Almost everything that matters about a piece of land is a public record. Who owns it, what is attached to it, where its lines run — the county holds all of it, most of it is free, and most of it takes minutes to look up.
Land is also bought differently to a house. There is often no agent on either side and no lender sending an appraiser out, so the homework that would normally happen around you is homework you do yourself. It is not difficult. It is just yours.
Here is the order we would do it in.
1. Get the parcel number and look up the owner yourself
Ask the seller for the APN — the assessor's parcel number — and the county the land sits in. Then go to that county assessor's website and search it. You are looking for one thing: the name listed as the current owner of record.
Three outcomes. It matches the seller, and you carry on. It is a company name and the seller says that is their company, which is fine and easy to confirm. Or it is somebody else entirely, in which case ask directly how they are able to sell it — there are ordinary answers, like a purchase that has not been recorded yet or a contract to buy it, but you want that answer before money moves, not after.
If you do not have the APN yet, our guide to finding an Arizona APN links the lookup tool for each county.
Worth knowing: the parcel number is one line of text and it is public information. Any seller has it to hand, so asking for it in writing should be an easy yes.
2. Ask the five questions a real seller answers immediately
- What is the APN and which county? Should take them seconds.
- What is the legal description on the deed? They should be able to send you the deed or the description off it.
- Can you send coordinates so I can go stand on it? A real seller wants you to see it. Vagueness here is strange.
- Who handles the closing, and who records the deed? You want a name — a title company or an escrow company — not "we take care of all that."
- What is attached to the parcel — back taxes, liens, easements? A seller who has done their own homework knows. One who says "nothing" without checking may simply not have looked.
None of these are difficult questions. That is the point of asking them. You are not testing their honesty so much as testing whether they actually know the parcel they are selling.
3. Look at how they want to be paid
Of everything on this page, this is the part with the clearest right answer, which makes it the easiest to check.
Ordinary: money goes to a title or escrow company, against a written agreement, and gets released when the deed is recorded. Both sides are protected by the same arrangement, and neither has to take the other on faith.
Worth more questions: a wire to a personal account · payment by gift card, crypto, or a cash app · a deposit before you have seen anything in writing · a decision wanted today · a suggestion to close outside a title company to save time or fees.
Speed and fee savings are real, and they are also the usual reason given for skipping the step that protects you. On a parcel you intend to keep, weigh what that step costs against what you are buying — it is normally not a close call.
4. Use a title company, even on a cheap parcel
Nobody makes you use one. On a very inexpensive lot, plenty of buyers do not. We still think skipping it is a poor trade, for three reasons that have nothing to do with formality.
- They search what is actually recorded against the parcel, which is the only way to find out about liens, unpaid taxes, or easements you were not told about.
- They hold the money, so the deal does not depend on either side trusting the other.
- They record the deed correctly with the county, which is the step that makes you the owner in the records rather than just in the paperwork on your kitchen table.
Closing through a title company gets you all three at once. That is why we would want one on anything we were buying, and why it is a reasonable thing to ask for on anything you are.
5. Read what you are signing, and keep it
Before signing anything, check that the parcel number and the legal description on the document match the parcel you looked up in step one. Sounds obvious. It is also the most common place a paperwork problem hides, because everyone skims the description.
If the sale is owner-financed, the note should state the amount financed, the interest rate, the payment, the term, and what happens if a payment is late — in plain terms, on the paper, before you sign. Anything explained to you verbally but missing from the document is not part of your deal. Ask for it in writing or assume it does not exist.
Keep a copy of everything you sign and every receipt you are given. If you ever need to sort out a disagreement about what was paid and when, that folder is the whole argument.
Now do all of that to us
We are Tyson and Jennifer, a family company working with vacant rural parcels across Arizona. We would rather be checked out than trusted on a website's say-so, so: ask us for the parcel number, look up the owner of record with the county yourself, and ask us to close through a title company. You will get all three without having to push for them.
Frequently asked questions
How do I find out who really owns a parcel?
Get the parcel number (APN) from the seller and search it on the county assessor's website for the county the land sits in. The assessor lists the current owner of record. It is free, public, and takes about two minutes. If the name that comes back has nothing to do with the person selling it to you, ask why before you go further.
Is it normal for a land seller to ask for a deposit to hold a parcel?
A holding deposit is not unusual by itself. What matters is where it goes. A deposit that goes into escrow with a title company, against a written agreement that says what happens to it, is ordinary. If a deposit is going anywhere else, ask what happens to it if the sale does not close, and get that answer in writing.
Do I need a title company to buy vacant land?
You are not required to use one, and on very cheap parcels some buyers skip it. We think that is a bad trade. A title company checks what is recorded against the parcel, handles the money so neither side has to trust the other, and records the deed properly at the county. On a parcel you actually intend to keep, it is the cheapest insurance in the transaction.
What should a legitimate land seller be willing to give me?
The parcel number, the county it sits in, the legal description from the deed, coordinates so you can go stand on it, and a clear answer about how the closing will be handled and who records the deed. All of it is ordinary to ask for, and a seller who deals in land will have it ready.
How do I check out Red Dirt Land Co?
Exactly the way you would check anyone else. Ask us for the parcel number, look up the owner of record with the county yourself, and ask us to close through a title company. We will give you all three without being pushed.
