Marketing Texas Ranches for Sale
Selling Your Texas Hill Country Ranch? Choosing the right real estate agent or broker will be your most important decision. Times are changing for Texas Hill Country real estate and the old way of doing business is no longer enough.
“You Only Get ONE Chance to Make A First Impression”
The Way it Used to Be- Local Ranch Marketing
Until recently, selling a Texas ranch meant listing it with a broker in the area. Most of the time, they had a simple, four step listing and marketing plan.
- Sign a listing agreement between seller and broker
- Place “For Sale” sign on ranch property
- Run ads in local newspaper and possibly other print media
- Distribute listing to other brokers in immediate area, usually through the local MLS.
Then the old-fashioned broker makes a few phone calls to his list of buyer clients, then sits back and waits for his phone to ring or someone to walk in the door. Sellers and buyers were also usually local residents, who knew they could drop in the office for real estate information on a new listing. These old-fashioned brokers have a wealth of knowledge on the area and had a large referral client base. Business was usually done in the office, often with walk in clients.
This method worked well for decades, but it has changed in recent years because of two things.
Change #1, New Buyers to the Market
Today more than ever, ranch land buyers in the Texas Hill Country, are no longer local residents, such as friends, neighbors and ranchers, but people from outside the area. These buyers may be looking for a hunting ranch, land for a vineyard, or acreage property to build their dream home on that has a view or a pond.
For these buyers, who are often successful business professionals living in an urban area, buying land in the Texas Hill Country, is a new adventure in life. They are willing to pay a good price, for their “dream place” when they see it and they have lots and lots of questions.
While local buyers and sellers already know, or at least know of, a local broker, the out of town buyer doesn’t know anyone. Where does he go looking for information on buying a Texas Hill Country ranch? The internet.
Change #2, The Internet for Texas Ranch Buyers
Today’s Ranch Buyer can begin his search on the internet, before ever setting foot in the Texas Hill Country or meeting an agent or broker. It’s critical to the sale of your ranch that these buyers, most of whom are not familiar with buying rural property, that your ranch be well presented with quality photos, maps and other detailed information. Poor photos, limited information, and worst of all, delayed or no follow up from your listing broker or agent, will not get your ranch sold. Quality photos and a great marketing package, will have buyers much more likely to set up a showing.
Remember, these buyers are often busy professionals, who expect great customer service. They will not wait days or weeks for an answer to their questions and they have no loyalty to any particular broker, so they look online at property first, and find an agent or broker later. When they do visit the Texas Hill Country, they are ready to see property now!
Change #3, The Internet for Texas Real Estate Brokers and Agents
The internet has expanded the areas that many Texas brokers and agents try to represent. Some of these brokers have a great online presence, with professional photos and a large advertising budget, both online and in print magazines. Many a “ranch specialist” is seen in the photo wearing a cowboy hat, but the office address may be hundreds of miles from the properties listed with this brokerage. While this marketing is great for ATTRACTING buyers, opportunities are missed because they are not physically located in the area or even familiar with the area. This is especially true in the Texas Hill Country where walk in buyer clients frequently visit our Main Street office.
Here are three examples. My walk-in buyers are in town for two days. They are qualified, enthusiastic, and ready to look at ranches. They have seen lots of properties on the internet, and come to me with a list and want to set up appointments. I call to set up showing with an out-of-area broker who offices 50 miles or in some cases, 200 miles from here. He won’t be available without several days notice to arrange showing, as he has other appointments in different counties of Texas. Since he has all the keys and combinations to the locks, the opportunity was missed, and this ranch was not shown.
The second example is the out of area agent or broker who knows NOTHING about the property or the area. That agent or broker is like a kid walking in on a “pop-quiz” at school. He may show up, but is totally unprepared.
I have seen agents who don’t know the property boundaries or features, agents who have no idea their listing is a mess (recent storm damage, dead animals, etc.) and agents who have no idea that the land they listed has grazing tenants, who are NOT happy to see strangers on the property.
Should a buyer show interest, these agents have no idea what information to provide the potential buyer or where to find it. These real estate “professionals” give such a poor showing, it’s embarrassing and, meanwhile, my buyers feel like their time was wasted.
Third, and the most frustrating, are agents who haven’t talked to their sellers in months, and when an offer comes in, they can’t find them, for days or weeks. Really, it happens.
You only get ONE chance to make a GREAT first impression, and these listing agents leave the buyers agent and the clients frustrated.
Clearly the BEST choice for marketing and selling your Texas Hill Country ranch property is an area agent with local knowledge who understands modern marketing and has great communication with both buyers and sellers.
When you are ready to sell your ranch in the Texas Hill Country area, please contact me, Melanie Lehmberg, Real Estate Broker, in Fredericksburg Texas. Call 830-660-0823 or email me.
Ask me about my marketing plan to get your Texas Hill Country ranch SOLD!
I look forward to hearing from you!
Melanie
