Pulse: Land Buyers Want Information Via Email & There’s No Close Second Place

Last month, the LANDTHINK Pulse posed the following question to our audience: When you request more information about an online land listing, how would you prefer the agent provide it to you?

Potential land buyers overwhelmingly prefer to receive information that they have requested about a land listing via email, and there’s no close second place channel. Our informal online survey revealed that a whopping 72.5% of respondents prefer email contact- a number that dwarfs all other options in last month’s survey. Despite an explosion of new channels, from emailing and web chats to mobile video chatting and messaging apps, email and text are still the preferred channels for buyers when it comes to receiving initial information about a listing from a land agent.

October Pulse Sponsored by

We are big believers in the power of email here at LANDTHINK and LANDFLIP. Visitors to our sites have the option of subscribing to the LANDFLIP LEDGER, an email list that keeps visitors notified of land news, articles and new listings, and subscribing to LANDTHINK, which provides land investing knowledge and advice for land professionals, buyers and enthusiasts. And now, the results of last month’s Pulse question gives us and land agents even more reason to appreciate the almighty Inbox.

Today, people demand convenience and expect to be able to get the information they want through their channel of choice. As the results of last month’s survey revealed, in order to provide the support that customers expect and convert online leads into closed sales, land agents need to reprioritize email. It is important for land agents to focus on modernizing the support that they provide customers in their inbox, before looking at other channels. More often than not, potential buyers will stick with the agent who listens to their preferences and communicates with them in the right way.

Email offers unique benefits that other communication channels lack:

Email is convenient. Nearly everyone has access to email right on their smartphone and the entire interaction is on the customers’ terms. Whether or not you are in the office or out in the field, or even overseas, you can access your inbox and go through your messages.

Email can contain attached documents, files, photos, images or forms that can be referenced at any time. That is important to potential buyers when analyzing detailed information about a land listing like maps or timberland data. Messages that have been sent and received can be stored, and searched through safely and easily. It’s also easy to share information with friends and family, or a group of buyers/investors.

Email saves time and keeps the focus on point. A quick call can turn into a long conversation. Phone calls are always filled with some small talk. Talking about our hobbies and family is nice, but we can actually spend that time on something more productive. With an email, you can start with a short greeting and launch straight into what needs to be said. No small talk, just action.

Key Takeaways

For customers: When searching land for sale, you want to find your dream property at the right price and in a timely fashion. One of the best ways to make the land buying process go as smoothly as possible is to communicate effectively with your land agent. Customers need to be open to all channels of communication. If you are interested interested in a land listing, at some point, a phone call from the land agent will be necessary as part of the buying process and the more finite details of putting together a deal.

For agents: Embrace different channels for different purposes. Buyers have different reasons for using different channels and want you to be able to adapt. It’s no longer enough to know channel preferences of your potential customers; you now need to map the power of each channel to the type of communication you are sending them. Email is a great channel to provide additional information on a land listing. But stronger requests such as showing requests, or any contract questions, are better left for the phone, particularly if the initial contact seems to be advancing into a deal. Putting together an offer always involves some level of negotiation and qualification that you just can’t get through email or text. 

The majority of the LANDTHINK audience (72.5%) indicated that they preferred to receive listing information that they requested from a land agent over email more than any other channel. Coming in second, 14.9% said they prefer to communicate with a listing agent by text. Only 9.9% wanted to be connected by phone, verifying the notion that as a society, we have become reluctant or fearful of making and taking phone calls. A mere 2.7% indicated that they would like to meet in person to find out more information about an online land listing.

LANDTHINK would like to thank Southeastern Land Group for sponsoring the October Pulse and for choosing a very interesting question to pose to our audience. If you’re looking for land for sale, or thinking about selling land in the Southeast, Southeastern Land Group is the name you need to remember. They are a full service land and farm brokerage company dedicated to providing the best service and the best results when it comes to buying or selling rural property.

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 served basis and are subject to certain limitations. If your business would be interested in sponsoring a 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!

We want to know what you think about our November Pulse question, chosen and sponsored by Farm Credit Associations of Georgia: If you were to purchase land today, how soon would you likely begin making improvements or building on it? Answer now.