Lee County, Florida
Sell your land in Southwood for cash
Southwood is a Plat Book 26 subdivision in south Lehigh Acres, and Parcel Buyers buys its vacant quarter-acre lots for cash whether or not the lot has a water meter or sewer tap. You get a written, no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours, and closings run through an independent title company, typically in about 10 days, with no fees or commissions.
By Parcel Buyers · · Lot figures from the 2026 Florida property tax roll · How we made this page
Quick answers
- Who buys land for cash in Southwood?
- Parcel Buyers is a direct land buyer that makes written, no-obligation cash offers on vacant lots and acreage in Southwood, Lee County, usually within 24 hours. Sales close through an independent title company, typically in about 10 days, with no fees or commissions to the seller.
- What did vacant lots in Southwood sell for in 2025?
- In 2025, vacant lots in Southwood sold for a median of $25,500 across 87 arm's-length sales; the middle half sold for $22,800 to $31,200.
- How many vacant lots are in Southwood?
- The 2026 Florida property tax roll lists 1,693 vacant residential lots in Southwood; 81% are quarter-acre lots, and the median lot is 0.28 acre.
- How is a cash offer for land in Southwood set?
- We start from recent sales of similar lots nearby, like the 2025 prices on this page, then adjust for water and sewer, road access, flood zone, lot size and any title issues, and for the time and cost of reselling. You get one written number, not a range.
- How do I know a land buyer in Southwood is legitimate?
- A real buyer closes through an independent, licensed title company and never asks you to pay anything up front. We never charge sellers a fee, deposit or closing-cost advance, and the title company pays you by check or wire at closing.
- Who is buying lots in Southwood?
- In 2025, companies bought 48% of the vacant lots that sold in Southwood, including 15% bought by homebuilders. Individuals bought the rest.
- What was the median recorded 2025 sale price by lot size in Southwood?
- The median recorded 2025 sale price for a quarter-acre lot in Southwood was $25,500 across 67 sales.
- Are vacant lot prices in Southwood going up or down?
- Vacant lot prices in Southwood were roughly flat (+2.0%): the median moved from $25,000 across 190 recorded sales in 2024 to $25,500 across 87 recorded sales in 2025. These are recorded sales, not list prices. From January to June 2026, 30 vacant lots in Southwood sold at a recorded median of $23,900, 1.7% lower than the same months in 2025.
- How much are estimated annual ad valorem taxes on a typical vacant lot in Southwood?
- A typical vacant lot in Southwood has estimated 2025 ad valorem taxes about $169 a year; most lots here also pay non-ad valorem charges (listed below).
- Are vacant lots in Southwood in a FEMA high-risk flood zone?
- About 0% of vacant lots in Southwood have their center point in a FEMA high-risk flood zone (effective maps dated August 28, 2008 to July 6, 2015). This is map screening, not a determination; check FEMA's Map Service Center for your parcel.
- How many vacant lots in Southwood got a home on the tax roll in 2025?
- 154 vacant lots in Southwood changed from vacant-residential use to a home with new-construction evidence on the 2026 final tax roll.
Local data
Southwood land at a glance
Tax-roll figures cover parcels platted in the Southwood subdivision units in south Lehigh Acres (legal descriptions beginning 'Southwood'), Lehigh Acres ZIP 33974 in Lee County. Local rules and services are sourced below.
Property addresses here read Lehigh Acres (100%).
| Vacant residential lots | 1,693 parcels classified vacant residential on the 2026 tax roll [1] |
|---|---|
| Most common lot size | Quarter-acre lot (9,000–13,000 sq ft): 81% of vacant lots; next, third-acre lot at 12%. Median lot: 0.28 acre (12,000 sq ft). [1] |
| Typical assessed value | $21,400 median just (market) value for a vacant lot; the middle half fall between $20,200 and $22,500 [1] |
| Recent lot sale prices | $25,500 median across 87 arm's-length sales of vacant lots in Southwood (Jan 2025–Dec 2025); the middle half sold for $22,800–$31,200 [1] |
| Who bought lots in 2025 | Companies made 48% of those purchases, including 15% by homebuilders; individuals made the rest [1] |
| Owners who live elsewhere | 33% of vacant lots have an owner mailing address outside Florida (most often NY, NJ, CA); 6% outside the U.S. [1] |
| Plat Book 26, Section 7 | Southwood's lots and blocks were filed in Plat Book 26, page 78, inside Section 7 of Township 45 South, Range 27 East, one township line south of Greenbriar's survey section. Addresses here fall under Lehigh Acres ZIP 33974. [2] |
| No municipal government | There's no town council for Southwood to answer to. It falls under Lee County's unincorporated authority, as part of the Lehigh Acres census-designated place, and the special district serving the area runs drainage and community improvements only. [3],[4] |
| Drainage assessment | Drainage here runs through LA-MSID, the special district state lawmakers created in 2015 to absorb the old East County Water Control District's duties. Its per-acre rate of $172.48 comes to roughly $48 on a quarter-acre lot like most Southwood parcels. [5],[4] |
| 2020 fire rate change | Before 2020, a vacant Southwood lot paid the fire district a flat $25. A resolution that year raised it to a $162 base charge, matching what improved homes pay before their value-based portion. Confirm the live number on a current bill. [6] |
| Few public hookups | A county study pegs FGUA's water coverage at under half of Lehigh Acres and sewer coverage at roughly 38 percent, even though the utility runs about 12,620 water and 10,420 wastewater accounts districtwide. [7],[8] |
| What a septic permit costs | Unincorporated Lee County won't approve a new septic system without an engineer's stamped design. The Department of Health charges $390 to apply, and a site evaluation, when required, adds another $155. [9] |
| The certificate-to-deed clock | Once taxes go unpaid, Lee County auctions off a certificate with interest bids starting at 18 percent and dropping from there. Two years after that certificate issues, its holder can seek a tax deed, a right that expires after seven years. [10] |
| Lee County Sports Complex | The county's spring-training ballpark for the Boston Red Sox sits on Fenway South Drive, north of Southwest Florida International Airport. It shares the Alico Road corridor that also serves Southwood's south Lehigh Acres location. [11] |
| 2025 sale price by lot size | The median recorded 2025 sale price for a quarter-acre lot in Southwood was $25,500 across 67 sales. [1] |
| Lot sales, 2025 vs 2024 | 2025: 87 recorded sales, $25,500 median; 2024: 190 recorded sales, $25,000 median. Median +2.0%; matching-reviewed-month count -54.0%. [1] |
| Vacant lots that got a home on the tax roll in 2025 | 154 recorded with new-construction evidence. [1] |
| Years of lot supply at the 2025 building pace | 11.0 years; simple ratio, not a forecast. [1] |
| Owner-type shares | Individuals 69.9%; companies 28.9%; trusts 0.5%; estates/heirs 0.7%; government/associations 0.1%. [1] |
| Typical annual ad valorem taxes | A typical vacant lot in Southwood has estimated 2025 ad valorem taxes about $169 a year; most lots here also pay non-ad valorem charges (listed below). |
| 2026 so far (Jan-Jun) | 30 recorded vacant-lot sales; median $23,900. [1] |
| FEMA high-risk flood-zone screen | About 0% of vacant lots in Southwood have their center point in a FEMA high-risk flood zone (effective maps dated August 28, 2008 to July 6, 2015). This is map screening, not a determination; check FEMA's Map Service Center for your parcel. |
| Springs BMAP small-lot screen | About 0% of located vacant lots in Southwood are 1 acre or less and have their center point in an adopted Florida springs BMAP. |
Pricing
What is a lot in Southwood worth?
In 2025, vacant lots in Southwood sold for a median of $25,500 across 87 arm's-length sales; the middle half sold for $22,800 to $31,200. [1]
These are open-market sale prices. A direct cash offer is usually lower, because a cash buyer closes in days and takes on the time and cost of reselling the lot.
Recorded 2025 sale prices by lot size in Southwood
| Lot-size class | 2025 sales | 2025 median lot sale | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quarter-acre lot9,000–12,999 sq ft | 67 | $25,500 | $23,000–$31,200 |
| Third-acre lot13,000–15,999 sq ft | 12 | $25,100 | $17,800–$30,500 |
These are open-market sale prices. A direct cash offer is usually lower, because a cash buyer closes in days and takes on the time and cost of reselling the lot.
See what similar lots sold for
What moves the price in Southwood
Where sewer stops, septic cost begins
Only about 38 percent of Lehigh Acres has central sewer, according to a county study, and public water covers less than half, even with FGUA running roughly 12,620 water and 10,420 wastewater accounts overall. For a Southwood lot without a confirmed line, that means budgeting for an engineer-designed septic system: a $390 Department of Health application, plus $155 more if a site evaluation is required. That number belongs in any construction plan before ground gets broken. [7],[9]
Plat Book 26 lot sizes
Southwood's recorded units run heavily to quarter-acre lots, 81% of the 1,693 vacant lots in this scope. An owner holding two adjoining lots can offer them together, widening a buyer's options past a single standard parcel. The plat fixes shape and dimensions only; drainage, access and buildability still get checked lot by lot.
2025 sale prices for Southwood lots
87 vacant Southwood lots sold through arm's-length, single-parcel transactions in 2025, at a median of $25,500 with the middle half landing between $22,800–$31,200. Those sales cover lots vacant at the time of sale and still vacant on January 1, 2026. The roll's median property-appraiser just value, $21,400, is a tax figure rather than a market price or an offer.
What an empty Southwood lot costs to hold
LA-MSID's drainage bill works out to about $48 a year on a typical quarter-acre lot here, and the fire district adds a $162 vacant-parcel base charge set in 2020. Stack county and school taxes on top, and a total that stays unpaid past June puts the parcel into the county's certificate auction, where interest bidding opens at 18 percent. [5],[6],[10]
Common situations
Selling land in Southwood in these situations
You inherited a lot in Southwood and never visited
Nothing about an inherited lot requires having seen it. Southwood's filing, recorded on page 78 of Plat Book 26, is one of many unit plats registered as Lehigh Acres was sold off piece by piece starting in the 1950s, often to buyers abroad. An independent title company runs the closing, and its title search is what sets the actual paperwork needed. [2],[3]
Drainage or fire charges are behind along with the taxes
None of that blocks a sale. Lee County's process for unpaid taxes runs through a certificate auction and, years later, a possible deed application, and an owner never has to clear that up before selling. Outstanding amounts and liens can simply be paid out of the sale proceeds at closing, with the seller's consent. [10],[5]
You live outside Florida
That's the norm here, not the exception: 33% of this scope's vacant-lot owners already carry an out-of-state mailing address. Selling remotely means electronic paperwork, a mail-away closing through an independent title company, and payment by check or wire.
The lot has no utilities and the road isn't finished
That's typical for Southwood, not a dealbreaker. Most lots here run on a well and septic tank rather than a FGUA connection, since central sewer reaches only about 38 percent of Lehigh Acres. We check utilities, access and title on our own before offering, and the land inspection is the only contingency involved. [7]
Step by step
How do I sell my land in Southwood?
From your first message to money in hand, with nothing left out. Requesting an offer costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
See every detail of the process-
Tell us about your land
Fill out the short form (about 60 seconds) or email us. A land specialist reaches out to confirm the details, usually the same business day.
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Get your cash offer within 24 hours
We review the property and send a written, no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours. It is a real number, not a range. Take it or leave it, with no pressure either way.
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Sign electronically
If you accept, everyone signs the purchase agreement electronically. There is nothing to print or mail at this stage.
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We inspect, the title company verifies
Our team inspects the land and an independent title company runs a title search for liens or taxes owed. If the land does not pass inspection, you are never charged anything.
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Close and get paid
The title company prepares the closing documents for notarization and issues your funds by standard check, overnight check, or wire transfer. A typical sale closes in 10 days.
Questions
Selling land in Southwood: common questions
What happens if the taxes on my Southwood lot go unpaid?
The Lee County Tax Collector auctions a certificate once a bill goes unpaid into June, with interest bidding starting at 18 percent and moving down. The certificate holder can apply for a tax deed two years later, within a seven-year limit.
Does Southwood have yearly drainage or fire charges on an empty lot?
Yes, both apply. LA-MSID lists $172.48 per acre in drainage assessments, and the fire district's vacant-parcel base charge has been $162 since a 2020 change from a flat $25 rate. A current bill will show the live numbers.
Can I sell my Southwood lot while living in another state?
Yes. 33% of the vacant-lot owners in this scope already live outside Florida. Paperwork goes out electronically, closing happens by mail through an independent title company, and payment arrives by check or wire.
Will you buy a Southwood lot that still runs on well water and septic?
Yes. Central sewer reaches only about 38 percent of Lehigh Acres, so most Southwood lots are on a private well and septic tank already. We buy vacant land without a water or sewer connection and check utilities on every parcel ourselves.
Do I need to clear the lot before you'll buy it in Southwood?
No. We buy Southwood lots in whatever condition they're in, overgrown included. Mowing, clearing or brush removal isn't something a seller needs to pay for ahead of getting a written offer.
Owner resources
Guides for your situation
- How to Sell Land During a Divorce
Florida land can be sold during a divorce when the people with authority to convey title sign and the sale follows every applicable agreement and court order. Divorce law may treat land as marital even when only one spouse appears on the deed.[1][2] If ownership, signing authority, or the division of proceeds is unsettled, have a Florida attorney and the closing title company resolve those issues before closing.
- Can You Sell Land With a Lien?
Yes. Land with a lien can often be sold, but signing a deed does not by itself erase a valid claim. The lien may need to be paid, released, discharged, or otherwise resolved under the law that applies. With the seller's consent, an approved payoff can come from sale proceeds at closing. If the balance or lien is wrong, dispute it before closing and require proof of the cure.
- Can You Sell Land With Back Taxes in Florida?
Yes. Florida land with back property taxes can often be sold if closing can redeem the tax lien before the tax-deed cutoff. With the seller's consent, the title company can use sale proceeds for the approved payoff. Move quickly: taxes generally become delinquent April 1,[1][2] and redemption ends once a tax-deed buyer makes full payment to the clerk.[4][7]
More places in Lee County
Your written offer
Get your cash offer
Four short steps, about 60 seconds. We review your property and send a written, no-obligation cash offer within 24 hours. You can take it or leave it.
What happens after you send this
- A land specialist reaches out, usually the same business day, to confirm the details.
- You get a written cash offer within 24 hours: a real number, not a range.
- You decide. Requesting an offer costs nothing and commits you to nothing.
You will never be asked to pay us anything. No deposit, no processing fee, no closing-cost advance.
Nearby areas we buy
- Lehigh Acres
68,291 vacant lots · 2025 median lot sale $23,500
- Mirror Lakes
1,605 vacant lots · 2025 median lot sale $24,900
- Lee County
122,251 vacant lots countywide
How we made this page
Parcel Buyers is a land-buying company based in Florida. We buy vacant land directly from owners and publish these local pages so owners can see what land in their area is doing before they sell, to us or anyone else. We count the tax-roll figures ourselves from state data, take local rules and fees from the official sources listed below, and use AI tools to help research and draft the text. Every number links to its source, and we update the page when the data changes.
Method and sources
Tax-roll figures cover parcels platted in the Southwood subdivision units in south Lehigh Acres (legal descriptions beginning 'Southwood'), Lehigh Acres ZIP 33974. Source [1] is our own count of the Florida Department of Revenue's 2026 final property tax roll: "vacant residential" means land-use code 000; lot sizes use the land square footage on the roll; values are the county property appraiser's just (market) value as of January 1, 2026; sale prices count only arm's-length sales of a single lot that was vacant when it sold and was still vacant on January 1, 2026 (bulk and multi-parcel deeds removed). Page updated October 30, 2026. Lot-size sale rows use the same qualified 2025 sale cohort and canonical square-foot classes; classes with fewer than 10 sales are omitted. Holding-cost estimates use 2025 taxable values and 2025 millage for FDOR vacant-residential code 000 parcels. They cover ad valorem taxes only, not a parcel-specific bill or non-ad valorem assessments. The reviewed 2026 recorded-sale window runs from January through June 2026; unreviewed recent sales are excluded. Flood and springs-BMAP figures screen tax-roll parcel center points, not parcel boundaries. They are aggregate map screens, not flood-zone, insurance, buildability, elevation, septic, or permitting determinations.
- [1] Florida Department of Revenue (data); Parcel Buyers (analysis), Parcel Buyers analysis of the 2026 final Name-Address-Legal (NAL) property tax roll (accessed 2026-10-03)
- [2] Business Observer, Legal notice citing Southwood Unit 15, Plat Book 26 (accessed 2026-10-30)
- [3] Wikipedia, Lehigh Acres, Florida (accessed 2026-10-30)
- [4] Florida House of Representatives, CS/HB 1255 (2015) bill analysis, Lehigh Acres MSID (accessed 2026-10-30)
- [5] Lehigh Acres Municipal Services Improvement District, Finance: assessments and fees (accessed 2026-10-30)
- [6] Lehigh Acres Citizen, Fire district passes simplified fire resolution (accessed 2026-10-30)
- [7] Lee County Procurement, Regional Alternative Source Water Study, Lehigh Acres: scope of services (archived copy) (accessed 2026-10-30)
- [8] Florida Governmental Utility Authority, Lehigh Acres service area system description (accessed 2026-10-30)
- [9] Florida Department of Health in Lee County, New septic system application requirements (accessed 2026-10-30)
- [10] Lee County Tax Collector, Tax certificate sale (accessed 2026-10-30)
- [11] Wikipedia, JetBlue Park (accessed 2026-10-30)