Today, Josh Hall is answering the question “What is my property worth?” or “How much is my property worth?”  He outlines how the worth or value of land is calculated. Click on the link below to see if you qualify to receive a free “Broker’s Opinion of Value”. Welcome to the John Hall and Company Selling Land in Alabama series. John Hall and Company has over 35 years invested in selling land in Alabama. 

How Much is My Property Worth?

The first question sellers ask is, “How much is my property worth?”. The American Dream is owning a piece of land. Having your own property provides a getaway to the country for hunting, fishing, horseback/ATV riding, gardening, farming, and building family memories.

Consequently, these wonderful memories of activities on the land often make an owner think more highly of their land. Landowners “bake” these great times into the value of their land making it harder for them to set a realistic value.

Creating an accurate estimate of the value of your land is very important for buyers or sellers. John Hall and Company gives an accurate assessment of the value of a property based on objective data.

“Value is only an opinion and that opinion is only as good as the amount of market data and the detail of data available.” -Josh Hall

We have access to hard data like contracts, listings, and closing sales. As a result, our brokers utilize these key data points to arrive at a more accurate opinion of value while making sure the data is truly comparable.

Appraising land is more difficult to value as opposed to residential listings. This is due to the lack of availability of sales and listings data. 80% of all residential sales are inputted in a multiple listing service (MLS) and the data is readily available to the public. Land transactions are not usually included in the MLS. The most important sales data is scattered amongst land brokers and consultants. That is to say, it is difficult and time-consuming to collect this data.

Here are a few ways to start gathering additional data:

Step 1: Ask The Right Questions Of  Your Property

The first step to understanding what your property is worth is accurately assessing all of the important economic and physical attributes of your property.

I am often asked,

What is the land going for around here?

My immediate response is,

What type of property is it? Is it crop land, pastureland, wooded land, timberland, cutover land, turnkey recreational land, etc?

Where is the land located?

What do the surrounding properties look like?

These questions help clients to see that not all rural land is the same.

Step 2: Assess Land Market Value of Your Property

The second step to assessing what a property is worth is gathering sales and listing information of a similar property. Sales of similar property should follow this definition of “market value” set by the US Federal government for Financial Institutions.

A definition of “market value” is below:

The most probable price which property should bring in a competitive and open market under all conditions requisite to a fair sale, the buyer and seller each acting prudently and knowledgeably and assuming the price is not affected by undue stimulus.

In other words, when looking for comparable sales in order to arrive at an opinion of value the comp sale should be “normal”. However, some properties are outliers. The following examples are not typically a good comparable sale:

• Forced sell due to a court order or a bank foreclosure
• Adjoining property owner paid a premium because it was a neighboring property
• Owner offering below market financing (say 0%)
• The seller accepting the first offer they received while not exposed to the open market
• Parties involved in the transaction being uninformed, such as a party did not know the true timber value, the property was contaminated, or had a WRP easement attached.

Certainly, sellers would benefit from adjoining landowners paying a premium for their land, but this is rarely the case.

Step 3: Define Characteristics of Your Property

Fourthly, to determine what property is worth we would research the transactional and property characteristics and compare them to your property.

Transactional adjustments include:

• Property rights conveyed: Do all rights go with the sale, mineral, surface, timber, etc?
• Financing terms: Were terms normal or favorable due to owner financing?
• Conditions of sale: Normal sale or not, the buyer could have paid a premium because they were on the backside of a 1031 exchange or maybe the sale was to a family member for a discount.
• Expenditures made immediately after a purchase: Did the purchaser pay a commission, or did the purchaser have to buy access or clear a title problem after the purchase?
• Market conditions (change in value over time): If the sale is a year or two old, has the market changed?
• All of the above have to be known, considered, and adjusted as it compares to your property.

Property adjustments include differences in:

• Location: Area or neighborhood differences and proximity to major cities or major interstates.
• Physical characteristics: access, topography, interior road system, flood zones/ wetlands, size, the shape of the site, improvements on the property.
• Economic characteristics: CRP rent, timber leases, hunting leases, surface or mineral royalties, or amount of timber.
• Non-realty components of value: Land transactions often include personal items such as tractors, ATVs, trailers, or furnishings to name a few

Understand each sale used as a comparison to your property is vitally important. This process draws a credible conclusion in understanding what your property is worth. The more sales and listings which are available increases the credibility of the opinion. Also, having the sales data is the first step to know what your property is worth. However, accurately analyzing the data is equally important. A business analyst once told me

“Just because you have the recipe, doesn’t make you a good cook.”

Step 4: Evaluate Market Shifts Around Your Property

Lastly, when calculating the worth of your property know that market changes are not linear.  The market goes up and down. It is like a wave in which there are troughs and crests within the rise and fall of overall land market movement. If your property is listed at the same time many similar properties like yours are listed, it could a trough moment where the supply exceeds demand. Vice versa, your property could experience a crest moment where demand exceeds supply if yours is one of the few listed properties for sale at the time. In addition, the number of listings also needs to be reviewed in light of comparable sales.

How Much is My Property Worth?

Over the years, I have seen many investments not optimized and undervalued. In part, due to the seller not wanting to pay a knowledgeable broker or consultant prior to selling their land. I have been guilty of doing things myself and not hiring an expert to do the job to save a dime. In most cases, I end up wasting my time and losing money. My advice is to keep your day job and do what you do well. When selling your land, hire a professional broker or appraiser to help you with pricing your land. Hire a professional broker to show your property to a wider and more targeted market of buyers in order to maximize the return on your years of investment.

In conclusion, if the process of collecting data and researching properties concerns you, we help future clients who are serious about selling land by doing a free Broker’s Opinion of Value. Click here to learn more about our free “Broker’s Opinion of Value” we offer future clients.

– Josh Hall, MAI

We invite you to review other articles in our Selling Series

Selling Land in Alabama- The John Hall Advantage 

How Does Selling Land Work?

What is My Property Worth?

What Does it Cost to Sell Land in Alabama?

How Do I Prepare Land to Sell?

Why Hire An Agent to Sell Land?

Welcome to the first part of a series entitled Selling Land In Alabama. In this first article, we discuss the John Hall and Company Advantage when it comes to selling land across Alabama. Pete Hall outlines why hiring one of our agents gives you a good return on your investment

At John Hall and Company, we have one simple goal for selling your land. We endeavor to command the highest possible return on your investment. That is to say, we market to a class of buyers who are willing to pay a premium for the time, effort, and stewardship you have poured into your property.

A Family Land Legacy

Selling land is not just a job to me and our agents. It is a call. Moreover, serving our clients is our reward.

I am a 4th generation landowner.  My great-grandfathers shaped my values and love for the land. One great-grandfather farmed cotton and owned a cotton gin in North Alabama. The other great-grandfather bought acreage for his timber and cattle operations in Montgomery County. My father, John Hall, was raised on property outside of Montgomery. He taught his three sons to hunt and care for the land. Certainly, the lessons we learned through conservation and good stewardship fueled our passion for the land.

Selling Land In Alabama Is Our Passion

John Hall started our company 35 years ago upon the foundations of INTEGRITY, SERVICE, and THE GOLDEN RULE

From the beginning, my father hired specialists whose passion reflected his own. Our agents adhere to the core values he outlined so many years ago. Both our staff and clients benefit from the legacy my father established from 35 years in commercial real estate. Likewise, the relationships of goodwill he cultivated with landowners and everyone in the industry have made us the company we are today.

Clients have a significant advantage using our first-hand understanding of all types of land transactions in Alabama. We have decades of experience selling:

• Hunting plantations
• Timber investments
• AG and cattle land
• Conservation easements
• Mini-farm
• Land investments

We know what it takes to make our clients succeed in selling all types of properties in Alabama.

The Right Real Estate Agent Is Important

After deciding to sell your land, the most important decision you will make is the Real Estate Broker you hire. Currently, the industry is overcrowded with corporate land companies hiring weekend warriors or anyone willing to get a real estate license to sell land. The industry has lost its heart and soul. You deserve a real land specialist with the local market knowledge and technological marketing expertise. And, you deserve the difference that results from using John Hall & Company. 

Choose An Agent Who Knows The Local Market

There are a host of influences that can affect your property’s market value. Some influences you can control, but others you cannot control. You may not be able to choose the timing you sell or costs like pine pulpwood.  However, a good broker is one who has a firsthand understanding of the market. They assess all the variables on your behalf. 

Who sells your land makes a direct difference in your net profit.

At John Hall and Company we understand the significance that the power of information has on your net profit.

Click here to learn more about our free “Broker’s Opinion of Value” we offer future clients.

3 Advantages to Hiring JHC to Sell Your Land in Alabama

Firstly, our agents have an intimate familiarity with the markets we serve. We put boots on the ground. 

Secondly, we understand there are outliers and characteristics of certain properties that are rarely taken into account by most brokers and appraisers. For instance, there are certain areas where we find micro-markets within the same county.  This allows us to justify a much higher bare land value than another property.

Examples include:

• Soil- Better soil on the land will produce better food sources and ultimately, bigger wildlife.
• Location- The Bird Dog Field Trials started in 1920 in Union Springs have influenced the value of the properties in the area. Over time, the Field Trials attracted a wealthy clientele of purchasers willing to pay a premium in this coveted area.
• Surroundings- A seller may own a smaller hunting tract. However, their land is surrounded by larger landowners who manage their plantations for trophy wildlife. This increases the value of the hunting land.

Lastly, we help sellers take into account higher building costs. Including, permitting issues associated with creating a lake and other amenities.

These are just a few of the areas we take into consideration with assessing the land’s worth and determining the market value. We justify the best price possible for your property.

Relationships and Data Matter

We have relationships across the state within the real estate and land industry. My father has over 35 years of investing in Alabama by treating people fairly and running our business with intergity. In addition, our trusted relationships with appraisers and financial institutions allow our clients to get excellent customer service throughout the selling process.

John Hall and Company has an incredible database of comparable sales that we have collected from transactions spanning three decades. The data, knowledge, and experiences give us an advantage over other brokers and agents. Most importantly, when negotiating a price we have the years of data to justify it.

Holistic Marketing Plans

The biggest tool in our arsenal is our holistic marketing plan we have implemented to help identify and target buyers. Quite simply, our strategic reach is second to none. We are continually educating ourselves to remain on the cutting edge. Marketing in this day and age is constantly evolving. After creating a personalized brochure of our client’s land, we advertise the listing on a host of aggregator websites. This provides us the opportunity to expose your land on a local, regional, and national level.

Digital marketing is important, too. We attract the right buyers by utilizing social media campaigns, Search Engine Optimization, drone videos, and interactive mapping software. In addition, newly listed properties are blasted out via email. The email blast reaches thousands of past clients and persons interested in acquiring land. Plus, every land broker and residential agent in the state receives a copy of the marketing brochure. We encouraged them to bring all offers to the table for consideration.

Start Today

Our agents love the land and understand that the value of investing in land is more than financial. Memories are made for a lifetime. Families pass down their values through hunting and good stewardship. This cannot be measured in dollars and cents. Subsequently, the financial gain that results from investing in a hunting plantation is realized when the land is sold.

In conclusion, when it comes time to sell your land you can trust John Hall and Company to guide you from the initial assessment through closing. I welcome you to take advantage of our knowledge and unique skill set in order to maximize your investment. Call me today to get started with John Hall and Company.

-Pete Hall, (334) 312-7099

Read additional articles in this series:

 How Does Selling Land Work? by Hoke Smith (Part 2: Selling Land In Alabama)

Selling Land in Alabama–  What is My Land Worth? by Josh Hall (Part 3: Selling Land in Alabama

What Does it Cost to Sell Land in Alabama? by Robert Smith (Part 4: Selling Land in Alabama)

Preparing Your Land To Sell to a Recreational Buyer by John. E Hall, Jr (Part 5: Selling Land in Alabama