We both know why you should do certain things. And why you don’t.
I keep coming back to this one: people put off stuff they already know they should deal with. Not because they’re lazy. Because they’re avoiding a hassle they’re pretty sure is coming.
Take your land. You’re not looking to sell it today. But knowing what it’s worth, and what’s happening around it, can’t hurt you. You’d have the information sitting there if anything changes. If a neighboring tract comes up for sale, you’re not finding out last. And if it’s a good deal, you might be ready to move on it first.
So why do most people pass when someone offers them free information?
Mostly because they’ve been burned before.
Mention you’re the slightest bit curious what your property’s worth and your mind jumps straight to a timeshare pitch. Numbers too good to be true. A guy who won’t take no for an answer.
You ask one question. The phone starts ringing. And doesn’t stop.
So you let it go. Not worth the hassle.
That happened to me last week. My truck’s had a couple of recalls sitting open for a while (nothing major), and I’d been putting it off because I didn’t want to spend an afternoon at a dealership. A card came in the mail with a QR code, said I could schedule online. Figured I’d try it. The site barely worked, so I gave up after a few minutes.
Except it worked fine, for what it was actually built to do.
Within minutes my phone rang. Sales manager at the dealership. I let it go to voicemail. He wanted to know what car I was interested in and when I could come in for a test drive.
A few minutes later, an email. Somehow he’d copied my wife on it too, asking what we were “working a deal” on.
I asked for service. They tried to close me on a car I never mentioned.
That’s the move. That’s why people stop raising their hand.
When you raise yours with me, that’s not what happens. I’ll reach out, sure. Lightly. No pressure, no script.
You can decide for yourself what that’s worth.
PS -Most landowners aren’t planning to sell today.
But things change. The ones who already understand the market tend to handle that better when it does.
That’s what the MBR Land Reality Check is for. It looks at nearby sales, current listings, development pressure, and the details affecting value that aren’t obvious from the road.
Is it a bad idea to know where things stand?
PPS- If you’re not ready for a Reality Check but enjoy reading about land, markets, and negotiation, you can sign up below and get these posts in your inbox.
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