Home/What you're looking for/Acreage & Land
Acreage, Farms & Land
From a few wooded acres off Route 221 to working farmland in Botetourt. Land is a different business from houses, and it needs a different agent.
Want to see what's for sale?
The market, briefly
What this costs in the Roanoke area
Priced by the acre, the road frontage, the water and what the county will let you build, not by bedrooms.
Figures reflect publicly reported Roanoke-area activity and are for general orientation only — they are not an appraisal. Ask us for current numbers on your specific situation.
Perc before you plan
Off public sewer, a lot that won't pass a soil evaluation for septic is a lot you can't build on. Make your offer contingent on it, and get a current Virginia Department of Health approval, not an old one.
Land use taxation can change the bill
Virginia counties can tax qualifying farm and forest land at its use value instead of market value, and Botetourt runs a land use program. Ask whether the parcel is enrolled, and what rollback taxes come due if you change how it's used.
Access, frontage and easements
Rural parcels can depend on a shared gravel road, a right-of-way across a neighbor, or a creek crossing. Get a survey and read every easement before you close.
Look at the floodplain, too
Bottomland along the creeks and the river is often the best farmland and the worst place for a house. Check the FEMA flood map before you choose a building site.
Use this
Questions to ask any agent about this
Ask these of any agent — one we introduce or one you found yourself. A specialist answers easily. Everyone else gets vague.
- Has the land passed a current septic soil evaluation, and is there a well?
- Is it enrolled in land use taxation, and what would rollback taxes be?
- Is there deeded road access, and who maintains the road?
- Does any part of the parcel sit in a FEMA flood zone?
- What does the zoning allow: a barn, animals, dividing it later?
Neighborhoods that fit
A starting point. Details change — always verify current rules with the HOA and the locality.
| Neighborhood | Where | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| GlenvarSuburban · Rural Edge | Salem · Roanoke Co. | A Roanoke County community just west of Salem along Route 11 and I-81, with Glenvar High School. |
| CatawbaRural · Trail Access | Catawba · Roanoke Co. | A farm valley north of Salem on Route 311, home to the McAfee Knob trailhead. Wells, septic and open land. |
| Back CreekRural · Acreage | Roanoke · Roanoke Co. | The Route 221 corridor southwest of the city, named for its stream, where the suburbs give way to larger lots. |
| Bent MountainMountain · Acreage | Bent Mountain · Roanoke Co. | A plateau above 2,600 feet on Route 221 with a history of apple orchards. Wells, septic and real winter. |
| Mount PleasantRural · Suburban Edge | Roanoke · Roanoke Co. | Southeast Roanoke County along the Route 116 corridor, toward the Franklin County side of Smith Mountain Lake. |
| ClearbrookRural Edge | Roanoke · Roanoke Co. | Along US 220 south of the city, below the Blue Ridge Parkway on the slopes of Buck Mountain. |
| Boones MillSmall Town | Boones Mill · Franklin Co. | A Franklin County town on US 220 south of the valley, with its own small town tax and Franklin County schools. |
| FincastleHistoric Town | Fincastle · Botetourt Co. | The Botetourt County seat, with a preserved historic core. |
Where to look for this
Botetourt, Daleville & North County
The valley's growth corridor. New neighborhoods around Daleville, Hollins at the county line, and old towns up the road: Troutville, Fincastle and Buchanan.
Explore this areaCave Spring & Southwest County
Established suburbs off Route 419, the Parkway along the ridge, and Back Creek and Bent Mountain where the county turns rural.
Explore this areaVinton & the Southeast Valley
A small town ten minutes from downtown, Explore Park and the Parkway next door, and the roads that head out to Smith Mountain Lake.
Explore this areaOr maybe you're really after…
Historic Homes
Victorians in Old Southwest, bungalows in Grandin and Wasena. Beautiful houses that come with rules, tax credits, and a century of maintenance.
What to knowMountain-View Homes
The view is why you're here. The slope, the driveway, the well and the septic are what you're actually buying.
What to knowNew Construction
Much of the valley's new building is north of the city around Daleville, with pockets across Roanoke County. Your agent should know the builders as well as the floor plans.
What to knowLooking for acreage & land?
Tell us the specifics and we'll introduce you to an agent who does this every week — not one who does it occasionally. Free, and no obligation whatsoever.
- 100% free to you
- No obligation, ever
- One real conversation
- We never sell your info