How to Find the Best County for Land Investing in 2025
Choosing the right county is one of the most critical decisions in land investing.
With thousands of counties across the United States, not all markets are created equal. Some counties offer a vibrant market for buying and flipping land, while others may present longer holding times or weak buyer interest.
As a land investor, your success hinges on identifying counties where land is affordable, demand is steady, and deals move quickly.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step process to find the most promising counties using data-backed methods. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned investor refining your process for 2025, this tutorial will give you practical tools and criteria to select high-potential markets.
We'll be using two primary tools:A Google Sheets market analysis template (link in the description)LandPortal.com’s Market Research and Heat Map tools (Advanced Plan required)Let’s dive into the walkthrough.
We'll be using two primary tools:
- County Selection Template - Click Here to Download
- LandPortal.com’s Market Research and Heat Map tools (Advanced Plan required)
1. Choose a Major City as Your Hub
Start by selecting a main metropolitan area as your anchor.
For this walkthrough, we are going to use Atlanta, Georgia.
From there, identify 5 to 10 counties that are 2–3 counties removed from the metro area.
This helps you avoid highly saturated or overly populated zones.
Counties selected in the example:
2. Set Up Your County Selector Template
Open the County Selector template (link above) and label your target area (e.g., "Atlanta, GA").
Add each of the selected counties in individual rows.
You'll evaluate each based on several key data points:
3. Use Land Portal for Data Gathering
Navigate to the Market Research section in Land Portal, and use the Heat Map feature set to 12 months of land data.
For each county that we selected we will gather the following data points and add it to our spreadsheet:
1. Media Price Per Acre
- Switch the view to "5–10 Acres" on the heat map.
- Record the median value.
Example: Monroe Median PPA = $12,045, Days on Market: 105 days
2. Days on Market (DOM)
- Switch back to “All Land.”
- Find and note the days on market.
- Ideal target: less than ~100 days
Example: Monroe = 114 days
3. Absorption Rate
Repeat this process for all counties.
4. Analyze the Results
Not every county will match your ideal profile.
Here’s how the counties fared in the example:
5. Validate Population Density
Use census.gov or similar demographic sites to check each county’s population per square mile.
Counties with densities above ~100/sq mi are usually less ideal for flipping raw land. The goal is to avoid overly dense areas.
Example population densities:
- Spalding County: 343/sq mi – too dense
- Henry County: 755/sq mi – too dense
- Monroe County: 71/sq mi – fits criteria
- Morgan County: 58/sq mi – fits criteria
Counties like Spalding, Henry & Morgan were ultimately ruled out due to low absorption and high population density.
6. Refine Your List
After collecting and comparing all the data, narrow your list to counties that best align with your ideal metrics. In this example, Monroe and Lamar emerged as the strongest candidates.
Finding the best county for land investing isn’t about guesswork, it’s about data.
By using a structured approach with tools like Land Portal and a County Selector Template, you can quickly filter out poor markets and zero in on counties with strong flipping potential.
In 2025, land investors who lean into research and strategic planning will have a clear advantage. Don’t waste time in the wrong markets. Use this method to build a reliable, repeatable process for identifying your next high-performing county.
Add your own tweaks, adjust criteria as you gain experience, and keep testing new areas. And remember—this process works nationwide.
🎥 Watch the full walkthrough video below for a real-time demonstration of each step.
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