTORS®, not accountants, lawyers or engineers. Nothing on this page is tax, legal or engineering advice. Rules vary by property and change over time. Get independent advice from an accountant, a lawyer and other qualified professionals, and verify details with the Township of Langley and the Agricultural Land Commission, before making decisions.