Pulse: Absence of Game Pictures Won’t Sink a Land Sale

According to the LANDTHINK Pulse results, 30.3% of buyers PREFERRED to see game pictures on a land listing that they were interested in purchasing for hunting and recreation, but indicated it wasn’t necessarily a deal breaker. The result comes as a surprise, since more than 85% of buyers begin their search for property online, and what do they expect see? You guessed it- lots of pictures. In a split second, a potential buyer will decide if a land listing could be their next hunting paradise, and a land agent’s use of trail camera images can provide buyers with a unique insight into the wildlife that inhabits a property, the patterns of deer on a property, and help reveal the odds of harvesting a future trophy whitetail.

Last month, the August Pulse asked: If you’re buying a recreational or hunting tract, how important is it to see game pictures on listings?

When trying to sell rural land, brokers should use every tool in their arsenal, and trail cameras are great, user-friendly gadgets that capture images of all types of wildlife movement, day and night, and can transport images from the camera to your phone or email in seconds. Listings without game pictures might not be a deal breaker for those searching for hunting land, but why “sell” a tract short by not adding game pictures?

Rusty Hamrick, broker with NAI Earle Furman, talks about how more recreational land buyers are emerging, and seeking out properties with habitat diversity, in his LANDTHINK article Habitat Diversity and Quality Hunting Properties: Valuable Assets in the Current Land Market. “Rural properties that offer a variety of wildlife habitat tend to stand out thanks to excellent resident wildlife populations. This argument is important to sellers due to the historical trend that buyers in the market for quality hunting tracts are often more inclined to negotiate on price when they recognize that a property has good habitat diversity in place and therefore offers immediate high-quality hunting opportunities.”

Hamrick goes on to say, “For buyers looking to invest in a hunting property, habitat diversity is commonly at the top of a requirement list. In many instances, rural land lacking this feature will be passed over by potential buyers even if the property offers every other aspect a prospect is looking for.”

While trail cameras can provide potential buyers with solid evidence on either the presence or absence of a wildlife species, the information they provide isn’t always a 100% accurate picture, as recognized by the 23.4% of our audience that said game pictures were NOT IMPORTANT, essentially saying that didn’t factor into the decision-making when shopping hunting land for sale. If the camera is going to provide the most reliable information, there’s a long checklist that should be followed to insure proper placement on the property in order to achieve the most accurate wildlife assessment.

There are other ways to assess the wildlife on recreational land you are looking to buy. Rod Osterloh, head of the land group for Close~Converse Properties, offers this advice: “The key is to get out on the property, walk it, and know what signs to look for.” In his LANDTHINK article, How Do You Assess the Wildlife on a Property You Are Considering? Osterloh also suggests “…as you look for recreational property to buy, do your research on the region’s wildlife. And visit each property you’re considering with someone who knows how to look for the telltale signs that deer, turkey and other types of wildlife leave behind.” A real estate agent that specializes in land can be a major help in gathering information about a hunting property before you decide to get out on the land and check it out for yourself.

The LANDTHINK audience certainly expressed mixed views on the importance of game pictures on recreational land listings, as our informal online survey revealed. The results were all over the board, but the largest percentage (30.3%) indicated that they were PREFERRED, followed closely by 29.3% who said they were APPRECIATED. Only 23.4% of our audience said they were NOT IMPORTANT, and only 17.1% indicated they were REQUIRED when purchasing a hunting or recreational tract.

Here’s how the results panned out:

• 30.3% PREFERRED: Important but not necessarily a deal breaker
• 29.3% APPRECIATED: Like to see them, but won’t sway me either way
• 23.4% NOT IMPORTANT: Doesn’t enter into my decision-making
• 17.1% REQUIRED: Won’t make an offer without seeing good ones

We were pleased with the tremendous number of Pulse responses, and we thank everyone who answered the Pulse and shared it on social media with friends and connections in the land industry. LANDTHINK would like to extend a big thank thank you to RecLand Realty for sponsoring the August Pulse and coming up with a very interesting question to pose to our audience. RecLand Realty, is the Buck Commander® and Duck Commander® endorsed land broker based in Monroe, Louisiana.

Become a Pulse sponsor! It’s a great way to ensure your brokerage is the first one buyers and sellers call when they have a need to buy or sell property. You’ll get insane exposure on Social + Email + Web. That’s 500,000+ monthly eyes on you! Once you have it, you won’t want to give it up! Pulse sponsorships are offered on a first come first serve basis and are subject to certain limitations. If your business would be interested in sponsoring the October Pulse question, please contact us soon.

Do you have a suggestion for next month’s Pulse question? Submit your question and we might choose yours!

Do you want to help the victims of Hurricane Harvey on behalf of the land community? In lieu of the September LANDTHINK Pulse question, LANDFLIP has started a GoFundMe campaign – “Land Community Helps Harvey Victims”. We will be collecting donations through the end of September, with LANDFLIP pledging to match the first $1000, dollar for dollar! No donation is too small, and your donation will be tax deductible through GoFundMe. Let’s all band together to help our fellow land owners and Texans! Donate now.

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