Need advice on contract for deed situation

[Ellen Bouton]

I bought 160 acres on a contract for deed 3 years ago at a very reasonable price,[b] but with a change in circumstances, I'm struggling to make the biannual payments.

The value of land has nearly doubled since then. If I could sell 80 acres of it, I could pay off the contract but of course the seller has the deed, not me. It wouldn't make sense for him to permit me to sell it when he could let me default and sell the whole thing for a huge profit.

Can anyone suggest a way I could pull this off and still keep half the land?