Start with a tax bill, deed and a few notes about your land. Find the right Franklin County office, check the road to the property, and compare your selling choices. You can get help with missing papers before you choose a buyer.
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.
Set aside your tax bill, deed and any survey you already have. Write down the owner names, acres if known, nearest road and what you want to sell. A parcel number is the number the county uses for a piece of land. Add it to your notes if you know it.
Franklin County has two county seats: Ozark to the north and Charleston to the south. The county website lists both locations. When asking for records, tell the office where the land is and ask which district should handle your request. That can save a trip to the wrong place.
If you have several pieces, keep the bills and maps together and mark which ones you want to sell. Write down what matters most: price, less work arranging visits, or a date you hope to be done. You can use those goals to compare your choices.
The Franklin County Assessor page lists Ozark at 479-667-2415 and Charleston at 479-965-7797. It gives the assessor’s physical address as 219 West Main Street in Ozark. Call with the owner name, tax bill or parcel number. Ask how to find the record for your land and where to go if you need help in person.
On that page, use the Real Estate section for land. It links to online record services and says public research computers are available in the real estate department. The personal-property forms are a different route, used for things such as vehicles and equipment.
Match the parcel number, owner and written land description. The mailing address on a bill may be where notices go, rather than where the land sits. If there is no street address, our guide to finding land without an address can help.
A tax value is used for taxes. It is not proof of what a buyer would pay. A county map helps you locate land, but it does not settle the exact boundary or a right to cross another owner’s piece.
A deed is the paper that records a transfer of land. The Franklin County Circuit Clerk page lists deeds, mortgages and liens among its recorded papers. A lien is a claim that may need to be paid or cleared before a sale.
For the clerk, call Ozark at 479-667-3818 or Charleston at 479-965-7332. The page lists 211 West Commercial Street in Ozark and 607 East Main Street in Charleston. Have the owner names, location and any old book, page or document number ready. Ask which district has the record, how to get a copy and what it costs.
If an online search comes up empty, ask the clerk how to look for older papers. You may need a prior owner’s name or a different spelling. An empty search does not prove there is no deed.
Add any survey, loan statement, lease, road agreement and written use rules to your folder. A survey is a measured drawing of the boundaries. Ask the people helping with the sale whether a new one is needed before paying for it.
If you’re 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. Give shared owners time to ask questions too. Our seller document checklist helps you keep track. Keep private family papers out of public ads.
Buyers often ask how they can reach the land and who takes care of the road. Take photos of the entrance, gate and route from a nearby road. Write clear directions, including where a visitor should park and whom to ask before going through a gate.
The Franklin County Road Department page explains that a county-maintained road has been accepted into the county’s road system. Private roads are outside that system. A road name or gravel surface alone does not answer who maintains it.
The page lists 479-667-4726 and 1601 Airport Road in Ozark. Give the road name and location and ask whether the route is county-maintained. If it is private, gather any written upkeep agreement and explain what you know about shared costs.
The county page also says a permit is required before building, maintaining or changing a road. Before widening an entrance or doing road work to prepare for a sale, ask the department what is needed for that work. Do not assume you need to rebuild a road just to ask about selling.
If the route crosses someone else’s land, give any road-right papers to the title company or attorney helping with the sale. County upkeep and a legal right to cross land are different questions. A track visible on a map does not settle that right.
Show the open ground, woods, slopes, wet spots, buildings and working water or power. Note any farming, hunting or rental agreement. Nearby utility lines are different from working connections. If you have written rules about building or dividing the land, share them before making promises about what a buyer can do.
Ask a local land agent or appraiser for recent completed sales buyers would compare with yours. Check acres, entrance, road rights, ground shape, woods, slopes, use rules, 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 Franklin County land prices.
The Franklin County Collector page lists Ozark at 479-667-4124 and Charleston at 479-965-2333. Have your parcel number or tax bill ready. Ask for the current balance and how to resolve a bill that appears to cover land you no longer own. Share the answer and any loan statement with the people handling closing.
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.
The county has Ozark and Charleston office routes. Start with the assessor: 479-667-2415 for Ozark or 479-965-7797 for Charleston. Give the location and ask which district can help with your land record.
Call the Circuit Clerk at 479-667-3818 in Ozark or 479-965-7332 in Charleston. Have owner names, location and any book, page or document number ready. Ask which district has the paper and how to get a copy.
Call the Road Department at 479-667-4726 with the road name and location. Ask whether it is in the county maintenance system. For a private road, gather any upkeep agreement. A legal right to cross another owner’s land needs a separate check.
Ask what a buyer needs and what the work would cost before starting. The county Road Department page says a permit is required before building, maintaining or changing a road. Ask the department what applies to the work you are considering.
Call the Collector at 479-667-4124 in Ozark or 479-965-2333 in Charleston. Use the parcel number or bill to ask about the land’s current balance. An older bill may not show what is owed today.
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.