Why People Use Land Agents to Sell Rural Real Estate

Listen as Pat Porter, land broker and owner of RecLand Realty, reflects on his day after looking at four tracts in 24 hours. He takes some time out of his day to stop and elaborate on a few reasons why land owners choose land agents- real estate agents who focus on unimproved land- to sell their rural property. While there are excellent residential real estate agents out there, who excel at what they do, they are not armed with the knowledge and skill set needed to provide owners of rural land with the level of service needed. Each of the four tracts Pat visited provide a great example of why people use land agents.

Tract 1: This 300 +/- acre property in South Arkansas features pastureland, row crop, recreational land, bottomland timber, cypress brake, and homesite potential. It’s a very diverse tract that the owner desires to sell as a whole. On this tract, Pat has to describe delta farmland, pastureland, rural homesites, recreational aspects, bottomland hardwood and cypress sloughs for duck hunting. When potential buyers call and inquire about this tract, it requires good information and a clear explanation of all the different aspects and potential for the land.

Tract 2: Located in Central Louisiana, this is a premium tract of high-end recreational land for sale. It offers duck hunting, a crawfish farm, farm income, and deer hunting. It’s also adjacent to state wildlife management area. This is the type of tract that doesn’t sell to a guy driving down the road who happens to see a FOR SALE sign on a stake. Unique properties such as this have to be marketed far and wide to a niche market- people with discretionary income to buy high-end property. Land agents have the reach and land industry connections to get to people who can buy million dollar plus recreational properties.

Tract 3: This is a relatively small, 11 acre property. It’s odd, has an irregular shape, and is just situated awkwardly with the access and housing around it. The seller contacted Pat about how to go about selling this “problem tract”, and Pat explains the pluses and minuses. He offers up ideas to the seller and shares what RecLand Realty would do to market the property, including reaching out to particular people and sending mailings and letters. Pat’s aware it’s a small tract, small dollars and small commission, but as a land broker he accepts the challenge and is confident he’ll get it sold. This is what land agents do, and selling this “problem tract” will likely lead to a referral down the road from a satisfied client.

Tract 4: This Louisiana land for sale is listed with RecLand Realty and it’s being subdivided. Pat advised the seller that dividing the tract would bring more buyers into the equation, and the seller is in agreement, but dividing a property takes careful planning and thought. Most importantly, this property needs to reserve a servitude (called easements in some states) for access to another piece of property that the owners are not interested in selling. As an experienced land agent, Pat is familiar with dividing property, knows how to work with surveyors, and knows how to use software to lay it out and give people an idea of what each subdivided parcel will look like. He also knows how to manage reserving the access road. Owners often don’t want to deal with the intricacies of properties like this and most of the time they don’t understand it. As professionals in the industry, land agents are good at it- that’s what they do and that’s why people reach out to them.

If you’ve got rural land that you’re interested in listing for sale, reach out to a land agent in your area who specializes in rural land. They’re more than muddy boots and a four-wheeler; they have a world of information and knowledge and might be able to pull a rabbit out of the hat and get a deal closed that otherwise might not have happened. Almost every land deal has a crazy wrinkle in it, and an experienced land professional will increase a sellers’ odds of enjoying a smooth, successful transaction.