LAND VALUES – WHO DECIDES – June 2007

Land Prices – Firm or Negotiable?

“Loans for Land – Based on Land Valuation”

As a prospective buyer for a large tract of mountain land, I’m sure you already recognize that price will play a role in your purchase decision.  Over the past 12 months, asking prices here in the mountains have escalated rapidly, requiring more analysis, planning, and possibly adjusting of your land buying plans.  Don’t be too discouraged!

Although there is no “boom” or “bust” going on right now with mountain land, we have seen a slowdown in the escalating prices, with some price reductions being made by property owners.  At the same time, don’t expect any major shift to a buyer’s market either.  The demand for land here in the mountains is still quite strong – provided it is priced reasonably.

To keep the entire pricing process in perspective, consider both the sellers’ objectives, as well as your own.  First, the seller.  For the individual selling, the prime objective is to sell the property at the highest reasonable price – whatever that may be.  For you, the buyer, the objective is just the opposite – you want to buy it as cheap as you can.

If the value you place on a property is equal to the value placed by the seller, the answer is easy. You pay full price and both seller and buyer are satisfied the price was a fair one.

If the seller and buyer are 15% apart on the perceived value of the property, three things can happen.  The first is “nothing!”  If neither buyers nor sellers adjust their thinking, there is no sale.

The second possibility involves the buyer – who makes an offer to purchase lower than the asking price.  To this lower offer, the Seller may either accept, reject outright, or make an additional “counter-offer” at a higher price.

The process then repeats, requiring the buyer to either accept, reject, or make an additional counter-offer to the seller’s first counter-offer.  And so the process goes until both seller and buyer reach agreement at an acceptable price.

Rigidity in pricing is one of the greatest obstacles to a completed purchase and sale – whether from the buyer or seller.  In fact, a “my way or the highway” approach stymies the transaction to the point of a turning it into a dead-end negotiation – leaving only disappointment.

If you would like to own a large mountain tract here in our mountains, call us.  Talk to us about your goals.  Come by our office for a virtual tour of the entire inventory of our properties.  Don’t let pricing get in the way of your dream of owning land! 

After looking around on our site, please call 800-849-9225 or Email: Paul Christian Breden for more information.  We will help you locate a property that fits your price requirements, and explain available financing sources.

Come to the mountains soon!

Paul Christian Breden
Managing Broker/Owner

The purpose of Land Rush is to educate and inform you in such a way that, once you arrive here in the mountains, you’ll be prepared to make your purchase. If you haven’t already, please – before you come – take time to download our buyer’s guide – “Carolina Dreaming” – from our website. It’s short, easy to read, and will provide you with the basic information needed to make your trip a roaring success. For your free copy, go to:

www.ncmountainland.net/profile.html

Ready to come to the mountains? Call us at all reasonable hours, seven days a week, at 800/849-9225. Ask for Chris or Paul and we’ll set up a time and place convenient for you. We’ll take whatever time is required to help make your land ownership dreams come true!

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