Land Will Sell In Any Season

There is this collective opinion that land sells best in the spring.  Well, this isn’t necessarily true.  While many prospective buyers look at land during the spring, the serious buyers purchase land year around…the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter.  Land buyers are not   hindered by holidays either.  Buyers have called me on the 4th of July, New Year’s Day, Easter and Christmas Day.

A property’s appearance has more affect on a buyer’s decision than the season.  I have seen this happen over and over.  Here’s just one example.

A few years ago I listed 80 acres with a home and outbuildings.  About one-half of the land was in pasture and the remainder was in woods.  A quarter of a mile private lane led from the county road to the 2,000 sq. ft. home.  A fishing pond was located about 100 feet from the walk-out basement.

The seller had surfaced the private lane to the home with white rock.  The weeds in the fence rows and the grass surrounding the pond were neat and clipped.  The gates swung freely and fences were well maintained. The grass fields were cut and the buildings were painted, with all doors and windows good repair.  All equipment including tractors and mowers were stored, away from view.   There were no unsightly junk piles. The yard was landscaped. The home was well maintained and the rooms were spotless and the basement was free of clutter.

While the property was on the market, the owner worked nearly everyday to keep the property “show room ready.”  Then one hot summer day, a prospective buyer called me after seeing a sign and viewing the property on the www.leonmllerco.com website.  He asked if the property looked as good as the pictures on the website.  I said, “Even better!”  He made an appointment.

The husband and wife arrived late on a hot afternoon.  They had spent the earlier part of the day looking at three other properties and were discouraged from what they had seen, but in just a few minutes there faces lit up.  As they walked around, they repeatedly  commented on how “well kept” the property appeared. They were on the property less than a hour when they were ready to write a contract.  The sale closed 45 days later.

This one of many examples that proves that a  property that shows well (and priced right) will sell anytime of the year.

Spring will bring the lookers, but a well maintained property will bring the buyers.  And this will result into a higher selling price.