Mike Browning

Tag: collin-county

  • You Don’t Know, til You Know

    You Don’t Know, til You Know

    Nothing’s Final ‘Til the Dirt Turns

    If you live in North Texas, you know two things: people are always moving here, and traffic keeps getting worse.

    The cities, counties, and state can’t build roads fast enough to keep up. And in my line of work—land and lot sales—knowing what roads are planned is part of the job.

    Property owners near these proposed roads usually know something’s coming. Once word gets out, their price expectations go up—sometimes way up.

    But here’s the catch: just because a road is “planned” doesn’t mean it’s happening any time soon—or at all. Projected dates mean nothing if the money’s not there. And politics can shift everything: the timeline, the location, or whether it gets built at all.

    Case in point: the Collin County Outer Loop. It was first announced back in 2010. A few segments are driveable now. The rest? Still on paper.

    One of my clients bought land near the “technically preferred alignment” not long ago—well after that 2010 route was released. Fifteen years passed with very little movement. Then, just last month, the county came out with four updated alternatives. Good news: all four ran right by our property. Even better news: it was in a prime spot, potentially on the corner.

    So we celebrated—too soon.

    Turns out, those four aren’t final. The alignment could still change. And until it’s locked in, we can’t sell. The value depends entirely on where that road ends up.

    Another property I handled had a highway interchange announced on it. One proposed route would’ve made the land worthless. The other? Worth millions. Thankfully, it went our way—but it was a stressful ride.

    Bottom line: until the dirt is turning, nobody really knows. Not the government, not the engineers, not the landowners—nobody.

    Sure, it helps to have the best info you can get. Just don’t bet the farm on it.

    Want to know what roads might be planned near your land? I’ll tell you what I know—no charge.

    Got a lot you might want to sell?
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  • Hourly Rates That Would Make a Lawyer Blush

    Hourly Rates That Would Make a Lawyer Blush

    I’ve been working with a homebuilder recently who asked me to help him find 20–30 lots to build on. These are smaller, in-town lots—not the acre-plus kind many of you own.

    We spent about three hours driving around the area he was targeting. The next day, I spent an hour reaching out to builders and developers in that part of town, and another hour following up.

    It’s not a done deal yet, but I’m about five hours in, and I think we found the right fit. If this closes, I’ll probably make around $3,000 an hour on this deal, assuming a few more hours managing the transaction.

    Sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it?

    Well, not really.

    That kind of result only looks easy. I’ve spent years building the relationships it takes to pull something like this off. Builders and developers are swamped. And in my business, there are plenty of people who will waste your time—or worse. So getting these folks to even respond, much less share useful info that could help a deal come together, isn’t something most people can do.

    There’s no charge to the client unless we close, so there’s no risk on their end. And I’ll admit, I probably got a little lucky finding a match this fast. Normally, it takes longer. But this is why experience matters.

    What does my client think about the fee?

    He’s thrilled. Honestly, if I’d asked for more, I think he would’ve paid it. A builder makes money when he sells houses. If he doesn’t have lots to build on, he can’t sell anything. So the faster he gets lots, the faster he can do what he’s in business to do. He wants to pay as little as possible, sure—but he also knows value when he sees it.

    There are discount brokers out there. But when you’re not paying anything up front, and when you’ve got someone with real business negotiation experience (not just sales experience) working for you, chances are you’ll come out ahead—even if the commission isn’t the cheapest.

    Add in the peace of mind of having an honest advocate in your corner, someone with the right experience and connections to help make things happen faster?

    That’s an easy decision.

    Got a lot you might want to sell?
    Get a FREE, no obligation report on what it could sell for today.
    Get Your Lot Valuation

    Own land instead?
    Get a report for that here:
    Get Your Land Value

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