You can start selling with the property details and papers you already have. Find the land, explain what’s included, discuss a price and choose how to find a buyer. Missing records can be worked through with help. Here are practical steps for selling, with or without a direct offer from Reelvest.
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.
Look for the county’s property number on a tax bill, deed or valuation notice. It may be called an assessor’s parcel number, or APN. Keep any survey and list all pieces you want to sell.
The Sacramento County Assessor’s map guide explains how to find that number and use its parcel viewer. The viewer can also help check whether the land is in a city or in the county outside city limits. A mailing address alone may not tell you that.
For a missing deed, the Assessor directs owners to the County Clerk-Recorder. Use the link on the map guide to find that office and ask for the recorded deed. Keep the owner’s name and any old document reference handy.
If a tax record and deed show different acres, share both. Don’t choose one number without asking why they differ. Sacramento’s Assessor says assessed acres can differ from deed acres, such as when part of the land includes a road.
The county also says assessor maps are not surveys. Map lines over a photo may not show the exact boundary on the ground. Use the map to help locate the land; don’t promise a buyer that a fence or photo line is the legal boundary.
Bring existing surveys and recorded maps to the professional helping with the sale. If a boundary question matters to the agreement, ask what further help is needed and who pays. You don’t need to order a new survey before asking about selling.
Take current photos of the route in, open ground, trees and any buildings. Point out wet or rough areas and stored items. Say whether equipment, fences or buildings stay.
Share any written right to cross another owner’s land, and any rental or farming agreement. Keep well, septic or power papers you have. A line near the property doesn’t prove a connection is ready. Say what you know and what still needs checking.
You have a few ways to sell. Ask a land agent how they would price and market the property, what they charge and how you’ll get updates. If you sell yourself, plan for ads, buyer questions and visits. A direct buyer’s offer gives you another set of terms to compare.
Take current photos and write a clear description. Explain where the land is, its size, how to reach it and what stays. Say when a detail is unknown. You don’t need to clear the land, order a new survey or design a buyer’s home before starting.
Use our owner-sale guide if you want to handle the listing yourself.
Ask a local land agent for recent completed sales of similar land. Compare acres, entrance, ground, services and included buildings. A small lot near town may be a poor match for a larger tract.
An asking price shows what an owner wants. A tax value is a different kind of figure. Neither tells you what your buyer will pay. Check the property number or deed reference behind each sale. Several websites can repeat the same property.
If one sale includes several pieces, compare the whole price with the whole acreage. Keep sales with houses separate from vacant land. Our land value guide explains more.
Check the property included, price, buyer’s inspection time, seller costs and closing date. Ask what lets either side cancel and what could change the price.
For a made-up example, $110,000 less $8,000 in seller costs leaves $102,000 before debts. A $106,000 offer with $2,000 in costs leaves $104,000. These show the math, not Sacramento County prices. Ask how loans and unpaid taxes affect the payment.
Compare the money you keep, timing and buyer checks together. Use the offer worksheet. If you’d like a direct offer from Reelvest, share what you know and ask about any unclear terms before deciding.
Closing finishes the sale with signed papers and payment. Ask the title company or attorney handling it what records they need, who must sign and what is still open before setting the date.
Share any loan, unpaid tax balance, rental agreement or other owner early. If you’re helping settle a loved one’s estate, bring the papers you have and ask for help checking the signing steps. Missing papers don’t mean you can’t start.
Read the final cost sheet and ask how payment will reach you. Keep copies of the agreement and closing papers. Use our document checklist to get ready.
The Assessor says assessed acres can differ from deed acres, including where land covers a road. Share both records and ask for help explaining the difference before agreeing on what is sold.
No. Sacramento’s Assessor says its maps are for assessment purposes and are not surveys. Use the map to help locate the land, and bring existing surveys or deed questions to the professional helping with the sale.
Yes. Start with the property number, map, county and papers you have. Explain what is missing and ask for help finding it.
Local source links reviewed October 4, 2026.