Start with the land’s location and any papers you have. Make a list of the pieces you want to sell, then compare prices and ways to find a buyer. You can use an agent, sell yourself or ask for a direct offer. You don’t need every paper to begin.
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.
Find a recent tax bill, deed or old survey. Write down the acres if known, nearest road and parcel number. A parcel number is the county’s number for a piece of land. Empty land may not have a street address.
List each piece you want to sell. If you own two lots but want to keep one, say that from the start. Keep an old map with your notes and mark any boundary you are unsure about. You can begin without knowing every answer.
If you live out of state, start with papers you have at home. Note the road used, any buildings and who is using the land. The mailing address on a tax bill may be where an owner lives rather than where the land is.
The Marion County Assessor’s Property Report Card has four search choices: parcel number, state parcel number, owner name and address. Use the choice that matches the paper you have.
“Parcel Number” asks for a seven-digit number. “State Parcel Number” asks for an 18-digit number that starts with 49. These are different labels. Keep each label with its number so you can use the right search box. Two numbers do not always mean two pieces of land.
For empty land, try the number on your tax bill or the owner name. For an address search, start typing and choose the right suggestion. Match the location, acres and owner details to your papers before saving the card.
Keep the card’s date with your notes. The county says reports can reflect different dates, so their details may not match. Ask the Assessor about a detail you cannot sort out. A record card helps you describe the land; it does not replace a survey when a boundary needs checking.
Put your deed, latest tax bill, survey, loan details and any written lease together. Add papers about a shared road or crossing another property. Write down the other owners and which pieces come with the sale.
Missing a deed? The county’s Get a Copy of Your Deed page explains where to begin. It links to a record search by name and recorded date range. Your property card or current tax bill can help you find the name to use.
The Marion County Recorder’s Office keeps deeds and other recorded property papers. Call 317-327-4020 to ask how to get the copy you need. Staff can help you use the search, but the county says they cannot conduct the search for you. Have a name and any document number ready.
If you paid off a land loan, keep proof of the final payment. Ask whether the lender recorded a release. A release is a paper showing the loan was paid. The county says it can take a few months for a lender to file one. Paying off a loan does not mean a new ownership certificate will arrive in the mail.
You do not need to write your own deed to start selling. Let the professional handling closing tell you what sale papers are needed. The Recorder’s recent notice says it no longer provides forms or documents for recording. That is separate from asking for a copy of an existing recorded deed.
If you’re handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one’s estate, gather any estate papers you have. Ask who needs to sign and what is missing. You can work on prices and selling choices while those questions are being answered.
Our land seller document checklist helps you mark what you have. Keep private family and loan papers out of a public listing. Share them with the people helping you finish the sale when needed.
Write down the things a buyer will ask:
For a vacant neighborhood lot, include the lot and block from your papers if listed. Note fences, shared drives and any old building you know was removed. Do not promise that a buyer can build just because nearby lots have homes.
For a larger field or wooded tract, note how people reach it and any use agreement. If someone farms the land, ask before sending buyers out for a visit. Make clear which crops or equipment, if any, are included.
If you can safely visit, take clear, recent photos of the road, entrance and land. Show more than the view from the curb. Note where a visitor can park and who they should contact first. Use an older photo only if you explain when it was taken.
You do not need to plan a buyer’s house before listing. If water, sewer or building questions have not been checked, say so. A line in the street does not prove that the lot has a working connection.
Look for recent completed sales of similar land. Compare the location, acres, way in and what each price included. A small home lot is a poor match for a large field even if both are in Marion County.
For a neighborhood lot, compare similar lot sizes and street settings. Keep a sale with a house separate from vacant land. For a larger tract, compare similar ground and access rather than only using the closest sale on a map.
If one deal included three parcels, keep it as one deal until you know what was sold. Do not divide the whole price by just one parcel’s acres. Ask a land agent or appraiser for help when the details are unclear.
An asking price is what someone hopes to get. A completed sale shows what a buyer paid. A tax value is a separate figure used for taxes. Keep those numbers apart. None of them is a promise about your sale price.
Our land value guide explains how to choose useful sales and avoid counting the same deal twice. Ask a local land agent or appraiser for help if good matches are hard to find.
Before spending money on clearing or a new drive, ask what buyers need for your kind of land. Some work may help, but spending more does not guarantee a higher price. Compare selling as it is with the time and cost of doing more work.
You have a few ways to sell:
Choose the approach that fits your time and goals. If you want a direct offer to compare, tell Reelvest about your land. Start with what you know. You decide whether an offer works for you.
For more statewide selling steps, see our Indiana land seller guide.
Ask for each offer in writing. Check the full price, which costs each side pays and what could change the amount. Ask how any loan or unpaid taxes would be handled.
The county’s Property Cash History Report shows tax payment history. It has searches by property address or county parcel. Choose the year carefully: the county explains that taxes are paid the year after the assessment. A label such as “2024 Taxes Paid in 2025” refers to those different years.
Older payment history is not a current payoff amount or a record of what a buyer paid for the land. Check the county’s current property tax search and ask about a balance you do not understand. Have the closing professional confirm what would come out of your payment.
The tax search has address and parcel-number choices. For an address search, it suggests using part of the street name and owner name. If the land has no address, use the property card to find its parcel number.
Here’s a made-up example: a $45,000 offer minus $3,000 in seller costs leaves $42,000 before a loan or unpaid tax balance. Those numbers are not an estimate for your land. They show why the highest offer is not always the most money kept.
Compare the deposit, planned date and what lets a buyer cancel or ask for a lower price. Use our offer comparison worksheet to keep the terms side by side. Ask about anything unclear before signing.
Ask who will handle closing and what they still need. The closing professional checks records, prepares the papers and explains payment. Missing documents or signatures can affect the date.
Make sure the agreement covers the land and included items you mean to sell. Ask about a term you do not understand before signing. Request a written estimate of what you will receive and how payment will reach you.
Keep copies of the signed papers. Confirm the next steps for keys, access or other items being handed over. You do not need every answer at the start, but important questions should be settled before you finish the sale.
Yes. Start with the location, nearest road, acres if known and papers you have. List what is missing. You can research prices and selling choices while getting help with records.
The Property Report Card has separate search choices. Parcel Number asks for seven digits. State Parcel Number asks for 18 digits starting with 49. Keep the label with each number and match the land details to your papers.
Try the parcel number on a tax bill or the owner name in the Assessor’s Property Report Card. Do not make up an address. Match the acres and location before saving the record.
Start with the county’s Get a Copy of Your Deed page or call the Recorder at 317-327-4020. Have the owner name and any document number ready. Ask which copy you need and whether there is a fee.
No. The county explains that a new ownership certificate is not issued after a deed is recorded. If you paid off a loan, ask whether the lender recorded a release showing it was paid.
It is tax payment history. Check the year shown. Marion County taxes are paid the year after assessment. Use the current tax search and have the closing professional confirm the amount that would affect your payment.
Gather the deed and any estate or ownership papers you have. Ask the closing professional who needs to sign and what is missing. You can work on prices while those questions are being answered.
No. These steps can help you use an agent, find your own buyer or compare a direct offer. If you want a Reelvest offer to compare, tell us about your land. You decide whether it fits your plans.
Local source links reviewed October 7, 2026.