What Is Your Land Worth in Fentress County, Tennessee?

Your Fentress County land’s value depends on its location, road access, ground, services and what comes with the sale. Compare similar land that has sold, then ask a local land agent or appraiser to help choose a range. A county average or tax value can’t answer that alone.

Start With the Right Land Record

Start with a tax bill, deed and any survey you already have. Write down the acres if known, parcel number and nearest road. Add a map pin and a few photos if your land has no street address.

The Fentress County Property Assessor keeps property records and maps of current ownership. The office also keeps records of improvements, property accounts and mineral-right assessments. Call 931-879-9194 if you need help finding your record.

Explain which land you mean and ask what details would help the office find it. Check that the map and written description match your land. A mailing address may show where an owner gets mail, rather than where the land sits.

Keep the tax year and record date beside any value you save. Note whether the record includes a house or other buildings. A tax value for the whole property doesn’t tell you the value of bare land alone.

You can ask about value before every paper is in hand. Keep a short list of what is missing. You don’t need to clear the land or buy a new survey just to begin.

Match Your Land’s Setting, Not Just Its Acres

Ask a local land agent for completed sales that fit your land. A small lot in Jamestown may offer a buyer something different from a larger wooded tract or open field outside town. Start with the closest matches, then explain the differences.

• Entrance: Show the road and how you reach the land. Keep any written shared-drive or access papers with your notes.
• Ground: Describe open space, woods, slopes and wet areas. Ten acres of steep woods may not offer the same usable space as ten open acres.
• Buildings: List a house, barn or other structure included in the sale. Don’t compare the full price of land with a house to the price of bare ground.
• Services: Separate a working water or power connection from a line nearby. Share any well or septic papers you already have.
• Current use: Explain a lease, tenant or other agreement. State whether crops, equipment or other items go with the land.
• Date and size: Keep the closing date beside the acres and price. A small lot’s price per acre may be a poor guide for a larger tract.

You’re gathering useful facts, not planning the buyer’s whole project. Ask the agent or appraiser which differences matter most to the likely price.

Find Completed Sales You Can Actually Check

Ask a land agent or appraiser for recent completed sales that match your setting and type of land. Ask for the parcel number, closing date and source beside each price. Keep active listings in a separate group.

A listing shows what a seller hopes to receive. A completed sale shows what a buyer paid for that particular deal. Don’t treat the two as the same thing, even when a listing has a sold label.

The old tables on this page repeated the same acres, price and town in some rows. Without parcel or deed numbers, we couldn’t tell whether they were different sales. Check the land’s identity before counting a row as another example.

Ask what was included. Was it one parcel or several? Did the buyer also get a house, cabin, equipment or other property? Don’t put one deal’s full price beside every parcel and count each as a separate sale.

If the records leave those questions open, keep the example out of your price range until it is explained. A few well-matched, checked sales are more useful than a long list you can’t sort out.

Keep the Sale and Deed Details Together

Keep each sale’s parcel number, date and source together. Add a deed book and page or document number when available, so someone can find the same deal again.

The Fentress County Register of Deeds keeps deeds, recorded leases, plats and other land documents. A plat is a drawing recorded with the land records. If you’re missing a deed or another recorded paper, call 931-879-7818 and ask how to get a copy.

Have the owner name, location and any recording details you know ready. Ask what the office needs to find the document, what copies are available and what they cost before ordering.

If your papers mention mineral rights or a recorded lease, keep the full paper with your notes. The Assessor lists mineral-right assessments among its records, but an assessment alone doesn’t settle which rights go with your sale. Ask the closing team to check the documents before making a promise to a buyer.

A deed copy helps you gather facts. It isn’t the full ownership check needed for a sale. If you’re handling family land after a loss, let the closing team know so they can help you understand the next step.

Make a Short Comparison Sheet

Use paper or a simple spreadsheet. Keep the checked facts beside unanswered questions rather than filling a gap with a guess.

For example, a made-up five-acre land sale at $75,000 works out to $15,000 per acre. A made-up two-acre property with a house at $250,000 works out to $125,000 per acre if you divide the whole price by its acres. That second calculation doesn’t tell you the value of empty land because the deal included a house.

These are math examples, not Fentress County sales or a price estimate. Keep the full price and included property beside the result. Only divide a checked land-only price by checked acres when the calculation is useful.

Turn the Good Matches Into a Price Range

Put the closest completed sales together and explain how your land differs. A local agent or appraiser can help you decide which examples deserve the most weight. Avoid adding a guessed dollar amount for each feature.

Keep active asking prices in a separate group. They show what sellers hope to receive. A completed sale shows what a buyer paid for that particular deal.

Check the year and included property on a tax record. A value that includes a house is a different starting point from the value of an empty lot. Use it as background, not as a promise of an offer.

If there are no close matches, say so. Ask what evidence would narrow the range. A farm lease, well or septic record, or existing survey may answer a specific question without needing new work.

For a written value opinion, ask a land appraiser what they would inspect, which sales they would use and what it costs. Tell them if you’re choosing an asking price, handling family land or comparing an offer.

The old March 2026 tables on this page had prices and 200 reported entries that weren’t checked against unique parcel or deed records. They’ve been replaced with this guide. The land value guide explains the wider basics.

Is Your Land Inside Jamestown or Outside the City?

That question matters when comparing land. The county’s Zoning and Permitting page says Fentress County has no county zoning rules or special building-permit requirements. It also says deed restrictions and state permit and inspection rules still need to be checked.

The same page says zoning and permits do apply inside the City of Jamestown. It lists 931-879-8815 for city questions and 931-879-7713 for the County Executive’s Office.

If you’re unsure which area your land is in, ask with the parcel number and location. Confirm the current rules for the buyer’s plan before describing the land as ready to build on. Keep any deed restrictions or existing permits with your papers.

A lack of county zoning doesn’t answer whether a particular site has the access, ground or services a buyer needs. You don’t have to solve every future-use question before asking about price. Share what you know and keep unanswered questions clear.

Keep Taxes Separate From Your Asking Price

Unpaid taxes may reduce the money you receive at closing. They don’t answer what the land itself is worth. Keep the value discussion and current balance as separate questions.

The Fentress County Trustee collects county property taxes. Call 931-879-7717 with the parcel number and bill you have to ask about a balance or missing bill.

Keep the tax year and date beside any amount you save. Ask the closing team to confirm what is owed before the sale, especially if an older balance is involved. Don’t assume one old bill shows every amount that needs settling.

For questions about the property record and its values, contact the Assessor at 931-879-9194. If your land has a loan, lease or tax-program papers, keep those with your notes and ask how the sale would handle them.

When You Have an Offer, Check the Money You Keep

An offer is a buyer’s proposed deal. It may differ from an asking price or a written appraisal. Read what the buyer wants to check and when they can cancel.

Ask who pays the agent fee and closing costs. Check what loan, tax, or other balance may come out of your payment. Compare the money you keep, the conditions, and the target date, not just the price at the top.

You can list with an agent, sell the land yourself, or compare a direct offer. If you’d like one more option, tell Reelvest about your land. We’ll review the details and let you know if we can make an offer. You decide whether it fits.

For the broader selling process, see the Fentress County seller guide.

Questions About Fentress County Land Value

Local source links reviewed October 4, 2026.