Start with a tax bill, your deed and a few notes about the land. Then compare ways to find a buyer, review offers and arrange closing. This guide shows what to gather and where to find missing papers in Hempstead County. You do not need every answer to get started.
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.
Write down the owner names, acres if known, nearest road and which pieces you want to sell. A parcel number is the number the county uses for a piece of land. Add it if you can find it on a tax bill or old papers.
No street address? A map pin and directions are a good start. Keep each piece’s bill and map together if you own more than one. Mark any piece you want to keep.
Think about your goal. Do you want the best price, fewer calls and visits, or a simpler way to let go of land you no longer use? Use that goal when you compare an agent, selling it yourself and a direct buyer.
The Hempstead County FAQ has separate links for real estate records and tax records. It sends real estate searches to actDataScout and tax searches to ARCountyData. Start there if you need to find your land or an old bill.
The Assessor page also links to Real Estate Record Search. Call 870-777-6190 for help finding the right piece. Have the owner name, nearest road and any parcel number ready.
Match the owner, parcel number and written land description to your piece. A bill’s mailing address may be where notices go, rather than where the land sits. 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 find land, but it does not settle exact boundaries or a right to cross a neighbor’s land.
A deed is the paper that records a transfer of land. The Hempstead County Circuit Clerk records deeds, mortgages, leases and other land papers. For help getting a missing deed copy, call 870-777-2384.
Have the owner names, approximate date and any book, page or document number ready. Ask how to find the right copy, what it costs and how to receive it. If you plan to visit, confirm where to go before making the trip.
A deed copy is one part of the land’s history. A title company or real estate attorney can help check ownership and other claims, and prepare the papers for your sale.
Gather any survey, loan statement, lease, road agreement and written use rules you have. A survey is a measured drawing of the boundaries. Ask whether a new one is needed before ordering it.
If you’re helping settle a loved one’s estate, start with what you have. Ask a title company or real estate attorney which papers and signatures are needed. Give shared owners time to ask questions. Our seller document checklist helps you keep track. Keep private family papers out of public ads.
Take photos of the entrance, open ground, woods and any buildings. Include steep or wet areas you know about. Write directions from a nearby road and explain gates and visits. Show what works now, such as a well or power connection. A nearby line is different from a working connection.
If a road crosses someone else’s land, gather any written road agreement. A track on a map does not prove a right to use it. Share the papers with the people helping with the sale before promising access to a buyer.
If someone farms, hunts or rents there, gather that agreement. Note when it ends and which crops, buildings or equipment are included in the sale. Ask how the sale affects those plans before accepting an offer.
You do not need to plan a buyer’s home before selling. Share use rules, permits or other papers you have, and be clear about what you do not know. If a buyer wants to build or change the use, ask the right local office what still needs to be checked.
Ask a local land agent or appraiser for recent completed sales of land buyers would compare with yours. Look at acres, road access, woods, slopes, wet areas, use rules and working services. Ask how the sale price was confirmed.
For example, land beside a public road may not be a good match for a piece reached across a neighbor’s land with no clear road agreement. Similar acres alone do not make the two equal.
Write down the sale date and what was included. Count a deal once if several pieces sold together. An asking price is what a seller wants. It is not proof of what a buyer paid. Our land value guide helps you organize good comparisons.
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. Make sure each offer covers 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 Hempstead County land prices.
Need help with a tax statement or current balance? Call the Hempstead County Collector at 870-777-4103. Have your parcel number or bill ready. Ask what is owed now, then share the answer and any loan statement with the closing team.
The collector also asks people to call about errors on electronic tax statements or bills for property they do not own. If a bill does not match your land, ask the office to help sort it out. An old bill alone may not show today’s balance.
Ask for a written estimate of the money you would keep. Read the deadlines and ask what could change them. Use our offer comparison worksheet to 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 FAQ links to actDataScout for real estate records and ARCountyData for tax records. The assessor also links to Real Estate Record Search. Call 870-777-6190 if you need help finding your piece.
Call the Circuit Clerk at 870-777-2384. That office records deeds and other land papers. Have owner names, dates and any document number ready. Ask how to get the right copy and what it costs.
Call the collector at 870-777-4103. The county asks people to contact that office about electronic statement errors or bills for property they do not own.
Call the collector at 870-777-4103 with your parcel number or bill. Ask for the current balance and share it with the people handling your sale.
Start with any survey you have. Ask the agent, buyer or people handling closing whether a new one is needed before ordering 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 10, 2026.