Do you accept inherited family farms or large tracts of agricultural land in Iowa?

Yes. We frequently work with families who have inherited rural acreage or farmland but have no desire to actively manage or lease it. We accept agricultural properties “as-is,” providing a seamless, legally secure way to exit the asset without waiting months for a specialized agricultural buyer.

Can a business donate a vacant commercial building in Des Moines or Cedar Rapids?

Yes. We specialize in handling complex commercial assets throughout Iowa, including obsolete office spaces, industrial warehouses, and vacant retail storefronts, helping you offload liability cleanly and obtain a significant corporate tax deduction.

Donate a house, farm parcel or small-town building in Iowa, in any of the 99 counties Iowa property specialists: (888) 228-7320

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A home representative of Iowa real estate donated to charity

Donate Real Estate in Iowa

Iowa is farm ground first and everything else second. The land here is among the most valuable cropland in the world, it is overwhelmingly cash rented, and a large share of it is owned by people who do not live in the state and have never farmed it. That is the conversation we have most often, alongside small-town houses and buildings with no local market.

(888) 228-7320 Read the Iowa FAQs

Fully IRS Compliant

We Handle the Paperwork

Form 8283 Done Right

501(c)(3) Recognized Charity

Iowa rules for a property donation

Federal tax rules are the same in every state. These three are set by Iowa and by the county where the property sits.

Transfer tax

Iowa charges a real estate transfer tax of $0.80 per $500 of consideration above the first $500. It is customarily charged to the grantor, and how it applies to a gift with no consideration is confirmed when we prepare the deed.

Groundwater hazard and declaration of value

Iowa transfers are accompanied by a declaration of value and a groundwater hazard statement, the latter asking about wells, solid waste, underground tanks and private sewage on the property. Both are filed with the deed. We prepare them and ask you the questions rather than guessing at answers.

Recording

Deeds are recorded with the county recorder for the county where the property sits. You sign before a notary wherever you live, and we handle the filing.

What Iowa owners call us about

Four situations that recur across the state.

Cash-rented cropland owned from out of state Heirs holding highly productive ground they have never worked, receiving a rent check and a tax bill and little else. A farmstead nobody wants The house, barn and outbuildings on ground the neighbor rents. The acres have value, the buildings are a liability, and they transfer together. A small-town house below financing value Sound older houses in towns where the appraisal will not support a mortgage, so the buyer pool is cash only. A main street building with no tenant Two-story brick commercial buildings on square blocks, with an empty storefront and apartments above that need work.

Iowa property we accept

Each links to the full guide for that type, including how a donation compares with selling.

Houses in IowaFour-squares, bungalows, farmhouses and post-war ranches. Iowa landTimber along the rivers, recreational ground and town lots. Farm groundCorn and soybean ground, pasture and CRP acres. Commercial propertyMain street blocks, storefronts and small offices. Industrial buildingsGrain, warehouse and light manufacturing space. Land contractsCommon in Iowa. We take over the payments and deliver the deed at payoff.

All state guides The donation process Tax benefits Donating from out of state

What a donation looks like by region

Six Iowas, and cropland runs through all of them.

Des Moines and central Iowa

Inherited city houses, small rental property and farm ground on the suburban edge.

Eastern Iowa and the river cities

Older housing stock, industrial buildings and bluff land along the Mississippi.

Northwest Iowa

Some of the highest-value cropland in the country, plus livestock ground and small towns.

Southern Iowa

Pasture, timber and recreational ground, with lower land values and thinner markets.

The Loess Hills and west

Steep timbered ground above the river bottoms, with row crop below.

North central Iowa

Flat productive ground, tiled and cash rented, owned largely by non-farming heirs.

Iowa real estate donation questions, answered

Is a donated deed subject to Iowa transfer tax?+

I live outside Iowa. Do I have to travel there to sign?+

No. We prepare the deed in the form Iowa requires for the county where the property sits, you sign before a notary where you live, and we record it with the county recorder.

I inherited farm ground but I have never farmed. What happens to the tenant?+

The lease goes with the land and is honored. Iowa has notice rules for terminating a farm tenancy, and we do not ask anyone to break a lease to make a transfer work. Tell us the rent, the term and the tenant.

Does Iowa give a state tax deduction for a property donation?+

Iowa has a state income tax, and how it treats a charitable contribution is set by Iowa law rather than by us. Your federal deduction follows the usual IRS rules. Take the state question to your own advisor.

The acres are worth something but the farmstead is a liability. Can they be separated?+

Sometimes, with a survey and a new legal description, and sometimes it is better to transfer them together so the value of the acres carries the buildings. We look at both rather than assuming.

We do not provide tax or legal advice. State and local transfer tax rules change; we confirm current requirements when we prepare each deed. Consult your own advisor.

Tell us about your Iowa property and we will review it

The county and a parcel number are enough to start.

(888) 228-7320 Contact us