How do I find out what my vacant land is worth?
Use the same method an appraiser uses for land: comparable sales. Follow these steps:
- Find your parcel's size, zoning and road frontage on the county GIS map or tax record.
- Look up 3 to 6 sales of similar land within a few miles in the last 6 to 12 months. County recorder records, land listing sites that show sold prices, and local agents can help.
- Match on size first. Compare a 5 acre parcel with other 3 to 10 acre parcels, not with 1 acre lots or 100 acre farms.
- Adjust for differences: paved road vs no legal access, power at the road vs none, buildable vs wetland, in or out of a flood zone.
- Give the most weight to the closest, most recent and most similar sale. One very close, recent sale can tell you more than an average of distant ones.
What makes land worth more or less?
Two parcels of the same size in the same county can differ in value several times over. These factors matter most:
- Road access: legal, year-round access by a public road adds value. Landlocked land with no recorded easement is much harder to sell.
- Utilities: power, water and sewer or a site that can pass a septic test make a lot buildable.
- Zoning and restrictions: what you can build, minimum lot sizes, and deed restrictions or HOA rules.
- Flood zone and wetlands: land in a FEMA special flood hazard area or with wetlands has less usable area and higher costs to build. Check the FEMA Flood Map Service Center.
- Soil and terrain: slope, rock and soil type affect building sites and farming. The USDA Web Soil Survey shows soil maps for free.
- Location: distance to towns, jobs, water and growth areas.
- Title: back taxes, liens, unclear heirs or missing owners lower what a buyer will pay until they are fixed.
How much is 1 acre or 5 acres of land worth?
It depends on the state and the setting, but size changes the price per acre more than anything else. Recent market data for vacant land sales shows this pattern clearly:
- North Carolina: under 1 acre, median $70,000; 5 to 10 acres, median $95,000 ($14,286 per acre).
- Georgia: 1 to 2 acres, median $53,000; 5 to 10 acres, median $115,000 ($17,241 per acre).
- Tennessee: 1 to 2 acres, median $59,900; 5 to 10 acres, median $110,000 ($17,494 per acre).
- Alabama: 1 to 2 acres, median $45,200; 5 to 10 acres, median $77,000 ($11,596 per acre).
What is a fair price per acre for land?
A fair price per acre is what recent buyers paid for similar land near yours. State medians in the table are a starting point only. They mix small lots and large tracts, and small lots pull the median per acre up. That is why the table shows much higher figures than USDA farmland values.
For farm and ranch land, the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service is the official yardstick. Its July 2026 report puts US farm real estate at $4,500 per acre, cropland at $6,020 and pasture at $2,000. State figures range from $735 per acre in New Mexico to $23,600 in Rhode Island. Your county's sales will still say more than any state average.
Is assessed value the same as market value?
No. The county assessor sets assessed value for property tax. Assessment rules vary by state, and assessors value many parcels at once by mass appraisal. Assessed value can be far above or below what land sells for. Use it to find the parcel's size and land use, not its price. Our guide on assessed value vs market value explains the difference.
Is there a calculator to estimate my land's value?
Yes. Our free land value estimator shows what similar land near you sold for, by ZIP code, county and acreage. Online estimators give a range, not a price. They cannot see road access, wetlands, title problems or a great view, so check their result against two or three real nearby sales. For a court case, an estate or a loan, hire a state-licensed appraiser.
How do I price my land for sale?
If you list with an agent or by owner, price near the recent comparable sales, a little above if you want room to negotiate. Land often takes months to sell; our state data shows average days on market from about 90 to more than 240 days. Overpriced land sits longer.
A direct cash buyer usually pays below full retail value, in exchange for speed, certainty and taking on problems like back taxes or no access. If your land is easy to sell and you can wait, listing may get you more. If you want a quick sale or the land has problems, compare a written cash offer with your comps and your net after costs.
How EasyLotBuyer handles this
EasyLotBuyer was founded in 2021 and buys land directly. Our free estimator shows what similar land near you sold for. If you want a firm number, we send a written cash offer within 24 hours, based on your parcel's access, utilities, zoning, flood zone and title. There are no fees or commissions, and we pay the closing costs. We buy land with back taxes, liens, title issues or no road access. You can compare our offer with a listing.
Get a cash offer for your land