Start with your tax bill or deed and a few notes about the land. Find the right Desha County records, gather papers you have, and explain the entrance and any farm use. Then compare ways to sell and the money you would keep. You can ask for help before every detail is sorted out.
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.
Start a folder with your tax bill, deed and any old survey. Write down the owner names, the acres if known, and the road nearest the land. No street address? Start with a map pin, road name and directions.
If you own several pieces, match each one to its number on the bill. Mark which pieces you want to sell. A number used to identify a piece of land is often called a parcel number. Keep it with the right map and papers.
Write down your goal too. Is your main concern price, fewer calls and visits, or moving on from land you no longer use? Your goal helps you compare a listing, a sale you handle yourself and a direct offer.
The Association of Arkansas Counties Desha directory lists the assessor at 870-222-0927. Have the owner name, tax bill and written land description ready. Ask how to find the current record for the piece you want to sell.
Match the owner, land description and parcel number before using a result. If you own several pieces, keep each number with the right map and papers. A tax value is used for taxes; it is not a promise of what your land will sell for.
Do not let a missing street address hold you up. The address on your tax bill may be where notices go, rather than where the land sits. Write down a nearby road name, a map pin and directions. Our guide to finding land without an address has more ways to start.
A map can help you and a buyer find the land. It does not settle exact boundaries or permission to cross a neighbor’s piece. If the map and papers seem to show different pieces, ask for help before using either in an ad.
A deed is the paper that records a transfer of land. The Arkansas Judiciary Desha Circuit Clerk entry lists 870-222-0930 in Arkansas City. Ask how to find a recorded deed or other land paper. Give the names, dates and any book or page number you have.
Desha has a County Clerk and a Circuit Clerk. They are separate contacts. Start with the Circuit Clerk for a missing deed. If you are looking for family estate papers, the County Clerk and Probate Clerk website may help you find the right office. Its contact page lists 870-222-0870 and 608 Robert S Moore Avenue in Arkansas City. Explain which paper you need when you call.
Gather an old survey, loan statement, farm lease and written road agreement if you have them. A survey is a measured drawing of the boundaries. Ask the people handling your sale whether a new one is needed before you order it.
If you’re helping settle a loved one’s estate, start with what you have. A title company or real estate attorney can explain which papers and signatures are needed. Ask early if shared owners or other family members need to take part, so everyone has time to get ready.
Use our seller document checklist to keep track. Missing papers do not have to stop the first conversation. Keep private family and loan papers out of a public ad.
Take photos of the entrance, open ground, woods, buildings and wet areas you know about. Write directions from a nearby road. Explain any gate and who can allow visits. Describe what you have seen on your piece, rather than guessing from a county map.
If someone farms the land, gather the lease or other agreement. Write down who uses it, what they grow and when the current agreement ends. Ask how a sale would affect crops still in the field and plans for the next season. Do not promise an empty field on closing day before sorting that out.
Make a short list of wells, pumps, pipes, gates and other items. Say which you own and which belong to someone else. Ask what will stay with the land. For example, a pump used by a renter should not be listed as yours to sell without checking.
Note ditches, low spots and places where you have seen water stand. Photos after rain may help a buyer understand what you mean. Explain what you know about upkeep and any written drainage agreement. Do not promise that land stays dry, or that a ditch can be moved, without checking.
If reaching the land means crossing a neighbor’s piece, gather any written road agreement. A visible track does not prove a right to use it. Tell the people helping with your sale what you know and what is still unclear.
Show what power and water work now; nearby lines are different from working connections. If a buyer wants to build or split the land, ask the right office what needs to be checked before making that promise.
Ask a local land agent or appraiser for recent completed sales buyers would compare with yours. Check acres, entrance, road rights, ground shape, soil, drainage, current use, usable ground, working services and included items. Ask how the sale price was confirmed.
For example, a piece reached by a public road may not be a good match for one with an unresolved route across a neighbor's land. Similar acres alone do not make two pieces equal. Describe those differences when you ask for a price opinion.
Write down the sale date and what was included. If several pieces sold together, check the whole deal and count it once. An asking price is what a seller wants. A tax value is used for taxes. Neither is proof of what a buyer paid.
Our land value guide helps you organize the comparisons. If the sales you can find are too different, ask for help instead of relying on a guessed county price range.
List with a land agent. Ask how they would price and market your land, what the fee is, and how long the listing lasts. Check whether they have worked with land like yours. They can help handle calls, visits and offers.
Sell it yourself. You arrange the ad, answer questions, show the land and review offers. Prepare good photos and clear directions. You may still want help with the sale agreement and closing.
Compare a direct offer. A buyer who buys from you directly gives you another choice. Compare the price, costs and terms with your goals. You can turn down an offer.
You do not have to choose Reelvest to use this guide. If you’d like a direct offer to compare, tell us about your land. We’ll review the details and let you know whether we can make one.
Read the price, deposit, costs you pay and planned closing date. Ask what the buyer still needs to check and what would let them cancel. Check that each offer describes the same land and items.
For example, $60,000 minus $5,000 in seller costs leaves $55,000 before loans or unpaid taxes. A $58,000 offer with $1,000 in those costs leaves $57,000 before those balances. These are examples, not Desha County land prices.
The county association directory lists 870-877-2525 for the Desha County Collector. Ask how to check the current balance for the land you plan to sell. Give any loan statement to the closing team as well; an old bill may not show the balance today.
Ask for a written estimate of the money you would keep. Read the deadlines and ask what could change them. The offer comparison worksheet helps you compare the full deals.
Closing is when the sale papers are signed and the agreed payment is handled. Ask who is arranging it and what they need from you. Give them the owner names, written land descriptions and papers you found. Tell them about any loan, lease, shared owner or road question.
Read the agreement and ask about anything that is unclear. Check that it describes the right pieces and items. Before signing the final papers, review the costs and payment amounts. If more than one owner must sign, ask how to arrange that.
Before sending bank details or money, call the closing office using a number you already trust. Confirm the instructions with that office. Keep copies of the signed papers and your payment record. You don't need to have every answer today; a clear set of notes makes the next step easier.
Call the assessor at 870-222-0927 with the owner name, parcel number or tax bill. Match the land description before using a result. Your tax mailing address may not be the land’s location.
Call the Desha Circuit Clerk at 870-222-0930 in Arkansas City. Have names, dates and any book or page number ready. The County Clerk is a separate contact, so explain which paper you need.
Find the lease or other agreement. Note crops still in the field, when the agreement ends, and who owns pumps or other equipment. Ask how the sale affects the current use before promising when a buyer can take over.
The county association directory lists 870-877-2525 for the Collector. Have the parcel number or tax bill ready and ask for the current balance. An older bill may not show what is owed today.
Not always. Start with an old survey if you have one. Ask the people handling your sale whether a new survey is needed before paying for it.
Yes. If you are helping settle a loved one’s estate, start with the papers you have. A title company or real estate attorney can explain which papers and signatures are needed.
No. You can list with an agent, find a buyer yourself or compare a direct offer. Choose the route and terms that fit your goals.
Local source links reviewed October 9, 2026.