Start with completed sales of land that a buyer would compare with yours. Match the nearby area, acres, entrance and main land features. Use your property record card to check what you own, then build a price range from good matches. Keep tax values and sale paperwork separate from the price you hope to receive.
1. Get Your Property Record Card
Find your tax bill, deed and any old survey. Write down the parcel number, acres and nearest road. A parcel is one piece of land in county records. Make a list if several pieces will be sold together.
The Elkhart County Assessor’s property card page explains the record and links to steps for finding it. A property card brings the county’s details about your land and any buildings into one place.
The office’s property map guidance points readers to Beacon. Follow the current county links rather than an old saved search page. The guidance also contains older service notices, so check any current access terms before relying on them.
Compare the card’s acres and buildings with your own papers. Save a copy and write down anything that doesn’t match. A tax map helps locate land; it doesn’t replace a boundary survey or prove who can sign a sale.
If you need help, the Assessor lists 574-535-6700 and 117 North Second Street in Goshen. Ask how to get the record for your parcel. You don’t need to know every field before asking a question.
2. Find Sales That Fit the Land You’re Selling
Ask a local land agent or appraiser for recent completed sales that a buyer would compare with your land. Start with the same nearby area and a similar size. A small lot near town, open farm ground and a wooded tract can have different buyers.
- Farm ground: Compare usable acres, access and current use. Check whether a home, barns or equipment were part of the sale.
- Small lots: Compare the entrance, existing service and nearby land use. Don’t rely only on a large farm’s price per acre.
- Wooded land: Compare access, open ground and the main tree cover. Keep a timber-only deal separate from a sale of the land.
- Several parcels: Check the pieces that changed hands and the price for the whole sale. One package can appear in several records.
Gather written road-access papers and any farm lease or other use agreement. Share water, well or septic reports already on hand. Nearby homes don’t prove that your land is ready to build or can be split into lots.
Take clear photos of the entrance, open areas and wooded parts. Note low spots and water you know about. Show what exists today instead of promising a buyer what could be added later.
Indiana’s sale disclosure information links to a public search for reported transfers. Use a record as a lead to check, not as proof that it is a good match. Confirm the acres, buildings, date and actual pieces sold.
Keep listings in a separate list. An asking price is what an owner hopes to get. Completed sales are stronger evidence when the property and terms fit your land.
3. Gather the Right Papers Without Mixing Up the Price
A property card’s tax value isn’t a buyer’s offer. Check whether it includes buildings, then keep it separate from the price range you build from similar completed sales.
The Assessor’s sale disclosure guidance explains how transfer paperwork is checked. It says parcel details, names and transfer dates need to match the deed. If several parcels are included, their number and land descriptions need to fit.
You can get ready by collecting the parcel numbers and the deed for each piece you want to sell. Keep any papers about shared ownership or signing for someone else. Ask the closing professional which forms and signatures your sale needs; you don’t have to sort out every form field alone.
If you’re handling inherited land, bring the estate papers you have. The closing team can explain what still needs to be checked. It’s fine to start asking questions while the paperwork is being sorted out.
Ask for an unpaid tax balance and any loan payoff when comparing offers. Put seller costs beside the written offer so you can see the money you keep. Don’t confuse a tax figure, a transfer form and a sale price.
4. Check Each Transfer Before Using Its Price
A recorded transfer doesn’t always mean one parcel sold by itself for the price shown. It may cover several pieces, a home and land together, or a transfer within a family.
Write down the sale date, price, parcel number and deed reference when available. Check the acres and what the sale covered. Keep one row for each actual sale, even if it appears on several websites.
Look closer at a very low or very high price. Ask what explains it before using it as a match. If the details are missing, mark that sale “needs checking.” Don’t let an unclear row set your asking price.
This guide doesn’t give a new county average. A few well-checked matches are more useful for your land than a large list that mixes homes, lots and repeated entries.
5. Make a Short Price Comparison
For each useful sale, write down these details:
- The date, location, price and acres.
- The parcel or deed reference, if available.
- Road access and the main land features.
- Buildings or other property included in the price.
- Why it fits your land and what still needs checking.
Here’s made-up math: a bare-land sale of $180,000 for 20 acres is $9,000 per acre. That doesn’t mean another 20 acres is worth $180,000. The location, access and features still need to fit.
Use the total price as well as price per acre. Keep weaker matches apart from the strongest ones. Our land value guide explains the comparison in more detail.
If your likely range is still wide, get help before settling on a number. Ask which sales support the price and what makes your land different.
6. Compare Your Ways to Sell
A land agent can help you price and market the property. Ask about their land experience, fee and listing agreement. Selling it yourself means handling the listing, buyer questions, visits and price talks.
A direct buyer can give you another written offer to compare. If you’d like that option, tell Reelvest about your Elkhart County land. You don’t have to accept an offer to ask about it.
Compare the money you keep after costs, a loan balance or unpaid taxes. Ask who pays each cost, when the buyer can cancel and what must happen before closing. Use our land offer worksheet to put the terms side by side.
If you’re handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one’s estate, gather the papers you have. Ask the closing professional which documents and signatures are needed. You can start asking questions before everything is sorted out.
Questions About Elkhart County Land Value
Is my tax value the right asking price?
Not by itself. Compare similar completed sales, access and land use. Keep the tax value separate, and check whether it includes buildings before choosing a price range.
What should I gather before asking about a price?
Start with your parcel number, deed, tax bill and any old survey. Add papers about road access, leases or other uses. You can ask for help even if some records are missing.
What if the same sale appears more than once?
Use the parcel, deed reference and date to check whether it’s one sale. Keep one row for the actual transfer rather than counting every website entry.
Can I ask about an offer without knowing my land’s value?
Yes. Start with the location, acres if known and the papers you have. You can compare a written offer with other selling choices before deciding.
Local source links reviewed October 5, 2026.