Write a land-for-sale ad

Contact information

In general, the more ways you provide for a potential buyer to contact, the better.  However, you can expose yourself to scammers as well on these sources.   Our recommendation, get a free email account just for your ad.   You can also get a Google Voice number for contacts.

Don't ignore potential buyers who might drive by your property.   A personalized sign with a website link gives a potential buyer a starting part for iinvestigating your property.

Title and Short Description

Like a newspaper story, you should write a headline (Title) and lead (Short Description) that tells the big story of the property right away.   The title should tell the what and where -- Type of property, how many acres and in what county: such as "40 acre family farm with horse barns in Morgan County, TN".    The short description should be 15 to 30 words that will tell your reader if this is what he or she is looking for:  Farmland, pastureland, developable, forested, ponds or streams, with home or buildings?   Amenities for hunters, wildlife watchers, hunters, horse lovers?  Think about what you would want to know about a property in one sentence.  Copy the style of listings on our site that seem to do  this well.

Price

The hardest part of the process.   In most cases, if you don't include a price, you won't attract much interest.  It's hard to price based on comparables, because rural properties are often unique, a complicated mixture of views, water features, access, and other difficult to value amenities.   But the Internet allows your potential buyers to get a good idea what property in your specific location is going for.   Your potential buyers will assume that you are offering the property for less as an owner because you are building in the savings of a real estate commission, which can be 10 percent on land (vs. a typical 6 percent on residential properties).   You can include qualifiers like "Asking",  "Firm", "Negotiable".   Owner financing will help sell your property, but carries special risks.   Also mention if the property has more than one parcel that can be sold separately.  Mention if you are willing to consider agent offers.

Detailed Description

Here's where you can provide the specifics about your property that any serious prospect would want to know.  Be specific, but don't ignore your personal relationship with the property.   The acreage is 13.1 and the house square footage is 2,351, but also what do you love about the house and land?   Why are you selling?   In composing this description, you can use bullet points instead of complete sentences to write this section if this is easier.  In this vein, here are some bullet points about information to include.  

• Water:  Lack of it is a potential deal breaker.  Existing wells or well tests, existing or potential utility water connections?  If relevant, how much do locals typically pay for wells and tanks?
• Water features:   Lake or river frontage?  Docks?  Springs or ponds?
• Sewer:  Are sewer connections available?  If undeveloped, has a perc test been conducted?
• Electricity, phone, and other utilities:  Name the utllity companies so your buyer can check with them.
• Road access:  A major deal breaker if a major investment is required. Does it exist?  Is the property "landlocked"?  Type of road and condition? 
• Deed restrictions:  Depending on your target buyers, a good or bad thing.  Mention them if they exist to let the potential buyer their investment will be protected.  Also, what kind of deed are you offering?
• Buildable sites: Relatively flat areas near road, water, and sewer access?
• Land survey available:  If you are interested in attracting developers, this can be an attractive feature.  Is the plot subdividable?
• Easements:  Road or other easements that your potential buyer should know about?
• Mineral rights:  Some rural land owners have had their land decimated by companies mining stone and metals.  Oil and gas leases are active in many parts of East Tennessee. 
• Terrain and vegetation:  Hilly or flat? Farmland, meadows, pasture, forest, or, typical for East Tennessee Land, a mix?  Agricultural use or potential? 
• Buildings:  Descriptions of homes should be as detailed as for those selling in cities.  Don't neglect descriptions of outbuildings such as barns or sheds, which may be very important to your potential buyer's intended use of the property.
• Site maps, plats, etc.:   Parcel maps, aerial photos, surveys, environmental studies and other details can be included.
• Proximity to cities and amenities:   How far to cities and towns, and to parks and other attractions?  Better to state this in time rather than miles because of the variety of rural roads.

Location

Your buyer can explore your property online via Google Earth and other sources, and not supplying a specific location to allow this might arouse suspicion that you are trying to hide something.   Try out the street address of the property if it exists on Google Maps and test if this locates it sufficiently.   If not, supply a plat map or get the lat-long coordinates of the center of the property using Google Maps

You can also supply the parcel id so the potential buyer can look it up on the Tennessee Property Assessment Site. http://www.assessment.cot.tn.gov/RE_Assessment/.   Capturing an aerial photo online and adding graphic can highlight attributes for a potential buyer.

Pictures

To get buyers to linger on your ad and read details, you must pull them in with good photos.  Photos should strategically show the best features of the property.  Mountain views, sunsets on the lake, horseback riding and other photos that capture the experience of living on this land should be included.  Because East Tennessee has four seasons, pictures of your land throughout the year are also a good idea.   You can also feature photos of nearby attractions.

It's worth hiring a photographer to get good photos if you are not so inclined.  You can also use aerial photos and plat maps to highlight features of the property if it is not otherwise particularly photogenic.