FAQ - About GALE

The Great American Land Exchange is a voluntary, unincorporated association, made up of private men and women. GALE began as a private agent for several corporations with large land holdings they wished to liquidate.

The People at GALE have many years of experience with land, property rights, and titles; buying and selling; contracts; and computer technology. We have combined these skills to create one of the worlds' easiest and most convenient systems for selling, finding, and buying land. GALE's principal coordinator, Gregory Allan; Wood, has more than twenty years' experience in dealing with land of all types.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is this site kept current?
A: Yes; at least within a few weeks. One way you can verify this is to look at the expiration-date of the price-lists. Price-lists are usually good for no more than two-weeks at a time. If you are looking at a price-list which expired one week ago, the site was probably last-updated three weeks ago.
Q: I found some land I might be interested in, what is the price?
A: Every property-listing on GALE includes the price. Price-lists are frequently updated, so the price is not a part of the general description. Whenever you enter the section for viewing a specific property, a second menu-bar appears at the top of the screen. This menu-bar has links to location-maps, photos, and prices. Select the "Price List" option, and you will see the current price.
Q: Can I meet with someone to look at the property?
A: Yes. Contact us, and we'll be happy to arrange to have someone meet you on the property. The Internet is a wonderful tool, but the best way to buy land is still to walk on it.
Q: I've already looked at one of your listings, and I've decided to buy. How do we start?
A: We have one hard and fast rule, and that is that a property is not spoken for unless a buyer has given a deposit on it. The general rule is five percent (5%) immediately, with another ten percent (10%) following within ten days, if the seller accepts your offer. Cash offers must close within thirty days to avoid interest charges.
The quickest way to proceed is to print out the Offer to Purchase in our Contracts section, and get it to us with your deposit as soon as you've made your decision. You can do this by snail-mail (through the Post Office), or by sending us the Offer electronically and wiring us the funds. The level of urgency is entirely up to you, although you should keep in mind that many of our properties sell very quickly, and the first one to put a deposit down will own it. If you've made a firm decision and need help with this, please feel free to Contact Us with your questions.
Q: Do you buy land as well as offer it for sale?
A: Yes, sometimes. We are particularly interested in vacant, wooded acreage, located in either northwestern Michigan, or middle Tennessee. If you have land which meets this criteria, please send us the details and we'll consider it.
Q: Do you list other properties besides vacant land?
A: Yes. Although we specialize in vacant land, we will and do also list other types of properties, such as private homes, commercial properties, etc.
Q: How much does it cost to list my property with GALE?
A: It costs you nothing to list on GALE. You only pay us if and when we find a buyer.
Throughout most of America our service is limited to advertising your property on our Site. When we receive inquiries, we will answer the questions we can, and attempt to schedule an appointment between you and the prospective buyer, to walk the property. If the contact results in a sale, then you pay us one-percent (1%) of the sales-price. So, if a parcel of land sells for $10,000, then we earn $100. We are also able to prepare sales-documents such as deeds and land contracts, according to your specifications. Depending on the complexity of such documents, there may or may not be an additional charge.
If your property is located in northwestern Michigan or middle Tennessee, we are able to provide a much higher level of service. If you choose this option, then we will handle all aspects of the sale, including boundary-marking, making appointments with propective buyers and handling those appointments, negotiating points of sale pursuant to your pre-defined limitations, drafting the necessary documents, and closing the deal. The charge for this varies between ten percent (10%) and fifteen percent (15%) of sales-price, depending on our level of participation. Of course we agree on this at the time you sign the Agency Agreement.
Q: How do I list my property with GALE?
A: First-things-first, we need a signed Agency Agreement; you'll find it in our Contracts section. We need an original signature, but if you're in a hurry, we can get started right away if you print and sign the agreement, then scan it and email us the image. Mail us the hard-copy with original-signature at the mailing-location posted in our Contact section.
We will also need you to gather and provide us with the following information:
1. The full legal-description.
2. A map showing exactly where the property is situated.
3. If smaller parcels are split from a larger parcel, we'll need a map showing detailed dimensions.
4. Prices, and terms of sale, such as whether you require cash, or might be willing to finance the buyer yourself, as with a land contract.
5. Photos.
6. Any details you might have about the nearby area is very helpful. Features such as nearby state or federal lands, snowmobile or motorcycle trails, lakes and streams, ski lodges, distance from nearby towns, shopping, etc., will help the buyer become interested.
We will do all the graphic-work, but we've got to have something to start with. Email is the best way to send us maps and photos, but if you don't have a scanner then you can send them by regular-mail. If you want us to return any of the materials, please enclose a self-addressed, stamped envelope.
Q: Are you Realtors?
A: No. "Realtor" is a copyrighted term used to describe members of an association which subscribes to a "multi-list" service. We are not subscribers to any such service.
Q: Are you licensed brokers?
A: No. Black's Law Dictionary defines license as:
Permission from competent authority to do that which would otherwise be illegal, unlawful, a trespass, or a tort.
We see nothing licentious about contracting with someone for an honest service. Governments routinely attempt to encourage participation in their licensing schemes by instructing their courts to refuse to enforce contracts between parties, when the service-provider does not have their license. That is why our Agency Agreement has a private arbitration clause.
We rarely have disputes, though some are inevitable. If a dispute arises from our Agency Agreement the parties are limited and obligated to the awards of the private arbitrator. Awards in arbitration can then be enforced in many ways, including but not limited to the U.S. Federal Enforcement of Foreign Judgments Act.
We are Obligated to perform an honest service. We feel that the only people who would have an objection to arbitration are those who would otherwise deal unfairly with us.

Permission to use this Website, as well as all services offered by GALE, are conditioned upon all parties' acceptance of the following terms and conditions of use:

If any dispute shall arise due to the use of this Site, or in the use or operation of the services offered herein, then the principals of GALE, and all users of this Site, and all those who use GALE's services, are subject to the exclusive Jurisdiction of the Courts Ecclesia for the People of Christ county, kingdom of God. Court Rules and filing information can be found on the Internet at: http://lawfulpath.n3.net/ref/ccvault/.

If any parts of this still doesn't make sense, try looking at the examples throughout our Site, and then feel free to Contact Us with your questions. All rights are reserved as to the design and contents of this site: Copyright 1997-2001 GALE.