Buying and selling land isn’t like buying or selling a house. Land is connected to the owner’s history and values, making the act of buying and selling it deeply personal.
So, when it comes to selling rural land, find a land real estate agent who is well-versed in the nuances of land sales. They should understand the unique features of your land, as well as how to get you the highest ROI while maintaining the land’s integrity.
To find the right land real estate expert, ask these 8 questions:
- What types of rural land properties have you sold in the past?
- What’s your understanding of local zoning regulations, water rights, sewer infrastructure, and easements?
- What’s the local land market like right now?
- Are you familiar with any tax allowances a buyer could take advantage of?
- How do you market your rural land listings?
- Who’s my property’s ideal buyer?
- How do you qualify potential buyers?
- What should I do to prepare my rural property for sale?
1. What types of rural land properties have you sold in the past?
The keyword here is “land.” This is the first question you should ask before hiring an agent. If they’ve only sold houses or commercial properties, but no rural land listings, it’s a sign you may want to go with someone else.
Additionally, your land real estate expert should have experience in selling properties similar to yours — whether that’s farmland, horse properties, recreational land, mountain properties, or something else. This experience gives them critical insight into your land’s unique features and potential.
2. What’s your understanding of local zoning regulations, water rights, sewer infrastructure, and easements?
Get into the nitty-gritty details with your potential land listing agent. They should have a comprehensive understanding of your local land, water, sewer, and easement regulations. These will factor greatly into the value of your property.
Zoning Regulations:
- What’s the current zoning designation of my land (e.g., agricultural, commercial, conservation, mixed-use)?
- What uses are allowed under my zoning designation (e.g., farming, hunting, building a home)?
- Are there any special rules or restrictions for my land (e.g., historic site, floodplain, conservation zone)?
- What restrictions do new developments have under this designation (e.g., structure size, lot size, distances between structures and property lines)?
- Can my land be rezoned?
- Who governs my local zoning laws (e.g., city, county, township)?
Water Rights:
- Does my property have rights to any water (e.g., rivers, lakes, wells, irrigation)?
- Are my water rights legally documented and transferable?
- Are there any restrictions on the water use (e.g., agricultural, commercial, domestic)?
- Are there any shared water rights with neighbors?
- How do the water rights affect my land’s value?
Sewer Infrastructure:
- Is a certain type of sewer system required to sell my land?
- Are there plans to bring municipal sewer services to this area?
- What are the local rules for a septic system or sewer hookup?
- Should I obtain a sewer/septic report before listing my property?
Easements:
- Do any easements affect my property (e.g., drainage/stormwater, shared access, utilities, conservation)?
- Can you show me a map of my land’s easements?
- How do easements impact the future use of my land?
- Can any easements be removed or relocated?
- How do these easements affect my land’s value?
Make sure that your land real estate expert can either directly answer these questions or has the resources and connections to get you answers.
3. What’s the local land market like right now?
Not only should your land selling agent be licensed in your specific area, but they should be fully aware of the state of the local market.
Ask questions like:
- Is it a buyer’s or seller’s market?
- How long is land typically listed before selling?
- What’s the going rate for rural properties similar to mine?
- Are there current land listings that might compete with mine?
- Who’s been buying land in this area and why?
Local market knowledge lets you know that your agent is capable of developing a strategy that clicks with local buyers.
4. Are you familiar with any tax allowances a buyer could take advantage of?
If your land selling agent has experience in the area, they will likely be familiar with tax allowances that may increase the value of your land.
Tax allowance programs that can reduce property taxes (and increase your land’s value) include:
- Agricultural use
- Wildlife management use
- Land trusts
- Timberland use
- Homestead exemptions
To take advantage of a tax allowance, most programs have restrictions on how the land is used and to whom it can be sold.
5. How do you market your rural land listings?
General real estate sites like Zillow and Trulia won’t cut it for land listings. There are too many nuances and visual details when it comes to land listings that these common platforms do not support. Your selling agent should be using land-specific real estate sites that showcase topography and special features to market their properties.
They should also be steeped in marketing techniques that work for local land buyers. That might mean a social media strategy, attending in-person events, outdoor advertising, or sending out mailers.
6. Who’s my property’s ideal buyer?
Taking into consideration their past listings, your land’s unique features, and your hopes for the future of your land, your agent should have a good idea of your target buyer. If they don’t have an ideal buyer in mind, it brings into question their market knowledge and marketing strategy.
7. How do you qualify potential buyers?
To ensure that prospective buyers are financially prepared to follow through on their offer, your agent should have a process to vet them. Talk to your agent about the process they use to qualify buyers and if you should take any additional steps, such as requiring a pre-approval letter.
8. What should I do to prepare my rural property for sale?
Is there anything your land real estate agent suggests doing before listing your rural property? If they have experience in the local land market, they should be able to recommend changes to your land that increase its value, like rezoning, putting in a new septic system, or digging a well.
Find A Land Real Estate Expert
Parting with a piece of land can be tough. Make the process easier by working with a local rural land expert who can guide you through all the steps. United Country Real Estate partners with thousands of land experts, including those in your area and specializing in your land type. Find the right one today!