Thread: Land staging-how to market land

What is Land Staging?

What is Land Staging?

While most savvy real estate professionals know that “staging” a house for sale will enhance the sale price and entice more potential buyers, few know that staging land for sale can sometimes double or triple the value of a parcel! At a bare minimum, it will allow more sales activity and support the sale price. What is land staging?

Land staging is basically the same as house staging in that it involves making enhancements to a property that increases value and allows it to “show” better. However, land staging takes a completely different skill set and knowledge base to get dramatic results. With a house, you might mow the lawn, fix a door, paint the interior or just bake bread for a homey smell at an open house. With land you might show how it can be subdivided, mark out property lines or cut a convenient path to a house site.

The most ignored opportunity.
Most people selling land ignore this incredible opportunity. It can often make the difference between selling land at the right price or selling it at a huge discount.

Dramatic results can be accomplished by knowing how to stage land. I have purchased and developed hundreds of acres of land and had to become an expert in making the land parcels sell easily. The key elements are as follows:

1) You or your land expert must have experience. Huge mistakes can be made.
2) Highest and best use of the parcel must be determined. Extensive market knowledge is required.
3) Geophysical analysis. Careful study of soils, topography and land features are critical.
4) Land use & political considerations. Land use regulations are the rulebook which determines how you can stage. Simple things like stream crossings become important.
5) Cost benefit analysis. You need to know where to spend the money. Sometimes just having a feasibility plan is good enough.

Land staging does not have to be expensive depending on how far the landowner wants to increase the value of the property. Sometimes, just having a plan and cutting a walking path can make all the difference.

About the author: Mark De Pecol has 30 years experience developing residential and commercial land. You can see more about land staging at realty-capital.us