Start with your tax bill, deed and what you know about the land. Find the right parcel, choose a price range and decide how you'll find a buyer. Then get the price, costs and closing steps in writing.
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.
You can start while some papers are missing. Write down what you know and what needs checking. Ask whether a new survey or other work is needed before paying for it.
Look for the parcel number on a recent tax bill. It identifies the piece of land. Write down the acres and owner name too. If you plan to sell several parcels together, keep a separate line for each one.
The county's Online Services page has separate links for Fetch GIS, property and tax information, and land records. Use the map to help find the parcel. Use the tax link to check the tax record. Use the land-record link for recorded documents such as deeds.
A road name or mailing address alone may not identify vacant land. Check the record against your own papers. Don't guess an address just because the parcel has no house.
For a missing deed, start with the Register of Deeds guide. It lists current online search options and office help at 989-832-6820. Ask which record you need, how to find it and what a copy will cost.
The county's deed FAQ says the office has a survey only if one was recorded. If you can't find a survey there, check your own files or ask the surveyor who did the work. A survey shows measured property lines; a map on a website doesn't settle a boundary question.
The office also says it doesn't prepare legal papers or give legal advice. Ask a title company or closing attorney for help with ownership, a deed change or a sale agreement.
You don't need a perfect packet before talking about selling. Keep these items together as you find them:
If you're handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one's estate, keep those papers with the deed. Ask who needs to sign before agreeing to a sale. It's okay to start with the papers you have.
Our land seller document checklist can help you keep track. Mark something as missing rather than trying to guess what's in it.
Describe how you reach the parcel. Is it beside a public road, reached by a private lane, or reached across someone else's land? Share any written access agreement. A visible path across another property doesn't prove a right to use it.
Take clear photos of the approach, open ground, wooded areas and any wet spots when it is safe. If you haven't been there in years, say so. An old photo may still help, but give the date if you know it.
For utilities, use three labels: already on the land, nearby, or not confirmed. Power lines at the road don't mean a hookup is paid for. Ask the service provider about your parcel if a buyer needs that answer.
For rented ground, keep the lease and crop details handy. Ask your agent or closing attorney how those terms affect the sale. Don't promise the land will be empty on a date before checking the agreement.
You don't have to plan a buyer's whole project. Clear, honest answers help buyers decide which checks they need.
If a buyer hopes to build where sewer isn't available, they may ask about septic, the system that handles household wastewater. Keep any old site or system papers. A neighbor's system doesn't prove your parcel has the same options.
Midland County's septic guide lists a raw or vacant land evaluation for a prospective buyer. It also gives Environmental Health's number: 989-832-6380. Ask whether existing records help and what the next step would be. Agree with the buyer who arranges and pays for any test.
If a ditch or drain affects your land, keep any notices or repair papers. The county's drain guide explains that work on a County Drain, such as changing a culvert or moving the drain, needs a permit. Ask the Drain Commissioner's office before paying for that work.
You don't need to fix every concern before asking about a sale. Tell the buyer what you've seen and what is still unknown. A buyer may prefer to do their own checks. Don't promise that a drain prevents flooding or that a parcel is ready for a home based only on a map.
Start with similar land that has sold. Match the size, location, access and usable ground. A small home lot and a large wooded tract may serve different buyers. Check whether each sale included buildings or other parcels.
Keep asking prices, tax values and completed sale prices separate. Ask a local land agent or appraiser for the records behind useful sales. An appraiser gives an opinion of value. Use a range if good matches are scarce.
Then choose the selling route that fits your time and comfort with the work:
A useful listing explains where the land is, how it is reached and what records you have. Include clear photos and avoid claims about building, water or road rights you haven't checked.
Reelvest can review your land if you'd like a direct offer to compare. You decide whether it fits your goals. See our Michigan land seller guide for the wider process.
Get the offer price, planned closing date and costs in writing. Ask who pays for title work, a survey and any agreed buyer checks. Include loan payoffs, unpaid taxes and fees when figuring out the money you keep.
For example, a $40,000 offer with $3,000 in seller costs leaves $37,000 before other amounts due. A $39,000 offer with $1,000 in costs leaves $38,000. These are made-up choices, not Midland County fees or offers.
Compare the deposit and reasons the buyer may cancel too. Use our land offer worksheet to keep the terms side by side. Ask for an explanation of anything you don't understand before signing.
The closing team checks ownership and prepares the sale papers. Ask which signatures are needed, how debts will be paid and how your payment will reach you. Verify any new payment instructions with a trusted contact before sending money or private account details.
Keep copies of the signed agreement and closing papers. A target date depends on the records, signatures and terms of the sale. Ask which steps remain rather than relying on a promised number of days.
Start with your parcel number, acres and owner names. A tax bill, deed and any survey help. You can begin while some papers are missing; write down what you know and what still needs checking.
Start with the county Register of Deeds guide or call 989-832-6820. Ask how to find the record and what a copy costs. The county Online Services page separates land records from parcel maps and tax records.
The Register of Deeds FAQ says it has a survey only if one was recorded. Check your own files or ask the surveyor who did the work. An online parcel map does not settle a boundary question.
Not automatically. Share any existing papers first. The county septic guide describes a vacant land evaluation for a prospective buyer. Ask Environmental Health about your parcel, then agree who arranges and pays for any needed test.
Yes. Compare the work, fees, price, buyer checks and planned closing date. Get the terms in writing and look at the money you keep. You can ask Reelvest for a direct offer to compare.
Local source links reviewed October 7, 2026.