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.
Copy the parcel number, acres if known and nearest road from a bill or deed. A parcel number is the county’s number for a piece of land. Keep each number with the piece it covers if you own several pieces.
The county’s Local Officials page lists the Property Valuation Administrator, often called the PVA. This office keeps property tax appraisal records. Call 606-633-2182 for help finding or checking your land record.
The county lists the PVA at 156 Main Street, Suite 105, in Whitesburg. Have the numbers, names and location from your papers ready. Ask what records or maps can help with your piece before visiting.
Check the acres and land location against what you own. Your mailing address may be where you live rather than where the land is. Ask about a mismatch rather than copying it into an ad.
Keep the record date and value year beside any number you save. A tax value is different from a completed sale price, a buyer offer or a loan balance. It does not tell you what a buyer will pay today.
A map helps explain location. It does not settle an uncertain boundary or prove the right to cross other land. Keep any survey or written road agreement with your notes.
Put your deed, latest tax bill, survey and loan details in one folder. A deed is the recorded paper describing an ownership transfer. A survey is a measured drawing of the boundaries. Add a lease or written road agreement if you have one.
For a missing deed, start with the Letcher County Clerk’s Records page or call 606-633-2432. Have the owner names, approximate year and any document number or book and page ready. Ask how to get the copy you need and what it costs.
The Records page has two online choices. Commercial research uses a paid subscription. The free Private Citizen route is limited to Letcher County residents searching for personal reasons with no commercial gain. It covers only Letcher records and allows five searches a day.
Ask which route fits your use before starting. Being a landowner does not mean every kind of search fits the free route. You do not need to buy a subscription just to begin getting ready to sell.
The page also lists e-recording services. Those are for filing papers, which is different from getting a copy of an existing deed. Ask the Clerk for the right service if you are unsure.
Ask the title company or attorney helping with closing whether a regular copy is enough. A certified copy is an office-verified copy. A deed copy alone is not a full ownership or loan check.
If you’re handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one’s estate, gather the papers you have. Ask who needs to sign and what is missing. You can compare prices and selling choices while getting help with those questions.
Use our land seller document checklist to mark what you have. Keep private family and loan papers out of a public listing.
Make a short list of what a buyer would want to know. Describe the ground as it is today, with a question beside anything you have not checked.
For a lot near Whitesburg or another community, keep the lot and block from your papers if listed. Say which connections are on the land and which are only nearby. A utility line along the road is different from a working connection.
For wooded hillside land, describe where the road goes and which parts you can reach. Photos of the entrance alone may not show the ground farther in. Keep a map with your notes and mark slopes, clearings and any spots you have not visited.
Do not describe all the acres as flat just because there is a small clearing. A buyer needs to know how the land changes beyond that spot. Share what you have seen and which parts still need a visit.
If timber is a big part of the price, ask a qualified forester what needs checking. Tree types, age and harvest access can differ even when two wooded pieces look alike. Keep any timber-sale or lease papers you have.
You do not need to plan a buyer’s home before asking about a sale. Keep any survey, soil test, permit or utility paper you already have. If an offer depends on building or dividing the land, ask which records support that plan.
Take current photos if you can safely visit. Show the entrance, ground farther in and included buildings. Arrange visits with anyone using the land. If you live far away, start with papers and say when you last saw the ground.
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 hillside tract even if both are in Letcher County.
For a neighborhood lot, compare similar lot sizes and street settings. Keep a sale with a house separate from vacant land. For a wooded hillside tract, compare slopes, access and usable spots rather than only using the closest sale on a map. A larger tract with little flat ground may be a poor match for a small easy-to-reach lot.
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.
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 Kentucky land seller guide.
Ask for the price and terms in writing. Check who pays closing costs, any agent fee, the planned date and what lets a buyer cancel or ask for a lower price. Ask how a loan or unpaid balance would be handled.
Have the closing professional confirm balances and explain what would come out of your payment. Keep any tax bill or notice with its account and year so the right amount gets checked. A tax value is different from the money you owe.
Here’s a made-up example: a $45,000 offer minus $3,000 in seller costs leaves $42,000 before a loan or unpaid balance. Those numbers are not an estimate for your land. They show why the highest offer is not always the most money kept.
Use our offer comparison worksheet to keep 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.
No. Start with the location, acres if known and papers you have. List what is missing. You can compare selling choices while getting help with records.
The county lists the Property Valuation Administrator at 606-633-2182. Have the parcel number, names and location from your papers ready. Ask which record covers the piece you want to sell.
Start with the County Clerk’s Records page or call 606-633-2432. Have the names, approximate year and any document number or book and page ready. Ask about the copy route and cost.
No. The page limits it to Letcher County residents searching for personal reasons with no commercial gain. It covers only Letcher records and allows five searches a day. Ask which route fits your use.
Describe the road, slopes, clearings and parts you can reach. Keep a map and current photos if you have them. Mark anything you have not checked rather than promising all acres can be used the same way.
No. Check the property details, then compare recent completed sales of similar land. An agent or appraiser can help if good matches are hard to find.
Yes. Compare an agent, selling yourself and a direct offer. Ask about fees, buyer questions, terms and the work you would do with each choice.
No. Use these steps with any selling route. If you want a Reelvest offer to compare, tell us about your land. You decide whether it fits your needs.
Local source links reviewed October 7, 2026.