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.
Find your latest tax bill or deed. Write down the land number, acres if known and nearest road. Keep each number with the piece it covers if you own several lots or tracts.
Start with the Franklin County Tax Assessment Office. Its page links to property records online and says property record cards and a counter computer are available. Call 717-261-3801 for help. The office lists 272 North Second Street in Chambersburg.
You may see the label UPI on county papers. It means the number used to identify a piece of land. Copy the full number rather than leaving out its marks. If the acres or location do not match your papers, ask the office before putting those details in an ad.
The county’s parcel-number help page says the public online view has limited property details. It lists searching by location or UPI number. It also lists office computers where you can search by owner name. Ask for help if you have only a name or cannot find the right piece.
Your mailing address may be where you live rather than where the land is. Empty land may have no street address. Keep an old deed description and map with your notes instead of guessing an address.
A tax map can help show location. It does not settle an unclear boundary or prove a right to cross another property. A tax value is also different from a sale price. Use the county record to identify your land first.
Put your deed, latest tax bills, 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 any lease or written road agreement you have.
For a missing deed, start with the Franklin County Register & Recorder. Call 717-261-3872. The office lists 272 North Second Street in Chambersburg.
Have the owner names, approximate year and any document number or book and page ready. The county says public land-record searches are available through Landex or in the office. Ask what help is available, which copy you need and what it costs before ordering or traveling.
The online service’s help number is different from the county office number. For a question about finding your deed or getting a copy from the county, start with the Register & Recorder above.
A deed copy alone is not a full check of ownership, loans or other claims. Ask the title company or real estate attorney handling closing what they need to review. You do not need to write a new deed yourself to begin.
If you’re handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one’s estate, gather the papers you have. The Register & Recorder also handles estate records and says estate appointments must be arranged in advance. Ask your closing team which documents and signatures this sale needs.
You can explore prices and selling choices while getting help with missing papers. Our land seller document checklist can help you mark what you have. Keep private family and loan papers out of a public listing.
Make a short list of what is there today. Put a question beside a detail you have not checked. You can answer buyer questions without promising more than you know.
For a field, note how much is used for crops and who farms it. Keep the lease. Ask how a sale affects that agreement before promising when a buyer can take over.
For a wooded tract, describe the entrance and how you reach land farther in. A roadside photo may not show a steep part or rough trail. Mark areas you have not visited recently.
For a small lot, keep any lot number, survey or utility paper you have. A nearby house does not prove your lot has the same connections or can be used in the same way.
Take current photos if you can safely visit. Show the entrance, open ground, woods and included buildings. If you live far away, start with existing papers and say when you last saw the land.
You do not need to plan a buyer’s home before discussing a sale. Share any permit or soil-test paper you have. If an offer depends on building or dividing the land, ask what checks the buyer needs and how long they have.
Look for recent completed sales that buyers would compare with your land. Ask a local land agent or appraiser for the full price, acres, sale date and included items. Ask how they checked each sale and what their help costs.
A small lot near Chambersburg, a farm field and a wooded ridge tract may need different matches. Compare size, access and ground. A sale with a house, barn or several pieces is different from empty land.
Do not use the assessed value as today’s asking price without checking sales. The county’s Tax Assessment FAQ says its last countywide reassessment took effect in 1961. The record is useful for tax and property questions; it is not a current offer.
Keep three numbers separate: what a seller asked, what a buyer paid, and a tax value. A listing that disappears does not prove the land sold. Ask where the final price came from.
Keep the land numbers, deed reference, date and full price together. Several pieces sold in one deal do not become separate prices you can assign without checking. If good matches are scarce, ask for a range with clear reasons.
Our land value guide gives you a simple comparison checklist.
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 Pennsylvania 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. Mark what is missing. You can compare selling choices while getting help with records.
Call the Tax Assessment Office at 717-261-3801. Have your tax bill or deed ready. Ask about the land number, property record card or details that do not match.
It is the number used to identify a piece of land. Copy the full number from your papers and ask the Tax Assessment Office if you cannot match it to the right piece.
Call the Register & Recorder at 717-261-3872. Have the names, approximate year and any document reference ready. Ask about search help and copy costs.
No. The county says its last countywide reassessment took effect in 1961. Use the record to check property details, then compare recent completed sales of similar land.
Yes. Compare an agent, selling yourself and a direct buyer. Ask about fees, terms and the work you would do.
Gather the papers you have and ask your closing team who needs to sign. The Register & Recorder handles estate records and requires estate appointments in advance.
No. Use the steps with any selling route. If you want a Reelvest offer to compare, tell us about your land. You decide whether it fits.
Local source links reviewed October 7, 2026.