Mike Browning

Tag: Collin County Land Sales

  • Score One for the Little Guys

    Score One for the Little Guys

    Sometimes you can’t help but gloat a little.

    Yesterday I was talking about appraisers.

    I may have made it sound like they intentionally undervalue properties just to torpedo deals.

    That’s not really what I meant. They aren’t doing that. They’re just not as experienced with land, which can lead to some… wildly different results. I’ve even seen plenty come in higher than what I’d call realistic.

    Appraisers are generally good folks just trying to do their jobs like the rest of us. They just get thrown into situations they probably wish they wouldn’t sometimes. Like the rest of us.

    Most of them, anyway.

    If you’ve ever been through a eminent domain or right-of-way (ROW) proceeding — where the state acquires land to widen roads or build new ones — you deal with appraisers there too.

    My experience with those folks?

    Let’s just say they’re the kind of people you might call something implying their parents weren’t married when they were conceived.

    I’m not saying ROW appraisers intentionally understate values (and if any attorneys are reading, please note this is all opinion and conjecture on my part).

    But here’s what I’ve noticed: banks don’t always control who they hire, but the state tends to use the same appraisers over and over. And those appraisers make a very high percentage of their income from ROW work.

    Incentives for more business. Expectations about what the client wants to see. All that. Make of it what you will.

    They’ll tell you it’s all above board, and I’m not going to contend otherwise.

    Anyway.

    Last year, an attorney friend of mine had some land taken for ROW. Not surprisingly, he and the state couldn’t agree on a value. We went to a commissioners hearing, and he asked me to help.

    Since I’m not a licensed appraiser, I wasn’t allowed to comment on values directly — though I did manage to slide in the fact that my clients trust my numbers enough to keep coming back.

    We fought through a highly adversarial process stacked against the landowner and did the best we could.

    The commission awarded him about four times what the state originally offered. The state, being the state, appealed and dragged it into court.

    That tied it up for over a year, but it was finally settled this week — and let’s just say he’s very happy with the outcome.

    Sometimes, the little guy does win!

    The part I played was very minor, so I’m not taking the credit. If anything, my value was in knowing what not to say. The state’s rep kept trying to goad me into veering into licensed appraiser territory so he could disqualify me, but I didn’t take the bait.

    A lot of the time, silence is a superpower.

    Is it ever really the wrong time to discuss your property with a real professional?

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  • But Some of My Best Friends Are Appraisers…

    But Some of My Best Friends Are Appraisers…

    You can’t choose the appraiser, but you can choose who’s at your side. Choose wisely.

    Whenever a bank loan’s involved, you can bet an appraiser is too.

    The bank hires them to make sure they’re not loaning a million bucks against something worth $300K. They’re not there to predict whether the buyer will default, just to confirm the collateral makes sense.

    When it comes to houses, they usually get it right. Plenty of comps, plenty of data. Every house is technically different, but they can pull enough nearby sales to pin down value pretty well.

    Land is a whole different ballgame.

    Finding relevant comps is harder, and the results can get screwy fast. I once had two residential lot deals going at the same time, same area, same price point, roughly $120K each. Two different appraisers. One came back right at $120K. The other came in at $75K.

    One was close. The other wasn’t.

    That buyer kicked in extra cash and closed anyway, but that’s rare. A low appraisal usually blows up the deal for everyone. The appraiser still gets paid the same either way.

    Another listing went under contract at full price. Buyer was paying cash but got an appraisal anyway, just to make the partners feel better.

    You probably know where this is going.

    The appraiser used awful comps. One seven miles away in a rural area, one outdated, and one sitting mostly in floodplain without adjusting for it. The only relevant comp, he adjusted down for no reason anyone could explain. If anything, that comp made us look underpriced.

    His report told my buyers they were overpaying by $500K.

    They walked.

    A few months later, the highway route was announced. That property’s now a future corner. We doubled the price, and we’ll get it.

    That appraiser’s “discount” cost those buyers seven figures in future value.

    To be fair, most appraisers just don’t have enough experience with land. They’re used to houses. Land’s a different animal.

    But you know what wrecks just as many deals? Agents out of their depth.

    Most agents focus on houses. Nothing wrong with that, unless they list land without knowing what they’re doing. Overprice it and the property sits forever. Underprice it and you leave money on the table. Miss a key issue and you get expensive surprises later.

    We all have the same real estate license. That doesn’t make every agent qualified for every deal.

    If you were leasing retail space, would you hire your cousin Karen who’s never read a lease? Even if she asks. And she’ll understand why you don’t.

    So why list land with someone who doesn’t specialize in it? She will understand why you don’t there also.

    Does it make sense to hire people who aren’t experts in a specialized field?

    Does it make sense to fly blind when there’s someone offering a free analysis of your property?

    Even if you aren’t considering selling today, does it hurt to know what you might be sitting on?

    Ready for me to shut up?

    Click below.

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  • Tomorrow’s Probably Coming—Plan Accordingly.

    Tomorrow’s Probably Coming—Plan Accordingly.

    Sometimes Salespeople Send Slogans Saying Silly Stuff

    I got an email the other day where the sender had a slogan in their signature line:

    Live each day like it’s your last.

    Maybe an ok sentiment for a Hallmark card. Pretty lousy motto for a business email.

    Because if today were actually my last?

    I wouldn’t be working. I wouldn’t be sending emails. You wouldn’t see a blog post, unless it had been scheduled beforehand.

    I’d be with my family, maybe some close friends. That’s it.

    I get the idea—you’re trying to say, “Don’t waste your time,” or “Make the most of today.” And that’s fine. But the way it’s worded sends the wrong signal.

    If I’m considering doing business with someone:

    • Don’t waste time? Great.
    • Seize the day? Fine.
    • Be where you’re supposed to be, doing what you’re supposed to be doing? Now we’re talking.

    But “act like tomorrow’s not coming so I can blow off anything I don’t feel like doing”? Nope.

    Most of the time, tomorrow is coming. And another one after that. We aren’t promised anything, but that doesn’t mean ignore the future.

    If your business is about helping people, you don’t always get to do what you want. You have to put others first, at least some of the time.

    I like to have fun as much as anyone. My family is a priority, and one of the perks of working for myself is being able to show up to my kids’ games or take care of what they need. But that’s not the same thing as “living like there’s no tomorrow.”

    It takes planning and discipline. If I’m out all morning doing something for me, I might need to stay late to make sure the important stuff gets done. I’m not glued to my phone, but I’ll return your call.

    That’s the balance. Not “live like it’s your last day.” More like: live today so you don’t regret it tomorrow.

    Land sales work the same way. They usually move slow… until suddenly they don’t. That can bug me sometimes (I’d rather get it done sooner), but for most people buying or selling land isn’t their most urgent problem. And that’s fine—it gives room for deliberate decisions.

    The key is having someone who doesn’t pressure you but still responds, follows through, and keeps things moving.

    That’s me.

    Is it the wrong time to get the latest market analysis on your property?

    You know what to do.

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  • Faith Isn’t Magic. It’s Harder Than That. And More Than That.

    Faith Isn’t Magic. It’s Harder Than That. And More Than That.

    What works between you and God works everywhere else too.

    When you hear “faith,” what comes to mind?

    If it’s some hazy, mystical just believe and the universe will deliver thing… congratulations, you’ve been sold the “name it and claim it” version.

    That’s not faith. That’s a bad infomercial.

    It’s not insert prayer, get dream house. And don’t get me started on the guys who tell you that if you only send them money, God will pay you back.

    Biblical faith is a lot more grounded—and a lot harder.

    It’s trusting what God says is true even when all the visible evidence screams otherwise.

    Case in point: the gospel says if you’ve trusted in Jesus, you’re perfect in God’s sight.

    Not “getting better.” Not “almost there.” Perfect. Right now.

    But look around your life and tell me how perfect you feel.

    • You still want to do stuff you know is wrong.
    • You still do it—maybe less than you used to, but still.
    • You skip doing what you know you should.
    • You screw up without even realizing it—by forgetting to trust, by thinking you know better, by not even knowing what you don’t know.

    From where you’re standing, “perfect” is the last word you’d use.

    Faith says, “Yeah, but I believe what God says over what I see.”

    In Think and Grow Rich, Napoleon Hill talks about faith too—but it’s a different animal. He’s talking about believing you’re going to achieve your goal before you’ve got a shred of proof.

    You carry yourself like it’s already a done deal.

    But when you see evidence your way isn’t working, you don’t just stand there and wait for it to fix itself. You change something. You adjust. You improve.

    That’s the split right there. With God, you’re not the one making the thing happen—He already did it. You’re not improving His system. You’re just trusting it.

    With your own goals? You are building the thing. So you trust the end result will happen, but you also fix what’s broken as you find it.

    Jeff Olson in The Slight Edge doesn’t call it faith, but it’s basically the same principle: small actions, repeated over time, lead to huge results.

    The problem is, most people quit because they can’t see it working yet.

    Faith, in Olson’s world, is knowing those boring little actions are paying off—even when the scoreboard says zero. So you keep doing them.

    Biblical faith says: trust what God says, even when the evidence doesn’t back it up. Hill’s faith says: trust your goal enough to take every step like it’s already yours. Olson’s edge says: trust the process long enough for it to work.

    The difference is who’s doing the heavy lifting. With God, He’s the Creator. You rest. In your life when you’re the creator, you adapt.

    Either way, the key is the same: live and act today like the unseen thing is already real—because in the ways that matter most, it already is.

    I’m not even going to try to tie this one to real estate—you either see it or you don’t. But I’ll still ask you to subscribe…

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  • Relax — I’m Not Talking About You. Probably.

    Relax — I’m Not Talking About You. Probably.

    Unless you’re ready to sell your land — then I’m definitely talking to you.

    I talk about all kinds of things here, then twist myself into a pretzel trying to tie it back to real estate brokerage. With varying degrees of grace.

    I always make it back to real estate — just not always smoothly or convincingly.

    Most days I’m writing about whatever catches my eye. Lots of times there are other people in the picture.

    The principles are pretty universal, and the stuff I write about happens to most of us. So you might wonder:

    Is he talking about me?

    Almost certainly not.

    Although… a while back, a new subscriber popped up who I had definitely been thinking of when I wrote one or more of these.

    And no, it wasn’t the Coexist Lady (as far as I know).

    I’m not trying to single anyone out, so I keep things vague.

    At least most of the time.

    So if you think I’m talking about you, I’m not. Unless I am. But usually not.

    If you own lots or land, I’m probably not talking about you — but I am talking to you.

    Unless you’re these people.

    When you’re ready to sell, you want someone who’ll shoot you straight (me) without shooting you in the foot (also me).

    I won’t try to hurt your feelings, but if you’re allergic to honesty, this might not be the partnership you’re looking for. No hard feelings.

    If you’re fine with it — you know what to do below.

    P.S. If you haven’t subscribed yet, hit the button. It helps me, and you might even enjoy it.

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  • Reading Between the Bumper Stickers

    Reading Between the Bumper Stickers

    You’re signaling all right — just not what you think.

    So I was driving up Preston Road this week, looked at the back of the car in front of me, and there it was.

    The Coexist bumper sticker.

    Always displayed by someone trying to signal that they’re tolerant, smart, and above the fray — while convincing nobody but themselves.

    Tolerant? Anyone who’s dealt with these folks knows they’re rarely as tolerant as they claim.

    Smart? We all agree it would be nice if everyone got along. But to act like centuries of conflicting worldviews can be squared with a one-word bumper sticker? “Smart” isn’t the right word.

    Above the fray? Only until you say something — probably by accident — that contradicts one of their beliefs.

    In truth, the sticker’s a red flag. Stay clear.

    One thing they don’t coexist with is critical thinking.

    There are plenty of other examples of people thinking they’re sending one signal while the rest of us read something very different:

    • The 50-year-old who brings up their college in every conversation — wants to sound educated, but really shows they haven’t done anything impressive in 25 years.
    • The guy with the aftermarket exhaust — thinks it’s swagger, but it reads like overcompensation.
    • The middle-aged woman getting tattoo sleeves — aiming for youthful and edgy, but looks like chasing something that should’ve been outgrown decades ago.

    It happens in real estate too. The classic is overtalking — trying to impress a potential client with a flood of knowledge. It might fly in the housing market, where most buyers and sellers know little beyond their own home and some market generalities.

    But in land? Owners tend to know a lot more. It doesn’t take long to spot when someone is saying things that sound good but are flat-out wrong. And that makes all of us look bad.

    I try to avoid signaling as much as possible. I want to be seen as smart, but I’d rather be trusted than flashy. If I say something, it’s because I’m as sure as I can be that it’s right.

    Give me the less flashy guy I can trust over whatever else is out there.

    And as long as we are talking about signaling, how about this:

    I voted for Trump.

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  • If It’s Time, Don’t Waste Time

    If It’s Time, Don’t Waste Time

    If you’re ready and the market’s open, take the shot.

    Yesterday I was talking about how landowners are rarely under pressure to sell.

    In the home market, it’s different. A job transfer, a growing family, downsizing after the kids move out—life timing usually matters more than market timing.

    Land? Almost the opposite.

    If your place has an ag exemption, your carrying costs are basically zero. You don’t live there, you can own it from across the country, and even if you do move halfway across the map, you usually don’t need to sell.

    You might want to sell when the market’s good, but you can wait when it’s not.

    Here’s the catch:

    The land market is the housing market’s moody cousin.

    With houses, there’s always some activity. People always need to move, one way or another. Demand might go up or down, but it doesn’t just vanish.

    Land is different. Most buyers don’t need it—they want it.

    They’d like to build their dream place in the country or have a weekend spot to hunt or fish. If interest rates or construction costs get too high, they’ll just wait.

    That means land demand can disappear almost overnight.

    So if you’re thinking about selling and can get a price that satisfies you, the smart move is usually to do it.

    Decide slow, act fast.

    Like I always say—there’s never pressure from me. I’m not here to tell you to sell. But once you’ve decided you might want to, it often makes sense to move forward before the market changes.

    Because it will.

    In the meantime… is it ever a bad idea to keep tabs on the market with a trusted advisor?

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  • Everybody Wants to Buy a New Car, But Nobody Wants to Buy One

    Everybody Wants to Buy a New Car, But Nobody Wants to Buy One

    Sometimes people say things that don’t really make sense, but also make perfect sense. (Hey, there’s another one.)

    Years ago, ex-Hardline host Mike Rhyner said it on The Ticket. I think it might have been part of a spot for a car dealer, but I don’t remember for sure.

    What the Old Gray Wolf was getting at is this: everyone likes having a new car (or a used one that’s new to them), but nobody likes going through the process. From the moment you walk onto the lot and a salesman makes a beeline for you… to the haggling… to the warranty pitch you don’t need — it’s just a beating.

    Most people hate it. Me? I’ve learned to kind of enjoy it.

    But I negotiate for a living, so going through an adversarial situation like that is more like practice.

    For most people, though, it’s not that way. From the time you arrive, you feel like you’re being pushed along in a process.

    News flash: people don’t like that.

    Even when you’re doing something you want to do (like buying a car), the moment you feel like you’re being pushed, you instinctively want to push back.

    There’s a book called Power vs. Force by David Hawkins. A good chunk of it leans a little “woo woo” for my taste, but the core point is dead on:

    • Force pushes. Power pulls.
    • Force burns energy. Power builds it.
    • Force meets resistance. Power creates cooperation.

    Car sales tend toward the “force” side. And it makes sense — the dealer knows there are countless other cars out there, and if you leave without buying, the odds you come back are slim. So they push.

    Residential real estate can work the same way. Lots of supply (even in tight markets), and buyers and sellers are often under time pressure. Using force can move things along, but nobody likes it — and it’s a big reason the stereotypical agent gets a bad name.

    But land and lots?

    That’s a different world.

    There’s rarely real pressure to sell. If you don’t get the offer you want, you can just wait. Which means there’s no reason to force anything.

    If I try, you’re just going to push back.

    So I don’t.

    I lean into the power side — using cooperation to create a good experience, even if a sale doesn’t happen. It’s better for you, and it works for me.

    You end up feeling like you were dealt with the way you’d want to be, and you’re never left wondering whether I was working for you or just working you.

    No pressure. In this part of the market, it’s not just a better way — it’s the only way.

    I’d never push you to do anything… but is it a bad time to look at the current market for your property?

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  • The Secret to Success? It’s Boring.

    The Secret to Success? It’s Boring.

    The most boring part? Filling out the deposit slips.

    About a week ago I wrote about goal setting, and how most people get it wrong.

    Systems > Goals.

    That’s how Scott Adams puts it in How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big. The idea shows up in other books too—most personal or business development books overlap a lot. Which is a good thing. See a concept enough times, in different words, and it’s more likely to stick.

    In The Slight Edge, Jeff Olson hits the same idea from a different angle:

    Success comes from doing small, simple things you can control—consistently.

    Instead of setting a big goal and swinging for the fences (and missing), you set the big goal but start small. Keep repeating the simple steps and you get a compound interest effect over time.

    That’s the problem though—it’s just as easy not to do them.

    Eat right and exercise today? You won’t notice a difference tomorrow. Skip it? Same thing. But do either one for years, and the difference is obvious.

    Which is why it’s easy to put off. Your condition a year from now won’t be much different if you start tomorrow instead of today. But that “tomorrow” thinking can stretch into a year before you know it.

    In my world, I might have 20+ projects going at once—brokerage, investments, business development. I don’t work on them all daily. But there are a few things I do at least every weekday (and try to do every day):

    • Check the prior day’s sales in MLS and update my maps. One day’s data doesn’t matter much, but years of it gives me an instant, detailed comp set. That’s gold for property analysis.
    • Check for new opportunities. Most MLS listings are priced at or above retail. But sometimes one’s a deal, and you have to move fast. Daily comp research makes spotting them easy.
    • Return every call and message. I’m not glued to my phone, but if you reach out during the day, I’ll get back to you. Quick response makes for a better client experience.

    Missing a day—or even two—wouldn’t end the world. But over time, that’s how you lose your edge.

    For me, the goal isn’t just to stay busy. It’s to make sure I’m doing the little things every day that give my clients the best chance to win. It doesn’t always look like much in the moment, but the results speak for themselves.

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  • Please Keep Talking, It’s Helping Me Win

    Please Keep Talking, It’s Helping Me Win

    Less talk = better results. And who’s better at keeping their mouth shut than me?

    A while back, I talked about the value of silence in negotiation.

    The less you’re talking, the more you’re (probably) winning.

    In radio, the worst thing you can have is “dead air.” If nothing’s coming through the speakers, people change the station—and someone’s getting fired. So hosts will say something, anything, just to fill the gap.

    Most people are like radio stations. They can’t stand silence. They start talking just to make it stop. And that’s when they say more than they should.

    If you can sit there and be patient, you’d be surprised what people will tell you. They’ll spill the beans. Sometimes the whole pot.

    That’s one benefit of being quiet—you might learn something useful. The bigger benefit? You’re not spilling your own beans. We’ve all said something we wish we could take back.

    Some of us just learn faster than others.

    Obviously, you can’t stay quiet all the time. But in a professional sense, you should know which side of the table someone is sitting on before you talk.

    In Texas, salespeople and brokers have to hand out a form called Information About Brokerage Services at the first real conversation with a prospective client or customer.

    It spells out who we work for and what we owe them. We must treat everyone honestly and fairly. But for clients, we have to put their interests above everyone else’s—including our own—and share any material information we receive.

    Which means:

    If I’m working for you, you can tell me what you will or won’t accept for your property, and I keep it confidential. Don’t disclose anything but the asking price unless you tell me otherwise. Every licensee is supposed to do this, but you know how it is.

    If I’m working for the other party and you tell me you’re asking $1M but will take $850K? Guess what? Not only will I tell my client—I’m required by law to tell them.

    Here’s the most self-serving thing you might read all day:

    I wouldn’t recommend buying or selling real estate without a skilled broker.

    But if you do, remember: watch what you say. The person you’re talking to may be legally required to repeat it to someone else.

    A good rule: assume the other party is in the room.

    In car sales, the salesman pretends to be on your side against the manager. Everyone knows that’s a lie, so you don’t tell him you’ll actually pay more. Because the first thing he does is walk into that other room and tell the manager.

    In real estate, agency is supposed to be disclosed. But human nature gets in the way sometimes. So just because someone acts like your friend doesn’t mean you should tell them anything.

    I try not to say too much. Maybe to a fault according to some.

    I say it’s one of my superpowers, right up there with being about the most stubborn person in Collin County.

    When you’re ready to talk, click below.

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