Start with the land's location and any papers you have. Decide what you want to sell, choose a price and compare ways to find a buyer. You can use an agent, sell yourself or ask for a direct offer. You don't need every answer to take the first step.
Tell us about your land. There’s no obligation to accept an offer.
Start with what you know. These steps will help you get ready and choose the way to sell that fits you.
Find a tax bill, deed or old survey. Write down the parcel number, acres if known and nearest road. A parcel number is the county’s number for a piece of land. It can be more useful than an address for empty land.
List the pieces you plan to sell. If you own three parcels but want to keep one, make that clear from the start. Keep an old map or sketch with your notes. Mark a boundary you are unsure about instead of guessing.
You can begin even if you live out of state or have not visited in years. Note what you know, such as the road used, any buildings and who is using the land. A tax bill’s mailing address may be where the owner lives rather than where the land is.
Use the Russell County Revenue Commissioner’s current portal. It links to property searches, maps and tax information. If an older bookmark sends you to a different site, use this current portal to find your way.
The real property search lets you choose Owner, Property Address, Mailing Address, Parcel # or Key #. For empty land with no street address, try the owner name or parcel number on your tax bill.
Property Address means where the land is. Mailing Address may be where the owner receives mail. If you live elsewhere, a search by your home address is not the same as a search by the land’s location.
The search also has a year choice. Keep the year and the label with any number you save. Parcel # and Key # are different labels; do not count them as two pieces of land without checking.
Match the acres, location and any buildings to your papers. Call the Revenue Commissioner’s office at 334-298-6922 if you cannot find the record or match a number. A map helps locate the land. It does not settle a boundary dispute or prove you have the right to cross a neighbor’s land.
Put your deed, latest tax bill, survey, loan details and any written lease together. Add agreements about shared roads or crossing other land. Note who shares ownership and what comes with the sale.
Missing your deed? Start with the Russell County Probate Office’s land records page. It links to the county’s online records portal. Choose “Look up Land Records” for the deed route. “Look up Probate Case Records” is a separate choice for court case records.
The land records choice leads to an account login. If you do not have access, call the Probate Office at 334-298-7979 and ask how to get a copy of your deed. Have the owner name and any deed book, page or document number from your papers ready. Ask about the copy type and cost before paying.
Finding a deed is one step. It does not answer every question about who can sign, a loan, a shared road or limits on using the land. Ask the professional handling closing to check those questions.
If you’re handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one’s estate, keep any estate papers you have. Ask the professional handling closing what is missing and who needs to sign. You can research prices while those questions are being worked out.
Use our land seller document checklist to mark what you have. Keep private family, loan and tax papers out of a public listing. Share them with the people helping you finish the sale when needed.
Make notes about the things a buyer will ask:
If you can safely visit, take clear, recent photos. Show the road approach, entrance, open ground, slopes and woods. Explain where to park or turn around for a visit. Keep an older photo’s date in your notes.
For woods or open ground, show both the entrance and the parts farther in. Tell a buyer about a farm, hunting or other use agreement that is still in place. Ask before sending visitors onto land someone else is using.
For a small lot, note the subdivision, lot and block shown on your papers. Check any recorded drawing or written neighborhood rules you have. A street, curb or nearby home does not prove that your lot has a working utility connection.
You do not need to plan a buyer’s house before listing. If you have not checked building, water or septic questions, say so. An existing home nearby does not prove the same use is possible on your land.
Look for recent completed sales of similar land. Compare the acres, location, way in and what each price included. Keep a small home lot separate from a large tract. A house or several parcels in one deal can make the total a poor match for vacant land.
For open land, note how much is level and how it is used. For woods or a slope, note the entrance and usable areas. You do not have to finish every possible study before asking for price help.
An asking price is what someone hopes to get. A completed sale shows what a buyer paid. A tax value is another figure used for taxes. Keep those numbers apart instead of treating them as the same thing.
Our land value guide explains how to choose useful sales and avoid counting the same deal twice. A local land agent or appraiser can help if close matches are hard to find. For a small lot, compare similar lots rather than only using a large tract’s price per acre.
Before paying for clearing or a new driveway, ask what buyers need for your kind of land. Some work may help, but spending more does not guarantee a higher price. Compare the land as it is with the time and cost of doing more work.
You have a few ways to sell:
Pick the approach that fits your time and goals. If you want a direct offer to compare, tell Reelvest about your land. Start with what you know. You decide whether an offer works for you.
For more statewide selling steps, see our Alabama land seller guide.
Ask for an offer in writing. Check the full price, which costs each side pays and what could change the amount. Ask how any loan or unpaid taxes would be handled.
The county revenue portal links to tax information and a tax search. Call 334-298-6922 for help matching the account or finding a current balance. A tax value and an unpaid tax balance are different numbers. Have the closing professional confirm what would come out of your payment.
Here’s a made-up example: a $45,000 offer minus $3,000 in seller costs leaves $42,000 before any loan or unpaid tax balance. Those numbers are not an estimate for your land. They show why the highest offer is not always the most money kept.
Compare the deposit, planned date and what lets a buyer cancel or ask for a lower price. Use our offer comparison worksheet to keep the terms side by side. Ask about anything unclear before signing.
Ask who will handle closing and what they still need. The closing professional checks records, prepares the papers and explains payment. Missing documents or signatures can affect the date.
Read the agreement. Make sure it covers the land and included items you mean to sell. Ask about a term you don't understand before signing. Request a written estimate of what you'll receive and how payment will reach you.
Keep copies of the signed papers. Confirm the next steps for keys, access or other items being handed over. You don't need every answer at the start, but important questions should be settled before you finish the sale.
Yes. Start with the location, nearest road, acres if known and papers you already have. List what is missing. You can research prices and selling choices while getting help with records.
Use the Revenue Commissioner’s current portal and choose the real property search. You can search by owner, property address, mailing address, parcel number or key number. Call 334-298-6922 if you cannot match the record to your papers.
The property address is where the land is. The mailing address may be where the owner lives. Empty land may have no street address. Try the owner name or parcel number on a tax bill, and check the location before saving a result.
Keep the label with each number, along with the year you searched. Different ID labels do not prove that you own two separate pieces of land. Ask the revenue office to help with a match you cannot confirm.
The Probate Office’s land records page links to its online portal. Choose Look up Land Records. That route leads to an account login. If you need help or a copy without online access, call 334-298-7979. Ask about the copy type and cost first.
No. A tax value is used for taxes. An asking price is what a seller hopes to get. A completed sale shows what a buyer paid. Compare recent sales of similar land and keep these figures separate.
Gather the deed and any estate or ownership papers you have. Ask the closing professional who needs to sign and what is missing. You can work on price research while those questions are being answered.
No. These steps can help you use an agent, find your own buyer or compare a direct offer. If you want a Reelvest offer to compare, tell us about your land. You decide whether it fits your plans.
Local source links reviewed October 7, 2026.