Selling vacant land or a possible home site? Start with the parcel number, map, and any zoning or permit records you have. We’ll review the details and discuss whether a direct offer could work.
Tell us about your land. There’s no obligation to accept an offer.
Start here: You don’t need every land record to ask about selling. Share the location, acres if known, and any questions about ownership or access. Before accepting an offer, compare the price, costs, and money you keep. Tell us about your land.
Find the parcel number, check who handles land use, and save the records behind any building claim. Empty land can be sold while questions remain. The useful step is to show a buyer what is confirmed and what still needs review.
APN means Assessor's Parcel Number: the land's ID in the county records. Keep it with your tax bill, deed, and any old map. Use the number to locate the right piece, rather than relying only on a street address or a nearby landmark.
First ask whether the land is inside a city or in an unincorporated part of the county. Unincorporated means outside city limits. That helps you ask the right planning office about the proposed use. A mailing address with a city name does not settle that question.
The county's What's My Zoning guide describes Map My County, its land-information service. It lists searches by parcel number, address, cross streets, and other details. Start with the APN when you have it, and check the map against your own records.
Zoning means rules about what land can be used for. Save the zoning shown for your parcel, then ask Planning about the buyer's actual idea. A single home, a split into smaller lots, and a business use are different questions.
The county's Planning questions page explains that setbacks vary by zoning. A setback is space that must be left between a building and a property line or other feature. For land under county rules, take the parcel number to Planning and ask which standards apply.
Write a simple question: “The buyer wants one home on this parcel. What should they check next?” If they want several lots, say that instead. Include any recorded use limits you know about. Don't turn a broad map label into a promise about the number or size of buildings.
The Building and Safety Records page gives a way to find county permit history through Map My County. Its instructions say to open the full parcel report and look under Building and Safety Cases. Read the report's notice and use the office's help if the needed information is missing.
A permit entry and a finished project are different things. Ask which work the case covered and whether inspections or other steps remain. If an old permit concerns a shed, it doesn't answer whether a buyer's new home plan will work.
A road on a map doesn't by itself show a right to use it. If entry crosses another person's land, gather the written access papers. An easement is a right to use land owned by someone else. Check which parcel it serves and who maintains the route.
Likewise, a line or utility pole nearby doesn't establish a service connection. Ask the provider about this parcel and the planned use. Keep any answer and cost estimate with your sale notes. If water or waste service is uncertain, mark it as an open question.
For sloping or dry ground, describe the useful flat area, the route in, and any grading records you have. Grading means moving soil to change the ground's shape. Let the buyer and the right office review the plan instead of guessing what site work will be allowed.
Imagine a parcel with a road nearby and an old permit number. A useful description says where the road lies and what the permit covers. Calling it “ready to build” skips the access, service, and current-plan questions.
Make a short packet with the APN, deed, map, known permit numbers, and a list of open questions. You can tell us about your land before every answer is in hand. We can review the details and discuss whether a direct offer could work.
Start with the details you already have. If we can make an offer, you can compare it with your other options before deciding.
Share the location and acres if you know them. Tell us about any loan, shared owners, or access questions.
Ask which costs the buyer pays, what may come out of your payment, and what could change the closing date.
If you accept an offer, the closing team checks the ownership records and helps prepare the sale papers. Ask what they need from you.
A larger offer isn’t always a better deal. Ask for a written breakdown of the costs and amounts taken out of your payment.
For example, a $30,000 offer with $2,000 in costs leaves $28,000 before any loan or tax balance. Compare that with an offer that lists those costs differently.
Ask whether the buyer can cancel after checking the land. Read any deadline and what happens to the deposit.
You can compare a direct sale with listing the land or finding a buyer yourself. Think about the time, work, and costs each choice takes.
Missing records or signatures can delay a sale. Ask for a target date and a list of things that still need to be checked.
Use our land offer worksheet to compare the details side by side. The dollar amounts above are a simple example, not an estimate for your land.
Start with the location, acres if known, and the names of the owners. A tax bill, deed, or land ID number can help us find the right parcel. If you don’t have them, tell us what you know.
A land ID number or map pin can be more useful than a street address. Share the closest road and any old tax bill or deed you have. Don’t guess an address for empty land.
Compare the offer price, costs you pay, amounts taken out, and the planned closing date. Ask what must happen before the buyer is ready to close. Check the money you keep rather than the price alone.
Ask for a written estimate before you sign. A loan balance, unpaid taxes, or costs assigned to you may reduce the money you receive. Make sure the agreement says which costs each side pays.
Tell us about it when you share the land details. Ask the closing team to check the current balance and explain how it would be paid. Don’t assume an offer includes every debt or fee.
Tell us who is listed on the deed and who else may have an interest in the land. Share any estate papers you have. Ask the closing team which documents and signatures are needed before setting a closing date.
Yes, you can share it for review. Tell us how you reach the land and whether you have a written right to cross another property. An access issue can affect whether we make an offer and how much a buyer will pay.
The timing depends on the land, the ownership records, and the steps in the sale agreement. Ask which checks are still open and who needs to sign. We’ll discuss a target date if we move forward with an offer.
Start by comparing similar land that has sold. Size alone isn’t enough: road access, allowed uses, water, and other features can change what buyers will pay. An asking price or a tax value is not the same as a completed sale price.
Ask who will buy the land, who will handle closing, and how payment will reach you. Get the price, costs, and deadlines in writing. If a term is unclear, ask for an explanation before signing.
APN means Assessor’s Parcel Number. It helps locate the right land in county records, especially when vacant land has no useful address. Match the location with your deed and tax bill.
The county’s Building and Safety Records page gives instructions for Map My County. Open the full parcel report and look under Building and Safety Cases. Ask Records about missing or unclear information.
No. Ask the right city or county planning office about the buyer’s plan. Keep access, services, setbacks, recorded limits, and needed site work with that discussion.
Need to find your parcel? Start with our land ID guide. For sale papers, see the land seller document checklist.
Read our guide to a land sale agreement for the main things to check.
Reelvest buys land directly from owners. Tell us about your land so we can review it. If we make an offer, you can ask questions and decide whether it works for you. You’re free to compare other options.
Contact our team or call 888-850-5755.
Looking for another area? You can also start with our California land seller guide.