There are two key differences between an urban land sale and the sale of a residential/commercial building.  These two differences justify consideration of hiring a broker who specializes in land if you believe the highest and best use of your property involves redevelopment.

1. The methodology of valuation is entirely different between real estate slated for redevelopment VS existing houses/commercial buildings as development sites are valued based on a hypothetical outcome rather than an existing structure in place.  This skillset, while recognizable to almost every real estate professional, is a highly nuanced skillset which one will not be adept at unless it is continuously honed. 

2. The transactional structures (escrow timelines and terms)  for sales involving redevelopment sites will in many cases be different than the sale of a home or commercial building.  Conventional or full spectrum commercial and residential agents in most cases have not considered many of the negotiating structures we frequently deploy to maximize the outcomes for parties involved in land negotiations.

We start assessing each property by fully understanding its zoning and land use policies. Key factors like Floor Area Ratio (FAR), unit count, parking, site conditions, and environmental issues help us determine the best use of the site. This detailed knowledge makes us a valuable advisor for our land sellers and buyers. Next, we analyze potential revenue, rent, and costs to evaluate the site's value under different development scenarios. While many competitors focus on identifying buyers first, we believe it's crucial to know the property's specifics which will then enable us to predict the applicable target market and then  formulate strategies for communicating our clients’ property with that market efficiently.

We are unique because our clients and the transactions we facilitate for them are unique. In addition to assessing the economic merits of real estate, its location, etc., we want to understand a potential client’s motivation, their aptitude to structuring unique workarounds to site-specific challenges, and (most importantly) their willingness to ultimately transact. Instead of focusing on the accumulation of listings, we focus primarily on the few that we know we are being contracted to transact – not to appraise. We find ourselves oftentimes being the second, third, and sometimes fourth listing broker on a deal. In most cases, we are the last.

Nobody starts as a consultant; it's a role we've taken on after nearly twenty years in brokering urban infill land transactions. To manage land sales effectively, we often need to act as consultants or permit expeditors in some capacity to reach a closing. We were cautious about claiming that title without first experiencing the challenges required to fulfill it. Now, we can confidently say we've faced and continue to face these challenges while drawing upon years of experience in circumventing them. Each transaction teaches us something new, and we believe knowing how to find answers or solve problems is just as important as having the answers themselves. Plus, we truly enjoy helping our clients reach their goals.

Development consulting is a form of collaborative guidance provided to property owners to enable them to make the most informed decisions surrounding their land assets.  This can entail in its most basic form an outline as to what the current zoning allows to more complex questions which surround whether to entitle in some form prior to selling.  Land use is a unique and complex discipline which we take a step further to combine with our transactional skillsets.