Start with recent completed sales that fit your land. Check what each price covered, then compare the location, usable ground, road access and services. A small home site and a larger tract can attract different buyers. One county-wide price per acre won’t tell you what your land is worth.
1. Find the Land Record Before You Compare Prices
Take the parcel number from a tax bill or deed. That’s the county’s number for the property. Save the location, acres and a map pin if the land has no street address. Check that every paper describes the tract you want to sell.
The county’s Real Estate Appraisal page links to its property search. It describes records for land and improvement values, tax bills, maps and sales information for the last three years. Improvements can include a house or other things added to the land.
Look at the record’s date and the separate land and improvement amounts. A total for a house and its lot is not a vacant-land price. The tax value is useful background, but it isn’t a buyer’s offer.
Keep the deed reference with the record. Durham’s Register of Deeds search page links to online records and explains that certified records are also available at the office. A deed is the paper that records a change of ownership. It can help you check which land a sale covered.
2. Check Which Acres the Price Covered
Write down the acreage source next to each comparison. Is it from a deed, survey, tax record or ad? If two numbers differ, don’t choose the one that gives you the highest price per acre.
Durham’s Land Records/GIS page explains the difference between deeded and mapped acres. Deeded acres come from the land description in the deed. Mapped acres are calculated from that description or a recorded survey. The page lists 919-560-0300 and Taxlandrecords@dconc.gov for the office.
Ask for help if the difference changes your comparison. An online map is a starting point, not a new survey of your land.
Also check whether one sale covered several parcels. If the price bought three tracts together, don’t divide that whole price by the acres of just one tract. Write “several parcels” and ask for the full details before using it.
3. Choose Sales That Fit the Same Kind of Buyer
Ask an agent who sells land in the area for recent completed sales. Start with properties that a buyer could use in a similar way. A wooded tract, a small home site and land with a building may need separate comparisons.
- Location: Compare the surroundings and the roads and services a likely buyer needs.
- Usable ground: Look at slopes, streams, wet areas and the shape of the tract.
- Entrance: Compare road frontage, gates and any shared route.
- Services: Separate working connections from lines that are only nearby.
- What came with it: Check buildings, several parcels, leases or other items included in the price.
Keep the date with each sale. Active ads show the competition, but an asking price is not proof of what a buyer paid. If the best examples are old or unlike yours, start with a range and ask what could move that range.
Don’t treat a mailing address as proof that two properties follow the same rules. Ask which city or county handles questions for the actual parcel and buyer’s plan.
4. Separate What’s Connected From What’s Nearby
A buyer who wants a home site may ask about water, sewer or a well and septic system. A septic system treats household wastewater on the property. Keep any bills, permits or service papers you already have.
A line near the road does not tell you the cost or terms of a new connection. Durham’s utility information page warns that map data does not guarantee what is in the field. It directs connection questions to PWEngServ@durhamnc.gov. Have the parcel location and the proposed use ready when asking.
You don’t need to design the buyer’s whole project to discuss a sale. State what is connected, what has been checked and what is still unknown. If a comparison has working services and yours does not, keep that difference in the price discussion.
The same applies to allowed uses and road access. Zoning means the rules for how land can be used. An easement is a right to use another person’s land, such as for a road. Gather any papers you have and let the buyer and closing team check the details for their plan.
5. Make a Short Comparison Sheet
Use one row for your land and one for each useful sale. Keep these details together:
- The parcel number, location and sale date.
- The full price and total acres covered.
- The deed reference and any buildings or extra parcels included.
- The entrance, usable ground and known services.
- Why the sale fits your land, plus the main differences.
Count a sale once even if two websites spell the address differently. A very high or low price needs a closer look. Was there a house, a business property or a group of parcels in the deal? If you can’t explain what the price bought, leave it out of your main comparisons.
Made-up math example: A 5-acre tract sells for $100,000, which is $20,000 per acre. These are sample numbers, not a Durham sale or price estimate. A nearby 10-acre tract is not automatically worth $200,000. It may have different services, access or usable ground.
If you need a firmer opinion and the sales are hard to compare, ask an agent or land appraiser how each difference affects the range. A careful comparison is more useful than a long list of unrelated prices.
6. Use the Range to Compare Your Selling Options
You can list with an agent, sell it yourself or ask a direct buyer for an offer. Compare the expected price, costs, work and timing. Choose the route that fits your needs.
For each written offer, note the costs you pay, loan or tax payoffs and expected money left for you. Ask what the buyer still needs to check, when they can cancel and what happens to the deposit. Get the planned closing date and payment terms in writing.
Our land offer worksheet helps keep those details side by side. If you’d like a Reelvest offer to compare, tell us about your land. We’ll review it and let you know if we can make an offer. You decide whether it works for you.
For the steps after choosing a buyer, read our Durham County seller guide and North Carolina land seller guide.
What You Can Gather Today
Find your tax bill or deed. Save the location, a few recent photos and any survey, road agreement or service papers you have. Write down what is known and what needs help.
If you share the land or are helping settle a loved one’s estate, gather the owner names and papers you have. Ask the closing team who needs to sign before setting a firm closing date. Missing papers are a reason to ask for help, not a reason to guess.
You can start with an honest description and a few good comparisons. You don’t need a county average to begin a useful price or offer conversation.
Questions About Durham County Land Value
What is land worth per acre in Durham County?
There is no single price that fits every tract. Compare recent completed sales with similar use, location, access and services. Check the full acres and what was included before calculating a price per acre.
Is the tax value the price I should ask?
It is background, not an offer. Check the date and separate land from buildings and other improvements. Use useful completed sales and the land’s actual features when discussing an asking price.
Where can I find county sale information?
Durham County’s Real Estate Appraisal page links to its property search and describes sales information for the last three years. Check the deed reference and what each transaction covered before using it as a comparison.
Why do the deed and map show different acres?
The county explains that deeded acres come from the deed’s description, while mapped acres are calculated from that description or a recorded survey. Ask Land Records/GIS at 919-560-0300 if you need help with a difference.
Can I assume water or sewer nearby is ready to use?
No. Keep existing service papers and ask about the specific connection and planned use. Durham’s utility information page says map data does not guarantee what is in the field.
What if a sale includes a house or several parcels?
Check the whole transaction before doing per-acre math. A house price is not a vacant-land price. One price for several parcels must be matched with all the acres and items it covered.
Are the old March tables a current price estimate?
No. The older collection lacked parcel and deed references needed to verify separate land sales and summary prices. This guide replaces those public tables with practical steps for checking useful comparisons.
How should I compare an offer with listing the land?
Compare the expected money left for you, costs, work and timing. Read the buyer’s checks, cancellation terms, deposit and payment terms. A larger price alone does not tell you which option fits best.
Local source links reviewed October 5, 2026.