The Differences Between Selling Land and Selling a Home
Buying land and buying homes seems similar at first glance. So, it’s easy to forget that there is a big difference between them. Learn how to prepare for a sale and accurately list your property by reading our guide on the differences between selling land and selling a home.
Clarifying the Terms
One of the biggest differences between land and homes is what the buyer gets when you put a property on the market. Buying land means you are buying a developed plot of earth so you can do whatever you need to with it. Buying a home from someone means you get the house and, in some cases, the land beneath it.
As a land management company, our team works with farmland properties. Buying farmland property may appear similar to home buying, but the differences are important to highlight. We work with landowners to optimize their farmland properties because operations like these require professional assessment of the land itself more than the upkeep of residences and other structures on-site.
The Importance of Structures
Our team at Midwest Land Management will clearly note the presence of any facilities in the listing description, so potential buyers will know if they are getting a facility or empty land. You may question whether you can build a home on an empty lot of land.
In short, yes. You can build a home on an empty plot if the local zoning laws and other regulatory bodies approve. However, potential homebuyers are not necessarily looking at the land when they purchase a home. They will primarily focus on the house itself and the design choices inside. This research differs from someone buying empty land.
A Closer Look at These Goals
As mentioned above, farming is one opportunity that a potential land buyer can pursue. Buyers can develop land in more ways than installing a single house, which is why selling land often focuses on selling acres, whereas selling homes requires looking closer at the interior square footage of the structure. Of course, an overlap exists when it comes to all the property dimensions any buyer looks at, whether the property is commercial or residential.
However, selling land requires looking more at the property at large, whereas selling a home requires looking at the built structure and the potential for residential comfort. Keep these differences between selling land and selling a home in mind when putting a property on the market, so you and potential buyers have the right expectations.