Selling Inherited Land in Forsyth County, GA

A lot of the land that sells in Forsyth County comes out of families. Of the 15 residential development tracts in our 2025 land sales report, 10 were sold by families, family partnerships or estates. That includes the largest residential land price of the year: 40.44 acres at Franklin Goldmine Road and Canton Highway, sold by the Estate of Charles Findlay and the Bennett family for $15,703,400.

If you have inherited land, or share it with brothers, sisters or cousins, this is what we suggest sorting out before you talk to a buyer. It is general information, not legal or tax advice. Your attorney and your CPA should have the final word on your situation.

First, find out who actually owns it

Pull the deed and the tax record. If the land is still in a parent’s name, the estate may need to go through probate before anyone has the authority to sign a deed. If several heirs each own a share, every owner generally has to sign. A probate or real estate attorney can tell you what your situation needs and how long it will take, and it is far better to learn that before a buyer is waiting on you.

Get one number everyone trusts

Family disagreements over land usually start with different numbers: something a neighbor heard, a figure in a builder’s letter, the tax assessment. None of those is a price. An opinion of value built on recorded sales near the property gives everyone the same starting point. We explain how land here is priced in What is my land worth in Forsyth County?

Know what the land can become

What a builder will pay depends on sewer, zoning and how many lots the land can carry. Family land that has sat for decades often still carries an older zoning code, and that existing zoning can be worth more than what the county would rezone it to today. Before anyone sets a price, find out what the land is zoned, whether sewer is realistic, and whether the county has an initiated rezoning in the works.

Check for a conservation use covenant

A lot of family farmland in Forsyth County sits in a ten year conservation use covenant that lowers the property tax. The county’s rules treat an owner’s death as one of the main exceptions to the breach penalty, but a later sale to a builder is a breach, and that penalty is twice the tax savings for every year in the covenant, plus interest. Ask the Board of Assessors where your covenant stands before you list. Our guide to A1 agricultural zoning covers how the covenant works.

Talk to a CPA before you sell

Inherited property generally takes a tax basis equal to its value when the owner died, which can shrink the capital gains tax on a sale. How much it helps depends on how the estate was set up and when you sell, so have a CPA run the numbers before you sign a contract.

The usual options

Sell it together. The family lists the whole tract and splits the proceeds. Often the cleanest route, and a larger tract can bring more per lot than pieces sold separately.

One heir buys out the others. Works when someone wants to keep the land, and a trusted value makes the buyout fair.

Divide it. In A1, a split of six or fewer lots with no new road is a minor subdivision that county staff can approve, with one acre minimum lots. Dividing can let each heir choose to keep or sell, but it can also lower what the whole would have brought.

Hold it. Sometimes the right answer is to wait for sewer, a road project or a better zoning climate. That is a decision worth making on purpose, with a number in hand.

How we help families

We are glad to sit down with everyone at once, at the family’s house or ours, walk through what the land is worth and what each option looks like, and answer questions in plain English. If the family decides to sell, we list the land, take it to the builders and developers we work with, and negotiate for all of you. Every listing we take in Forsyth County runs through both Luke Crawford and Justin Mizell.

Frequently asked questions

Can I sell inherited land in Forsyth County before probate is finished?

Usually not on your own. Until the estate is settled or the court gives the executor authority, there may be no one with the right to sign a deed. A probate attorney can tell you what your situation needs.

What if one heir does not want to sell?

Every owner generally has to sign the deed. Families usually work it out with a buyout or a division, and if they cannot, a court can be asked to divide or sell the property. Talk to an attorney before it gets that far.

Do I pay capital gains tax on inherited land?

Often less than people expect, because inherited property generally takes a tax basis equal to its value when the owner died. Your CPA should confirm the numbers before you sell.

How do we find out what inherited land is worth?

Crawford Lands will review the parcel, the zoning, sewer availability and recent Forsyth County sales and give the family an opinion of value at no cost. Call 404 983 6710.

Sources

Crawford Lands, Forsyth County Land Sales Report 2025 (seller names from recorded deeds): https://www.crawfordlands.com/news/forsyth-county-land-sales-report-2025

Crawford Lands, Forsyth County Agricultural Zoning Explained: A1 and AG RES (conservation use covenants, minor subdivisions): https://www.crawfordlands.com/news/forsyth-county-agricultural-zoning-explained-a1-ag-res

IRS Publication 551, Basis of Assets (inherited property): https://www.irs.gov/publications/p551

Forsyth County Board of Assessors: https://www.forsythco.com/government/departments/board-of-assessors/

Crawford Lands, LLC is a licensed real estate brokerage in the State of Georgia, license #81852. This article is general information, not legal, tax or appraisal advice. Zoning rules and county policies change; confirm anything you rely on with Forsyth County Planning and Community Development, your attorney or your CPA. Contact us.