Start with recent completed sales of land a buyer would compare with yours. Match the location, size, access and known uses. Then ask a local land agent for a price range for your whole property. A small ready home lot and a large tract with unanswered home-site questions need different comparisons.
Find Your Land in the County Records
Start with a recent tax bill, deed or old survey. Write down the land ID, acres, nearest road and owner names. A parcel is one piece of land in county records. Keep each land ID if you plan to sell several together.
The Licking County Auditor links to OnTrac Property Search. You can look for land by owner, address or parcel number. Keep the record with your notes. Check whether the acres and location match the land you want to sell.
OnTrac also offers transfer-date and acreage filters in its advanced search. They can help narrow a search, but a transfer still needs checking before you use it as a price match. If you need help finding your land, the Auditor lists 740-670-5040.
The Auditor sets values for tax purposes. A number labeled market value in a tax record isn't a buyer's offer or a fresh appraisal. An appraisal is a professional opinion of value for a stated purpose and date.
No street address? Use the land ID and nearest road. Our guide to land without an address explains how to get started. Don't use a neighbor's address to describe your land.
Compare Land That Fits the Same Kind of Buyer
Ask a local land agent for a few recent completed sales. Ask why each one is a good match. An asking price tells you what a seller wants. A completed sale gives you a price to check against what actually changed hands.
Start with these questions:
- Same area? Compare the road, travel time and nearby uses. A shared mailing city doesn't mean two tracts have the same setting.
- Similar size? A small home lot and a large farm may draw different buyers.
- Similar access? Can a buyer reach the land from a public road? Is a shared entrance or crossing involved?
- Similar ground? Compare open fields, wooded slopes, low spots and the amount of space a buyer could use.
- Same possible use? Compare what is known about home sites, farming or other uses. Separate approvals from hopes.
- Same items included? Check for a house, barns, equipment, several parcels or rights sold with the land.
Keep active listings in a separate group. They can show the choices buyers see today, but an unsold price doesn't prove your land will sell for that amount. If few close matches exist, ask an agent to explain the limits of the evidence.
News about nearby projects may bring questions from buyers. Ask for evidence tied to your exact land before adding a premium to your price. A nearby project doesn't establish road access, utility service or permission for your tract.
Check What Each Recorded Sale Included
A sale price can look helpful until you find out it covered a house or several pieces of land. Keep the full price, date, acres, all land IDs and deed reference together. Check whether repeated records belong to one deal.
The Licking County Recorder keeps recorded documents and gives each its own document number. The office offers help finding records and making copies. Call 740-670-5300 to ask how to find a deed or related paper. A deed is the paper used to transfer land.
Ask an agent or closing professional to help check which land and items the transfer included. A family transfer or a deal with several properties may be a poor price match. Don't assume every transfer was an open-market sale.
Keep the document number with your comparison notes. If two entries show the same land, date and amount, check for a repeat before counting both. Don't give each parcel the full price of a bundled deal.
If you're helping settle a loved one's estate, gather the deed and any estate papers at your own pace. A closing professional or attorney can explain who needs to sign. You don't need every answer before asking for help.
Check Home-Site Questions Before Using a Home-Lot Price
Before you compare your land with a ready home lot, list what is known about your own tract. Keep old tests, permits and utility records. Say which questions are still open. You don't have to build a home or install a system to start selling.
The county's Township & Zoning Info page points to township contacts and rules. Zoning is a set of rules about land use. The county says township rules are handled by the township and asks readers to verify them with its zoning inspector.
Use the record location rather than the mailing city alone to find the right office. If the land is inside a city or village, ask that office which rules apply. Ask about the buyer's planned use before calling the land ready for it.
A septic system handles household waste where a sewer connection isn't used. The Licking County Health Department explains that soil, slope and wet ground affect whether an on-lot system can work. Not every lot can support one.
Share any soil review or septic papers you already have. If none exist, say so. A buyer can ask the Health Department what must be checked for the proposed home site. Ask the service provider about water, sewer and power availability too. A line along the road doesn't settle the cost or ability to connect.
Separate a Possible Lot Split From an Approved One
Selling one tract as several home lots can sound appealing. Before using small-lot prices to value the whole tract, ask what would be needed and what it would cost. Road access, each lot's shape and other questions may change the plan.
Licking County Planning & Development handles county subdivision rules, access management and floodplain rules. Its main number is 740-670-5200. A subdivision divides land into separate lots. A floodplain is an area that may flood.
Ask which offices would review a split at your location. The Health Department also reviews new lots without public water and sewer for on-lot sewage systems. A drawing of several lots isn't the same as permission to create them.
Compare selling as one tract with the work, cost and timing of a split. You can sell land without first turning it into ready home lots. Don't price a possible split as if every approval and service connection were already in place.
For the land as it stands, explain how you enter, any shared road and any known wet areas. Share written access agreements and surveys with the closing team. An easement is a right to use someone else's land for a stated purpose; its terms need checking.
Use This Simple Land-Price Worksheet
Copy these lines into a note for each sale you want to compare. An agent can help fill the gaps. Keep unknown answers blank rather than guessing.
- Location, land IDs and deed document number:
- Completed sale date and where I found the record:
- Full price and total acres included:
- House, buildings, other land or items included:
- Entrance and any shared access:
- Ground, services and known use approvals:
- Why it fits my land, and the biggest differences:
Divide price by acres only when both describe the same whole deal. For made-up example math, $180,000 for 20 acres is $9,000 per acre. A $90,000 sale of 3 acres is $30,000 per acre. That doesn't make a 20-acre tract worth $30,000 per acre.
These are fictional numbers, not Licking County sales or a price estimate. A smaller ready home lot might include things a larger tract doesn't. The whole property's value needs its own comparison.
Ask an agent for a price range based on the best matches. Ask what could move the range up or down. If you need a formal value opinion for a particular purpose, ask about an appraisal. Our land value guide covers the basics.
Compare the Money You Keep and the Work Involved
Before choosing an asking price or accepting an offer, get a written estimate of what you'd keep. Include fees, closing costs, loan balances, unpaid taxes and any work you agree to pay for. Ask the closing team to confirm the amounts for the planned closing date.
For made-up math, a $140,000 offer minus $7,000 in seller costs and $10,000 owed leaves $123,000. Your amounts may be different. Compare each offer using your own figures.
Read more than the price. Ask when the buyer can cancel, how long checks take, who pays costs and who handles closing. If the price depends on a split or another approval, ask what happens if it doesn't work out. Our offer comparison worksheet helps put the answers side by side.
You can use a land agent, sell it yourself or compare a direct offer. An agent helps with pricing, ads and visits. Selling yourself means handling those jobs and finding help with the papers. A direct buyer gives you one price and set of terms to weigh.
If you'd like a direct offer to compare, tell Reelvest about your land. We'll review it and let you know if we can make an offer. You decide whether it fits. See our Licking County seller guide for more selling steps.
Questions About Licking County Land Value
What is my Licking County land worth per acre?
Start with recent completed sales of similar land. Compare location, size, access, ground and what was included. Ask an agent for a range for your whole property. A county average can miss important differences.
Where can I find my land record?
The County Auditor links to OnTrac Property Search, where you can search by owner, address or parcel number. A parcel is one piece of land in county records. Keep all IDs if you plan to sell several together.
Is the Auditor’s market value my selling price?
It is a value used for tax purposes, not a buyer’s offer or a fresh appraisal. Check similar completed sales before deciding what to ask.
How do I find a missing deed?
Start with the Licking County Recorder at 740-670-5300. Ask how to find the document and get a copy. Keep its document number with your papers.
Can I use a small home lot to price a larger tract?
Check the differences first. A ready home lot may have approvals, services or access that the larger tract lacks. Use the whole sale price and all acres, not just the highest price per acre.
Do I need septic approval before asking about selling?
You can start with the records you have and explain what is unknown. For a proposed home site, ask the Health Department what must be checked. Not every lot can support an on-lot system.
Should I split the land before selling?
Compare selling as one tract with the cost, work and timing of a split. Ask Planning and the other offices that apply to your location what is needed. A possible split is not an approved split.
Should I accept the highest offer?
Compare the money left after costs and amounts owed, plus cancellation terms, inspections and timing. Ask who pays each cost and get the terms in writing.
Local source links reviewed October 5, 2026.