Check what a price includes before using it to price your land. A sale with a house, buildings or several parcels may not fit an empty piece of land. Richmond County’s tax cards and maps can help you start the check. Then ask a land agent for completed sales that fit your property.
Start with the tax card and map
Find your tax bill, deed or saved map. Write down the parcel number, acres and nearby road. A parcel is a piece of land with its own county record. List each number if you want to sell more than one piece.
The Richmond County Tax Land Records page links to the GIS Parcel Viewer for property tax cards and maps. GIS means an online map. The county says its Land Records Office updates tax records using recorded deeds and other documents.
Match the location and parcel number to your papers. If the map, card and deed show different details, save the records and ask for help. The county page lists the Land Records Office contact. The person helping with closing can also review the sale papers.
A tax card is useful background. Its value is not a buyer’s offer, and a map does not settle every boundary or access question. Keep the deed, survey and written agreements you already have.
Separate land from the rest of a property
When an agent shows you a sale, ask what the buyer received. The total price may cover much more than the acres listed beside it.
- Was a home or other building included?
- Did the sale cover several parcels?
- Were water, power or other services already in place?
- Was there an entrance or work that your land does not have?
- Were there unusual terms that need explaining?
Don’t subtract a building’s tax value from a total sale price and call the rest a proven land price. That shortcut mixes different kinds of numbers. Ask an agent how to find closer land-only sales or explain the limits of a whole-property comparison.
A small lot with services in place and a larger wooded tract may interest different buyers. Photos of your entrance and ground help explain what you have. Share past tests or a survey if available; say which details are still unknown.
Make one note for each useful sale
Keep these details together:
- Parcel number or numbers:
- Sale date, total price and total acres:
- Record link and deed reference:
- Buildings and other property included:
- Access, ground and known services:
- Why it fits your land and what differs:
Ask whether the price is from a completed sale or a current listing. A listing shows what someone wants, not what a buyer paid. Save the source so you and the agent can review the same information.
Made-up example: two parcels of 9 and 6 acres sold together for $75,000. That is 15 acres at $5,000 per acre. Dividing the full price by only 9 acres gives a misleading result. This is example math, not a Richmond County sale.
Check parcel numbers, dates and document references before counting a sale again. Two websites can show one transfer. If you cannot tell what was included, keep it on your question list rather than using it as a firm match.
Ask for a range you can understand
Ask a local land agent for the strongest completed-sale matches and a likely price range. Have them explain the differences, not just give you a large average.
Compare size, shape, ground, entrance and known services. If a future home site or other use has not been checked, label it as a question. Don’t add a fixed premium for something a buyer would still need to confirm.
If few recent sales fit, older sales or a wider area may add context. Keep the dates and limits clear. Put tax values and current asking prices in separate groups from completed sales.
You can ask about value with the papers you have. You don’t need to clear trees or order tests before having that first conversation.
Compare your ways to sell
An agent can help with pricing and marketing. Ask what they would do and what they charge. Finding a buyer yourself puts more of that work on you; plan who will help with the agreement and closing.
A direct offer gives you another choice to compare. Read the price and conditions. Ask what the buyer still needs to check, what could change the deal and who pays the costs.
If you’re handling inherited land or helping settle a loved one’s estate, gather the papers you have. Ask who needs to sign before setting a firm date. You can discuss selling while missing records are checked.
Compare the money you keep
Ask for a written estimate of selling costs and amounts taken from your payment. The closing team can check loans and unpaid taxes for your own sale. Review deadlines and conditions as well as the dollar amount.
Made-up example: $40,000 with $3,000 in selling costs leaves $37,000 before loans or unpaid taxes. A $39,000 offer with $1,000 in costs leaves $38,000 on the same basis. The highest offer may not leave you with the most money.
Use the land offer worksheet to compare choices. The North Carolina land seller guide covers the wider process. If you want a Reelvest offer to compare, tell us about your land.
Questions About Richmond County Land Value
Can I subtract a building’s tax value to get a land sale price?
That shortcut does not prove what the land alone sold for. Ask an agent for closer land-only sales or an explanation of the whole-property comparison.
Where can I find Richmond County tax cards and maps?
Start at the county’s Tax Land Records page. It links to the GIS Parcel Viewer and gives contact help for land records.
Can two websites show the same sale?
Yes. Check parcel numbers, the date and the deed or sale reference before counting it again. Keep the full price with all the land included.
Local source links reviewed October 6, 2026.