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 Alpine 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.
Start with a tax bill or old land papers. Find the APN, which means Assessor’s Parcel Number. It is the number the county uses for a piece of land. Write down owner names, acres if known and the written land description. Keep each piece’s bill, map and deed together if you own several.
The county’s records page says the assessor does not publish values or ownership on that website. It points owners to a public kiosk in the Administration building and to a third-party service. Do not assume an empty web search means the land has no county record.
For help, call the Assessor / Recorder at 530-694-2283. The office is at 99 Water Street, Markleeville, California 96120. Its U.S. Postal Service mailing address is P.O. Box 155, Markleeville, California 96120. Call before visiting to ask what to bring and how to use the kiosk.
Match any record you find with your tax bill and written land description. A nearby address or map pin may point to a different piece of land. Mark any piece you want to keep. An APN helps locate a record; it is different from the full written description in a deed.
No street address? Gather a map pin, nearest road and old papers. Our guide to land without an address helps you collect clues. A tax value is not proof of what a buyer will pay. A parcel map does not replace a deed or a survey. A survey is a measured drawing of boundaries.
A deed is the paper that records a transfer of land. Alpine has a combined Assessor / Recorder office. The Recorder keeps recorded land documents. Start there if you need a missing deed or an old recorded agreement.
The county’s search guidance says its online recorded-document search covers 1986 onward. Records before 1986 can be searched at the public counter. Use the Search for maps or recorded documents online link on that page rather than assuming every old paper is online.
Have owner names, an approximate transfer date and any document number ready. Ask how to request a copy and what it costs. The county describes image copies as purchases. We have not tested a paid order or download. If you do not know which paper to request, ask the office at 530-694-2283 for help.
A title company or real estate attorney can help check ownership and other claims and prepare sale papers. A lien is a claim against land, often for money owed. If several owners are named, ask who needs to sign before setting a closing date. Gather any survey, loan statement, lease, road agreement and written use rules. Ask whether a new survey is needed before ordering it.
If a road crosses someone else’s land, gather the written agreement. An easement is a right to use land for a stated purpose, such as a road. Share the actual papers with the people helping with the sale rather than relying only on a line on a map.
If you’re handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one’s estate, start with the papers you have. Ask which papers and signatures are needed. Our seller document checklist helps you keep track. Keep private family papers out of public ads.
Take photos of the entrance, open ground, trees and any buildings. Include steep or wet areas you know about. Write directions 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.
Explain how you reach the land in different seasons. Who clears snow? Is there a private road fee or shared gate? Gather road and snow-clearing agreements you have. A summer visit does not show whether a buyer can reach the same spot in winter.
The county Road Department warns that high-country roads can close without notice. It also directs readers to Caltrans for Highway 4 at Ebbetts Pass and Monitor Pass. Check current road information before arranging a visit. A road being open does not establish a private right to cross land.
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. The Planning Division lists 530-694-2140 for questions about land-use records and the right next contact. Ask which office handles a buyer’s specific use before promising approval.
If someone grazes animals, hunts or rents there, gather that agreement. Note when it ends and what stays. Ask how the sale affects those plans before accepting an offer.
Ask a local land agent or appraiser for recent completed sales a buyer would compare with yours. Compare acres, usable ground, slope, roads, use rules and working services. Ask how each sale price was confirmed.
The Alpine County Chamber’s area guide separates Bear Valley/Lake Alpine, Kirkwood/Hope Valley and Markleeville/Woodfords. These are useful starting points for choosing comparisons. Being in the same county does not mean two pieces of mountain land serve the same buyer.
For a lot near Bear Valley or Kirkwood, show the entrance, parking area and services that work now. Explain snow clearing, shared roads and any dues you know about. Ask for sales with similar access through the year. A cabin sale includes a building and other work that an empty lot may not have.
For open land near Woodfords or Markleeville, show usable ground, slope, water sources and road access. Gather any grazing lease, well record or written water agreement. Compare similar land rather than assuming every meadow or hillside acre has the same value.
For a wooded mountain piece or land reached by a rough track, take photos of steep sections and the full route in. Explain gates and road upkeep. Ask for comparisons with similar usable ground and access. A flat lot beside a maintained road may be a poor price match.
For land near a stream or public recreation area, show the actual boundary. A trail, public road or nearby lake does not prove that private access or water use comes with the sale. Gather the written papers before making those claims.
Write down each sale date and what was included. Match the parcel and deed before using a price, and count a deal once if several pieces sold together. An asking price is what a seller wants, not proof of what a buyer paid. Our land value guide helps organize comparisons. We do not have a verified current county-wide price per acre to quote here.
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 Alpine County land prices.
The Treasurer Tax-Collector handles property-tax bills and collection questions. It lists 530-694-2286. Its office is at 99 Water Street, with mailing address P.O. Box 217, Markleeville, California 96120. This is a different box from the Assessor / Recorder’s mailing address. Confirm the address and what to include before mailing anything.
Use the county page’s View Property Tax Bills link to reach Alpine County Tax Retriever. The checked page says Enter your Fee Number and shows an APN example in its search field. Start with your bill and call the collector if you are unsure which number to use. We checked the search entry, not a parcel balance or payment.
Ask for the amount for the date you expect to pay, since added charges can change it. Let the closing team confirm loans, taxes, any dues and other costs in writing. Ask how each cost will be split and what will be paid from your sale money. Our offer comparison worksheet lets you put known costs side by side. Leave unknown costs blank until you can check them.
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 / Recorder at 530-694-2283. The county says values and ownership are not published on its website and points owners to a public kiosk. Ask what to bring before visiting.
APN means Assessor’s Parcel Number. It is the county’s number for a piece of land. Look for it on your tax bill or old papers and keep each piece’s bill, map and deed together.
No. The county says its online recorded-document search covers 1986 onward. Ask the Recorder about earlier records at the public counter and how to request a copy.
No. The Recorder lists P.O. Box 155 and the Tax Collector lists P.O. Box 217, both in Markleeville, California 96120. Confirm where your request or payment goes before mailing it.
Yes. Share what you know about road upkeep, gates, snow clearing and access through the year. Check current road information before arranging a visit and gather written access papers.
It may include a building and services your land lacks. Ask for completed land sales with similar usable ground, road access and working services.
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 14, 2026.