This 200+ acre Century farm was a rare find in Fayette County.  A desirable area located just under an hour from Austin and two hours from Houston. The local broker before County Homes and Ranches had it on the market for 7 months with only one showing.

This was going to be an exciting challenge. It was a referral, and it was going to take research, creativity, and a specific strategy to get this to just the right prospects.

THE CHALLENGE

1. On a property this large you are going to find pros and cons, so I always start with a spreadsheet.
2. Review the original agents marketing materials and strategy.
3. Go outside of the usual suspects. At Kuper Sotheby’s we have access to agents all over the Globe.
4. Truth in disclosure and never waste anyone’s time, it is a long drive to come see these Ranches and Farms.

THE PROBLEMS

I watched the video the first agent had created for this property.  It focused on every single one of the issues on this property.

• It had transmission line running through the center. It was the first thing you saw in the video.
• There was a dried up pond
• Abandoned oil wells
• Neglected oak trees
• Broken fences

THE SOLUTION

I work with an amazing photographer that has vision, curiosity, and patience. We spent hours on that land so that we could highlight only the beautiful aspects of the property.

• Our video made it look like a rich beautiful 200+ acre cattle ranch ready for a new owner to help bring it back to life.
• We found three wonderful ponds with natural springs
• We avoided the Oil Wells but I was able to negotiate partial mineral rights for the new buyer.
• On 200+ acres there were hundreds of beautiful Live Oaks and Post Oaks to video and photograph.
• We avoided the fences.

I sent out over 55,000 emails with a blast that included a video.  With each inquiry I followed up with a phone call and my list of possible concerns that might stop a buyer from wanting to make the drive.

I sent a map and explained that there is a transmission line that bisects the land. I explained that it is very far from the improvements.

There are some abandoned oil wells that might take years to have removed also far from the improvements as well as active oil wells. At the right price, you can own part of the minerals.

There are some fences that need mending and a pond that does not hold water in a drought.  There are some trees that did not make it in the last drought that need to be cut and removed.

Other than those items the property is stunning, the location amazing, the main house, barns and guest houses are gorgeous. The prospects that came to see the property were not concerned when they saw the issues because they were warned ahead of time.

I had it under contract in two weeks.  The agent was out of this area.  The original broker was local and did not have the reach that Country Homes and Ranches has.