If your clients are searching for that perfect hunting property, they’re counting on you to lead them to it.
Not all farm & ranch properties are well suited for hunting. To best serve these clients, you’ll need to know more than what’s available in your market.
Clay McCullar is the Broker and Owner of McCullar Properties Group in Abilene. The REALTORS® Land Institute Texas Chapter director is a three-time winner of the institute’s Apex Award for recreational land sales. Here are things he thinks you should know.
Know Your Buyers and Where to Find Them
Hunting land often draws out-of-town buyers looking for a five to 10-year investment, McCullar says. They will often hunt and play on the land for a few years and then put it on the market in hopes of turning a profit, he continues.
McCullar’s brokerage works with Dallas-Fort Worth and Midland-area buyers seeking Abilene’s land prices. Out-of-town buyers will find agents through online listings, but networking with fellow land brokers and professionals is essential, too. McCullar networks through his Accredited Land Consultant designation channels and relevant events and gatherings.
Know Your Amenities and Detractions
Hunting land buyers are looking for topography, vegetation, and character, McCullar says. They’re also looking for small roads or pathways on the property so hunters can access every corner. Feeders onsite are a plus.
Ideally the property has some water on it, either surface or well water. A wet-weather creek and a change in elevation are desirable features.
These landowners won’t make significant money grazing or cultivating the land, but they might lease to local cattle ranchers or grow wheat to create a more appealing hunting space, McCullar explains.
Some hunting land buyers would prefer not to have wind turbines or oil operations on the property, but others do not care, he says.
Know Your Game
What are your buyers expecting to hunt? “The major game animals are white-tailed deer, turkey, and hogs,” he says. Quail used to be a major draw over a decade ago but hasn’t returned to previous population levels in his area.
Know What Your Clients Are Looking For
Their answer will guide your entire search in hunting land sales. Any one preference, such as wanting to live on the property and needing a house connected to utilities and a road, can rule out many options.
“The price is the easy part,” he says. “It’s the use. What are you going to use the land for?”
