10 Things That Add Value To A piece Of Land

I just got back in from showing a large parcel we’re selling up here in New Hampshire; boy was it beautiful today and a great reminder how lucky we are to be in the land business!

As we walked through the woods, I went over some of the positive attributes of the property and also the negatives - I always try to be up front about things, it’s much better than having something bite you on the ass later on. On the drive home, I thought of a few important factors to keep in mind when considering a piece of land for vacation or retirement - these are the physical components that can add value and of course make it easier to sell on the back end… here’s ten of them:

1. Exposure: Look for Southern and Western orientation of the property; this is what most people want.
2. Views: Anything with a view will add value and remember, a Winter view may be obscured by leaves in the Summer!
3. Water: Some form of water on or very near to the property enhances it’s atmosphere - year round brooks are better than seasonal ones and anything swimmable is a huge plus.
4. Quiet: That gorgeous view lot is worth so much less when there’s the sound of traffic in the background, so always listen when doing a land tour.
5. Trees: Mature woodlands are far more desirable than scrappy new growth after recent logging activity!
6. Proximity to Ameneties: Most folks want to be within an easy drive of local shops, healthcare and recreational attractions - the further out you go, the more you’re cutting down on the number of people who would buy your property on the back end.
7. Topography: Is there a good spot to build, or even better, several nice spots to choose from?Too much steepness or wetness can be prohibitive; same goes for a long and/or steep driveway for access.
8. Special Features: Such as granite stone walls, mossy escarpments, waterfalls or existing trails. Try and find out what the ’secrets’ of the property are.
9. How’s the Apporach?: Several run-down mobile homes and a half a junkyard preceeding your subject lot aint gonna help matters when looking for good value!
10. Developer Reputation: If it’s in a development, protective convenants, road maintenance and a well thought-out design, in addition to a good developer reputation are all important factors.

This is by no means a complete list and I’m sure you could add a few….. there’s actually quite a lot to it, when you think about it. Taking the time to consider some of these items will really help when making that all-important land-buying decision.

Richard is a Land Specialist at Northern Acres (www.NorthernAcres.com) and the creator of Black Widow Network (www.BlackWidowNetwork.com) for the real estate investment community.

Mastering The Art Of The U-turn

You know the scene all too well….. you’re driving down the road and all of a sudden, you spot some really interesting piece of property - you know nothing about it, but something tells you it might be worth a closer look. Now comes the hard part. Do you keep on truckin’ or do you do what any savvy land investor does and slow down, pull over, then do a U-turn and head right back up the road, to check things out?!

This is huge, folks and it takes a monumental effort to interrupt the flow of your day,  but it could mean the difference between investor mediocrity and finding the kind of deals that people write books about. Just think how many other people have spotted the exact same parcel and probably had the exact same thought as you just did, but carried on driving. I’m here to tell you it’s time to change your behavior. Land deals generally don’t fall in your lap, but the harder you work, the luckier you’ll become.  Think of your business as a treasure hunt - it’s exciting when there’s a good chance you’re the only one going after a particular opportunity. That derelict shed at the side of the road might be sitting on 100 acres, or give access to who-knows-what to the rear of the property.

Any of you had this type of experience?

Good luck out there; keep thinking outside the box and before you make your move, check your rear-view mirror!

Richard Dale-Mesaros

Land Specialist with www.NorthernAcres.com

…..and Chief Deal Weaver at www.BlackWidowNetwork.com

Out-of-State Owners A Good Bet For Land Deals

Before I dive in, I wanted to thank Ryan Folk for inviting me to join the illustrious ranks of the LandThink blog contributors. I have seen some very insightful posts and a great deal of stimulating discussion in the comments sections!

Having started my land investment career basically with fresh air and a hunkering for a good deal, I had to (and still do) employ some out-of-the-box strategies, to get my phone ringing with folks who want to sell their land. One particularly successful technique has been sending letters to out-of-state owners.

I guess there’s a whole mess of theory surrounding how to write effective direct mail letters ( …and we’re not going to get into that here!), but one of the cool things about this type of campaign, is that you can test different versions of your letter, to see which one generates the best response - just use different colored paper, or some other means of identification, to let you know which letter the seller responded to. This way, you can go from complete garbage to something that gets results, without really needing to be a letter-writing genius. Read more »