Start with completed sales that fit your island and your land. Keep waterfront apart from inland property, and vacant land apart from land with a home. San Juan County’s sales tools can help you find examples. Check what each sale included before using it to judge a price or offer.
Start with the county’s dated sales tools
The San Juan County sales data page offers a tool and spreadsheet for single-parcel market sales used in its 2026 assessment. It states the study period was January 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026. Keep that date range with any notes you take.
The page groups results by island and sale type. A county summary is a starting point, not a price for your land. Ask a local land agent to help you find the examples that actually fit.
The county’s parcel and map resource page links to property and sale history, recorded documents and surveys. Keep your parcel number with the records you save. That is the county’s ID for the land.
If a paper is missing, start with the owner’s name and location. Ask which record you need before ordering copies.
Match the island and the kind of property
Ask why each sale is useful for your land. Compare these details:
- The island and location.
- Whether the land is waterfront or inland.
- Whether a home or other buildings were included.
- The acres, shape and ground.
- How the buyer reaches the land.
- Known services and the sale date.
Do not treat a view as the same thing as waterfront. If your land has a view, describe it plainly. Do not promise beach, dock or road rights unless you have the papers and help to check them.
A nearby sale can still be a poor match. Ask the agent to explain the biggest differences before giving the example much weight.
If close matches are scarce, ask whether older sales or a wider area would help. Keep the dates and differences clear rather than blending every island into one number.
Keep the price and all the land together
Make one note for each possible comparison: parcel number or numbers, deed reference, date, full price, total acres and buildings. A deed is the paper used to transfer ownership.
Here is a made-up example: one sale includes 5 acres and 3 acres for $240,000. The total is 8 acres, or $30,000 per acre. Using the full price against only 5 acres would give a misleading result. This is math, not a San Juan County sale or price estimate.
The county’s single-parcel list has a stated scope. Do not assume it covers every type of transfer or every multi-parcel sale. If a possible comparison includes more than one parcel, check the whole transfer separately.
Check repeated rows against parcel and deed references. A second address line does not prove a second sale.
If the price includes a house, ask for a better vacant-land match. Subtracting a building’s tax value does not prove what the land sold for.
Write down what you know about reaching and using the land
Keep the location, acres, tax bill and any survey together. A survey is a drawing that helps describe land lines. Add any lease or written road agreement you have.
Explain how you reach the property now. Tell the agent or buyer if a road, dock or shared entrance is part of that route. Say what you know and which rights are still a question.
You do not need to plan a buyer’s home or guess about services. Ask which unknown detail matters before paying for new work.
If you’re helping settle a loved one’s estate, gather the papers you have. Ask who needs to sign before setting a firm date. Missing paperwork is something to work through.
Compare the work of each way to sell
A land agent can help find useful sales, set a price and advertise. Ask about fees and experience with land like yours.
Selling yourself means handling calls, visits and buyer questions. Plan how to show the land safely and get help with the agreement and closing.
A direct buyer may give you an offer to compare. Ask what still needs to be checked and when the buyer can cancel. A simple offer still needs clear terms.
A tax value, listing price and completed sale price mean different things. Keep them separate when deciding what to ask or accept.
Check the money you keep and the buyer’s terms
Ask for a written estimate of the price, costs, loan payoff and taxes. Check which fees each side pays and whether the offer covers all the right parcels.
In a made-up example, $190,000 less $12,000 in costs leaves $178,000 before loans and taxes. An offer of $185,000 with $4,000 in costs leaves $181,000. These are examples, not local prices or Reelvest offers.
Read the target date, deposit and canceling rules. Ask which checks remain and who will handle them. Before signing the final papers, confirm how payment will reach you.
Use our offer worksheet or Washington land seller guide. To compare a direct offer, tell Reelvest about your land.
Questions About San Juan County Land Value
Should I use one county-wide price for my island land?
Use it only as a starting point. Ask for completed sales that fit the island, waterfront status, buildings and features of your land.
Does a water view mean my land is waterfront?
No. Describe the view and location separately. Ask for help checking any beach, dock or other rights before promising them.
What period does the county’s 2026 sales page cover?
The page says its study covered January 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026. Keep those dates with the figures; they do not make every sale a current match.
What if my comparison includes several parcels?
Keep all the parcels, acres and full price together. Check the deed reference so you do not use the whole price for only one piece.
Local source links reviewed October 6, 2026.