Sellers

Below is a detailed list of the steps in listing and marketing a Ranch for sale. 

Pricing

Work with Seller on list price.  I believe in realistic pricing. It is our job to get the best price for our clients. Buyer’s will pay what they perceive value to be, so if we can justify the price, it is much more likely that we will close the transaction with a qualified Buyer. Realistic pricing is a combination of sold data research of similar properties, property assessment, and working with the Seller on key property features.

Due diligence

Spend time on the ranch learning how the operation works, taking pictures and drone video for marketing materials. Working to build the listing file, including information on title, water and mineral rights, irrigation, livestock, grazing permits, equipment, improvements, hunting, fishing and wildlife. (The recreational attributes of the ranch are a critical component to achieving the best price.)

Title

Contact the title company for preliminary title search. This is a critical part of the process, to find out if there are any issues, such as encumbrances, easements, rights of way, leases, or liens that need to be understood or dealt with prior to receiving offers from potential Buyers.

Website

Write up for website listing, brochure and marketing materials. Put the ranch listing up on the Yellowstone Land Consultants Company website, and MLS system. The MLS populates to websites such as realtor.com, Zillow, and Trulia, as well as about 80 other websites. These sites rarely produce leads for qualified buyers for properties like Greybull River Ranch. They do however, drive traffic to the ranch listings and help with search engine optimization.

Search Engine Optimization

Search engines like Google use SEO algorithms to rank websites based on the user search criteria. These algorithms are constantly changing. The marketing team at Mason & Morse, work to keep up with these changes and to help listing Brokers produce marketing materials that rank high in searches. It boils down to relevant content. So the better job we do in accurately describing the property in our write-up, the better the listing will show up in searches.

Brochure

Build the ranch brochure. The brochure typically will include an introduction, details on the land and grazing permits, farm production, livestock operations, improvements, water rights and water resources, hunting and fishing information, recreation, wildlife, location, maps, area history, property maps and listing summary. The brochure will be uploaded to our Company website, there is a button to download brochure for each listing page. When the Buyer or Broker clicks on that link, they are taken to a submit window, where they must give their contact information before downloading the brochure. Not all ranch brokerage companies offer this on their websites. This is a critical marketing tool. When the Buyer fills out the form, we receive an email with their contact information. We can then contact them right away while the ranch is fresh on their minds. Timely contact with potential Buyers is crucial, to generating interest, tours and ultimately sales. 

Networking/Outreach

There is a lot more that goes into marketing a ranch than just listing on the MLS and websites like Realtor.com or Zillow. 

Contact specific Buyers about the new listing, through our database of potential Buyers.. Contact ranch Brokers throughout Wyoming, Montana and surrounding States about the listing. Send out email blasts, to Buyer data base. Send out email blasts through the MLS system. Send out email blasts on the Landconnection.com. This is a website operated by the Realtors Land Institute. This organization is dedicated to real estate transactions specifically related to land sales. This gives us the ability to network with land brokers across the country, to put your Ranch in front of qualified potential Buyers, nationwide. 

Set up ranch tours with specific real Estate Brokers, who specialize in farm and ranch properties in Wyoming. 

The fact that Greybull River Ranch is not encumbered by any conservation easements is a plus to many Buyers. For some, they simply do not want any outside organizations to have control of the property. But for others, the potential for preserving the property in perpetuity and tax benefits is a big incentive. An important networking tool is to make sure the conservation easement organizations such as the Nature Conservancy and Wyoming Livestock Growers Land Trust are aware of the listing. While they are not real estate agents, they often have Buyers looking for ranch properties.

Video

Build the ranch listing video. Video has become a critical part of ranch marketing, and a great tool for giving Buyers a feel for the ranch. It should make them think “I want to be there.” The video also helps a lot with search engine optimization and driving traffic to your listing. With video and pictures for the brochure and marketing materials it is critical that we are able to be at the ranch at the right times for the best light, weather and conditions. For example, pictures of a muddy river are a turn off to serious fly fisherman. Early morning is best for capturing the best light. We are also more likely to get pictures or video of wildlife at that time. I have access to a large library of stock photos and video of wildlife, but it is always better to have shots actually taken on the property.

Advertising

Advertise on third party paid websites, such as Land.com, Lands of America, Landwatch, loopnet.com, landandfarm.com, farmandranch.com, Ranch World Ads, Land Broker Coop, Land Report as well as a number of others. Some of these sites generate quality leads such as Lands of America and Landwatch, while others push traffic to your listing. Most of these sites offer the ability to include, pictures, maps, video and upload brochures. 

The vast majority of potential Buyers and real estate agents will search for ranch listings online. That said, there are several print publications which are critical to the ranch marketing package. These paid ads include, Land Broker MLS, Land Report, Cowboys and Indians, and Land Magazine and some local and regional publication. 

For properties like Greybull River Ranch, in today’s market, it is rare that Buyers come from Wyoming. For this reason, online and print efforts are geared more toward national and farm and ranch specific advertising, than local newspapers or other media. 

Real Estate Sign on the Road

I don’t put a sign on the road for my listings very often. This is more about advertising for the real estate company than advertising the ranch for sale. On a ranch like Greybull River Ranch, the likelihood of a financially qualified Buyer driving on the Burlington Road, seeing the sign and calling to schedule a tour is slim. The sign on the road invites the whole world to drive in to the property. My objective is to qualify Buyers before setting up tours. We are happy to put up signs on the road if it is something you feel strongly about, but don’t think this is the best way to attract qualified Buyers.

Social Media

Work with the staff at Mason and Morse marketing department to present the ranch on social media, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. Social media posts are an on-going effort during the life of the ranch listing. It is not a one time shot. For example, if we have a good tour with a group of ranch Brokers, or get pictures of wildlife, new hay crop, or a new video is available, the marketing department will post these events on an on going basis. The goal is to drive traffic to the Greybull River Ranch listing and to make the phone ring. 

Buyer Qualification

The Greybull River Ranch listing will generate a lot of interest, for a variety of factors. The beauty of the ranch, wildlife, recreation, farming and cattle operations, will all contribute to Buyer interest. The list price alone will get people surfing listings to click on Greybull River Ranch. That seems counter intuitive, because, there are far fewer Buyers that can afford $11M than can afford a $1M listing, but the higher price listings do tend to get more traffic. From a listing Broker perspective, it is important to make sure potential Buyers are financial qualified, before spending a day showing the ranch.

Showings

Schedule showings with potential Buyers and Brokers. Generally, I make a point of being at all ranch tours. In residential sales it is common for only the Buyer’s Agent to tour a property. On ranch sales, (especially on a bigger ranch listing like Greybull River Ranch) it is critical that the listing Broker conduct the tour, as he is the one who really knows the property and how best to show it, as well as having knowledge of the details of the ranch. Showings for Greybull River Ranch should take from a couple hours to a couple days. Generally, I would recommend to Buyers that they plan on at least half a day for the tour. Ideally, we plan the tour including a picnic lunch along the river under the cottonwood trees. If the Buyers are interested in fishing, we could even spend time fly-fishing. The purpose of the ranch tour is not just to show the property, but to give the Buyer an idea of what it might be like to own the ranch and live there. My tours are conducted with UTVs, rather than pickups. While Greybull River Ranch is fairly accessible, it is much easier to get to the river or up on the grazing leases in a UTV. It is also more fun for the Buyers. 

Responsibilities to Seller

Present all offers to Seller. Licensed Real Estate Brokers are required by Wyoming law to present all offers to their principals, regardless of the offer. As part of a licensed Broker’s fiduciary responsibility to their clients, they must put the needs of their clients above their own. When representing Sellers, licensed Brokers owe the principal confidentiality. They can still work with a Buyer as a Customer to Show properties, write offers, and work through due diligence, but when it comes time to negotiate, the Broker is working exclusively for the Seller.