Although your land may feel important to you and seem like property anyone would want, others may struggle to view it the same way. When you’re getting ready to sell, it’s important that you show people the value of your property and why they should want to buy it.
These are the top tips and tricks for marketing your land for sale and mistakes to avoid when it’s time to make the listing.
1. Do: Create a Narrative For Your Property
When you’re creating marketing information, listings, and posts about your property, it’s important to stop and think about the narrative. What types of property buyers are you looking for? What use do you think a future buyer will get out of this land?
If you’re expecting to find mostly landlord and developer customers, advertise how well this land would work for an apartment complex or multi-unit dwelling. If you think this land would work best for a business that’s going to turn it into warehouses, then advertise toward that.
Give your land a specific voice in your listings that will draw in exactly who you want to buy the property.
2. Don’t: Leave Your Property in Disrepair
Although it might feel easier to just be done with the land and sell it as-is, you’re leaving money on the table when you do this. Remember that buyers are buying more than the land; they’re buying the idea of what could be done with it.
Help them see what this land could be capable of by staging it the way you’d stage a house or rental property. This means clear pathways, usable land, and having the better parts of the property highlighted to show their value.
3. Do: Consider the Zoning Laws
Zoning can seem a lot more complicated than it is, but it’s still important to take it seriously. Not only will these laws tell you whether you can make the land into a house or business, but they will also give you a clear view of how to market the property.
If you’re not sure about local zoning laws, talk with your local department of city planning or similar area of the government to find out what your property is capable of being used as. If you can get this in writing, that’s even better.
4. Don’t: Take This Solo
If you want to sell land fast, don’t try to do it on your own. Although many sellers see that 3% fee and worry about losing all of their money to a realtor, it’s vital that you think about how much work they can do for you to make this property process easier.
From giving you connections for property maintenance, so you don’t have to do the work, to doing walkthroughs of the land with potential buyers, these are incredibly useful professionals to have on your side.
5. Do: Remember, Marketing
Social media is king, and even when you’re working with a professional, it’s important to stop and consider how this tool can benefit you. Marketing your property isn’t just the job of your realtor. You should remember to keep yourself busy and advertise across social media and other websites that buyers may come on.
In some areas, this could mean sites like Craigslist. In others, you might want to post publicly on Instagram or Twitter that the property is available. Make sure to mention that they can reach out to your realtor if they have any questions.
6. Don’t: Take Lackluster Photos On Your Own
Phone cameras are extremely sophisticated these days, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the best ones for the job. Hire a professional photographer who knows what they’re doing, and consider also hiring a drone photographer to take a picture of the entire property.
7. Do: Consider Waiting Out a Rough Market
If the market is too rough, and the only offers you’re getting are a third of your asking price, it’s not worth dropping your price that low. If you can afford to, it could be a good idea to wait out the market and rent out your property while you wait to sell it.
The last three years have shown the property market is unpredictable and wild, and there’s no clear answer for what it will look like in a year or even six months.
8. Don’t: Hope Buyers Will Pay a Fair Price
Although your first offer is exciting, and it can feel like you have to accept it if you want to sell your property at all, don’t fall for this easy mistake. Stop and look at the offer, and consider if it’s what your land is worth. Usually, buyers will go far below the asking price in the hope that you’ll drop the price and meet them halfway.
If the offer is too low to be reasonable, you don’t have to play ball with them.
Your Property Could Sell Over Asking Price!
Whether this is the first piece of property you’ve ever sold or you’re trying to hone your skills to sell it for more, consider each of these tips before you hit the market.
