Online Listings to Sell Land or Lots: Five Tips to Help Spur a Successful Sale

Did you know that 90% of real estate buyers are now searching online for properties? Clearly, online listings should be a critical part of your strategy when you want to sell lots and land. And when an online listing is the first impression (and possibly only) that greets potential lot and land buyers, an engaging listing can be the difference between a property that languishes and a property that moves. Here are our top tips to help you successfully sell land or lots online by creating an effective property listing.

Photos. Creative, Strategic, Smart Photos. You’ve heard it, you know it: photos help you sell. There is plenty of research to show that listings with photographs attract more attention than those without, and often sell more quickly. Here’s the trick: Good lot and land photos can be tougher to come by than photos for houses. You need to be creative, strategic and smart about the photos you use in order to sell that vacant lot and stand out from other properties. If you’ve got key attributes with a property, great! Show off that wonderful view, beautiful trees or park-like setting. If your lot is in a developed neighborhood with amenities, photos will help potential buyers picture themselves enjoying that pool or clubhouse. However, if your property isn’t particularly photogenic, you may want to use a satellite image with a graphic overlay to show off the location and layout. Or, take pictures of the nearby lake or golf course to show some local attributes. Lastly, make sure any trash or unsightly debris is not displayed in the photos (you wouldn’t believe how many of these we see!). Read more about how to easily create great photos for lot and land properties. Also, Learn how to use screenshots of online aerial images and other tips to enhance your property listings.
Details. Details. Details. Photos attract buyers, but the details sell the property. Today’s buyers of lots and land are more savvy than ever, and whether they’re a builder, developer, homeowner or investor, they want information in the listing that will help them decide if they would like to call you or move on. Lot and land buyers need different information than buyers of existing homes. Relevant details like buildable area, set-backs, restrictions, status of utilities and improvements, site maps and even environmental studies help buyers imagine the living experience the property could offer; and builders and developers to better evaluate the property for their next project. LotNetwork.com’s listing template is designed to help you add lot and land-related information, making it easy for you to add the right details. Plus, LotNetwork offers unlimited photos and attachments, a feature that allows you to include due diligence documents, maps, surveys, wetland studies and all other relevant information for these types of properties. Take advantage of the opportunity to give potential buyers a well-rounded understanding of what a piece of land offers. Information allows buyers to better assess the property and increases potential responses. And you look all the more knowledgeable and professional. Learn more about the features and tools that LotNetwork.com offers to help you sell your lot and land properties.
Location. Location. Location. (Online, that is.) As online real estate marketing has grown in recent years, it’s also become more sophisticated. Now online marketing options are like a small city. In order to make sure your lot and land listings are found online by active lot and land buyers, you need to be in the right location. There are online “stores” for commercial properties and new homes, existing homes and farmland, and, of course, residential lots and land. There are big box stores and there are specialty stores. If you place your listings only on sites designed primarily for homes (where the lot and land listings are way in the back of the big box, in a poorly lit corner) a few lot and land buyers may wander in and find them. Maybe. If you place lot and land listings on a site designed solely for residential lots and land, then all the buyers on the site will be looking for lot and land listings like yours. It’s a sleek, modern, specialty store where lot and land properties are showcased right up front, and buyers – whether homeowners, builders, developers or investors – fill the aisles. Make sure they find your listings.
Appeal to the ideal buyer. Is your property a small lot in a modest neighborhood that’s perfect for first time buyers, or is it a large spread in the Texas hill country that appeals to an adventurous spirit? Is your parcel more likely to appeal to a professional builder or developer, or a family with children? Anticipating the potential buyer allows you to customize your listing to appeal to that buyer, and online listings are particularly easy to customize – and change if you want to try a different approach. Find a unique voice, the right information and photos and you will go a long way toward snagging the attention of the right buyer.
Be patient. Online listings help you to reach more buyers, in more locations, more hours of the day. However, selling lots and land still often takes longer than selling a home (sometimes much longer). Many land buyers will research properties for weeks or even months before reaching out to the seller. Builders may evaluate multiple properties for their next project and homeowners may be working up the nerve to pull the trigger on building their dream home. Keep your online listing current and fresh (with new photos and/or information), consider whether your price is competitive, but keep on marketing the property. You never know when that right buyer will come along, and if your listings are not active buyers certainly can’t find them. Read more tips and ideas about how to sell lots and land, and why its different from selling homes.

Let’s face it, trying to sell land and lots can be a challenge. So it’s wise to do everything you can to best market your property to active lot and land buyers. Best of luck!

Agents and Brokers, check out our page that highlights some of our resources for real estate pros and how LotNetwork.com can help you and your business.

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