Nancy also does “a lot of commercial land and it is more viewed as an investment.” These deals are less emotional and more practical, says Nancy. “Those clients, they’re there to get a deal done.” But she notes, “There is still way more emotion involved in transactions today than when I first started.” It turns out that emotion is an inevitable factor in land deals and not just tied to houses. “I didn’t want that. That’s why I didn’t do houses,” recalls Nancy. Now, her ability to navigate these difficult, highly-charged emotional deals is why people seek her out. When asked why she thinks emotion has entered into her specialty of land, Nancy reflects that there has probably always been an element of that in land deals and as she has gained expertise, “Other professionals and advisors to families that have larger tracts of land or multiple pieces of land that I’ve had an opportunity to work with in some capacity or who have heard my stories, or they know who I work with will seek me out to help their landowner.” As a result, Nancy finds she spends “a decent amount of time” getting pulled into the room by attorneys trying to help facilitate some activity. “I think as I’ve matured in my career,” she explains, “I’ve gotten the reputation for being able to really work with those types of people. I talked about wearing jeans as my jam.” The jeans are a symbol of her staying true to herself and showing up authentically. “I think that’s really my biggest differentiator: I can listen to multiple generations and help people achieve the goals that they’re trying to achieve and then communicate and ride both sides of the deal.” Nancy also attributes her success in these instances to having learned how to “hone in on the personal relationship with the client, understanding their goals, but also understanding the
why behind what their goals are, and that’s pretty unique in land brokerage.”
A Mama Bear’s Advice for Agents Thinking of Transitioning into Land
Nancy shares some valuable tips for real estate agents who may be thinking of transitioning from residential or another area of specialization into land and that it is to “really do your homework in whatever market you sit in because what you might find out is it’s a much harder part of the business to be in and that might not be a fit.” Looking back to when she made her career transition, Nancy admits, “I was a little naive, even though I had a business plan, I was quite naive thinking, Oh, yeah? Well, I’ll be able to do X dollars.” She points out that she was an experienced professional at the time and she had “no fear of cold calling” or working hard. Yet, she still believes she was naïve to a point and that may have been a good or bad thing, but she also admits, “I was also lucky.” Again, she emphasizes the importance of doing your homework, creating a business plan, and asking yourself hard questions such as, “Why do I want to do this? Is there another avenue for me to focus on in that side of the business? Is there a better fit?” She also recommends seriously considering the long sales cycle that is involved on the land or commercial side. Ask yourself how long it will be before you see your first commission and whether that is sustainable for you. Nancy maintains her “make sure you understand the market that you’re in and who’s in it, who the competitors are, and how you’re going to get those clients.” She did that homework when she was creating her business plan and she quickly realized, “Okay, I don’t look like other people in the business I interviewed
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