Start with your tax statement, deed if you have it, and a few photos. Write down how to reach the land and what you know about it. Then compare similar sales and choose how to find a buyer. An agent, selling it yourself and a direct offer are all options. Here’s how to get ready.
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.
Look for the parcel or tax map details on your tax statement. A parcel is a piece of land with its own county record. Write down the acres, nearest road and any street address. If it has no address, save a map pin and directions to the entrance.
Can’t find the deed? The Cabell County Clerk’s Record Room keeps deeds, plat maps and other land papers. A plat is a recorded map of property. The page links to online records and lists 304-526-9820 for record questions. Have the owner’s name and any old deed book, page or recording number handy. Ask how to get the copy you need and what it costs.
The deed describes the land and names its owners. Match it to your tax statement. If you own several pieces, list each one and say whether you want to sell them together. Don’t assume one address describes every parcel.
The Assessor’s website links to property maps. Those can help show a buyer the location. Its map guidance says tax maps are for assessment use and are not surveys. Keep an actual survey if you have one. Ask the closing company for help if papers disagree or a boundary is unclear.
Buyers want useful facts. Put these details on one page:
Take recent photos of the entrance and several parts of the land. Show both easy-to-use ground and steeper areas. If you can’t visit, ask an agent or someone you trust to help. Get permission before crossing another owner’s land.
Describe the route from the public road to your land. Is there a shared lane, a steep entrance or a place that needs repair? Tell buyers what you know before arranging a visit.
If the route crosses someone else’s land, look for a written road agreement. An easement is a written right to use another person’s land, such as for a road. Share the paper rather than relying on a photo of a track. The closing company can help check what the record says.
A simple example: Two tracts may have the same acres, but one has a clear entrance and a broad open area. The other is mostly hillside reached by a shared lane. Those details can change the buyers interested in them. They should be clear in the ad and in your price comparisons.
You don’t have to build a new driveway before asking about a sale. First find out what your likely buyers need and whether spending that money makes sense.
If a buyer wants a home site, old well, septic, soil or building papers may help. A septic system treats household wastewater on the land. Keep the full report or permit, not just a note that the land passed a test.
The Cabell-Huntington Health Department’s sewage page explains site review and system inspections. For questions, it lists Environmental Health at 304-523-6483, extension 262. Ask which existing papers or checks could help a buyer understand your land. Don’t assume an old test covers a different home or use.
For a public water or sewer line, ask the provider whether this property is connected and what a new connection would need. “Nearby” is different from “ready to use.” For a buyer’s building plans, ask the planning office that serves the land what still needs review.
You can sell without doing the buyer’s whole building project. Share what you have, say what is unknown, and let the agreement spell out what the buyer will check. Empty land is not a promise that a home will be approved.
Ask a local agent who sells land for a few recent completed sales. Start with land that could serve the same use as yours. Compare size, location, usable ground, road access and services.
Ask what came with each sale. Was there a house? Was the price for several parcels? Did it include trees or other rights that your sale does not? Keep the sale date with each price. A much older sale may be a weak guide to today’s buyers.
Online asking prices show the land you compete with, but not what a buyer paid. A tax value is background, not a promise of your selling price. One county-wide price per acre won’t explain every home site or hillside tract.
If good matches are scarce, keep a range in mind and ask why each comparison fits. A land appraiser can help when you need a more detailed value opinion. Clear differences are more helpful than a precise-looking number based on unrelated sales.
Think about your time, the work you want to do and how soon you hope to sell. A higher asking price may take longer or may not lead to a buyer. A direct offer may be lower. Compare the full deal.
If you’d like a Reelvest offer to compare, tell us about your land. You choose whether it fits. Our West Virginia land seller guide has more help with preparation.
Write down each offer’s price, costs you pay, tax or loan payoff, and expected money left for you. The county’s tax estimator says to call the County Tax Office at 304-526-8672 for an exact tax amount. For a loan, ask the lender for the payoff needed at closing. An old statement may not show the final amount.
Made-up example: A $50,000 offer with $3,000 of seller costs leaves $47,000 before loan or tax payoffs. A $49,000 offer with $1,000 of seller costs leaves $48,000 before those payoffs. These are sample numbers, not Cabell land prices. They show why you should compare the money you keep.
Also compare the deposit, review deadline, cancellation terms and closing date. Ask who buys the land and who handles closing. Get unclear terms explained before you sign. Our offer comparison worksheet helps keep the details side by side.
Once you agree, ask the closing company what it needs and who must sign. Share the deed, survey, leases and land reports you have. If you’re handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one’s estate, bring the papers you have so it can help with the next step.
Check the land description, costs and final payment amount. Ask how and when you’ll be paid, and keep copies of your sale papers.
You don’t need to solve every question first. A clear starting point helps you get useful answers and choose your next step.
Start with the location, parcel or tax map details, acres if known and photos. Add the deed and any survey, lease or service papers you have. You can ask for help before everything is found.
The County Clerk’s Record Room keeps deeds and other land papers. Its website links to online records. Call 304-526-9820 with the owner’s name and any recording details you have.
No. The Assessor’s map guidance says tax maps are for assessment use and are not surveys. Use them to show location and keep an actual survey if you have one.
Gather any written access agreement and describe the route. Ask the closing company to help check the recorded rights. A visible track alone does not answer that question.
No. Share existing papers and explain what is unknown. A buyer can check the use they want during an agreed review period. Avoid promising approval that has not been checked.
Cabell-Huntington Health Department lists Environmental Health at 304-523-6483, extension 262. Have the location and any old reports ready when asking which checks may help.
The county tax estimator directs exact tax questions to the County Tax Office at 304-526-8672. Ask how the amount will be handled at closing.
No. You can use an agent, sell yourself or compare a direct offer. Review the money you keep, timing, conditions and work involved before deciding.
Local source links reviewed October 5, 2026.