Mike Browning

Tag: Cooke County Land Sales

  • Sometimes It Just Makes Sense to Sell

    Sometimes It Just Makes Sense to Sell

    Assets don’t exist in a vacuum. What matters is how they fit your overall situation.

    Yesterday we completed a transaction where a long-time client of mine sold a residential lot at 702 Sperry in Red Oak to a spec builder. Thanks to Dawn Cano of United Real Estate, who represented the buyer.

    This was a pretty straightforward deal. A ready-to-build residential lot priced so someone can build a house that fits the neighborhood and still make a fair profit. Not a large transaction, but they all count. And you can’t ignore what might happen later. As you continue to do business, your circle grows, which creates opportunities down the line.

    But the most important part here is the seller’s thinking.

    I often say that the right way to approach these decisions is to look at how a property fits into your overall financial picture. Everyone wants to sell for the highest amount possible, and historically that has been in the future. But sometimes it just makes sense to sell now.

    Sounds self-serving, I know. But it’s true.

    This lot was directly behind a couple of retail centers my client used to own. He bought it at a good price, but the real motivation was control. He wanted to make sure nothing went in there that negatively affected his centers.

    Since then, he sold the strip centers along with other properties in the area. This lot became the only thing he owned on the south side of the DFW Metroplex.

    So the original reason for owning it was gone.

    At that point, he was just holding it and paying taxes.

    So he stepped back and looked at it.

    Does this still fit what I’m doing?

    The answer was no.

    So he decided the smart move was to sell it and deploy the proceeds somewhere else. Somewhere that aligned with his current strategy.

    We put it on the market and got it done. We didn’t give it away, but we also didn’t nickel-and-dime the buyer. When a reasonable offer came in, we accepted it and moved forward without worrying about whether it might be worth slightly more next year.

    He’ll put the money somewhere else, and hopefully that’s worth more next year.

    That’s what I mean when I say look at the big picture.

    Sometimes it makes sense to sell when you didn’t expect it.

    Sometimes it doesn’t.

    But you don’t know unless you allow yourself to look.

    You’re not tied to any particular decision or timeline. But you should give yourself the chance to make the right move, whatever that ends up being.

    PS – If you own lots or land, you’re probably not thinking about selling today. If you don’t live on the property, there’s usually no pressure.

    But is it a bad idea to know where things stand?

    That’s where the MBR Land Reality Check comes in.

    It’s an in-depth look at recent nearby sales, market trends, development activity, and the types of buyers who might be interested in your property right now.

    Once you have it, you still don’t have to make any decisions about selling. But you’ll have what you need if things change.

    Allow yourself to take a look.

    Get the MBR Land Reality Check here.

    PPS – If you’re not ready for the Reality Check but like this kind of thinking, you can sign up below to get these in your inbox.

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  • When Doing Nothing Is The Best Option

    When Doing Nothing Is The Best Option

    The thing about marketing something people don’t need most of the time.

    I’ve written on here a lot about understanding what business you’re really in.

    As a real estate broker, the obvious answer is real estate. And that’s true in a literal sense. If you hire me, you’re getting advice and brokerage services. That’s my deliverable.

    But that’s not really the business.

    I’m really in the marketing business.

    Part of that is the visible side. Things like positioning properties, getting them in front of the right people, dealing with buyers, getting something from sitting to sold. That’s the part everyone sees.

    The other part is quieter.

    If you don’t know I exist, or don’t have a reason to pay attention when I show up, none of the rest of it matters.

    So a lot of what I do has nothing to do with a specific property. It’s making sure that when someone does have a decision to make, I’m already in the conversation.

    That’s where most people get this wrong. They think the job starts when someone decides to sell.

    It doesn’t.

    By the time you’re ready to act, most of the important decisions are already made—who you trust, who you listen to, what you think the market looks like. That gets set long before a listing agreement shows up.

    I’ve spent a lot of time studying how that works.

    One of the concepts that stuck with me is Dan Kennedy’s idea of a Unique Selling Proposition.

    To get that right, you have to answer a simple question:

    Why would someone choose to work with me over every other option, including doing nothing?

    Most people skip that last part.

    But unlike something like a haircut or a restaurant, where doing nothing isn’t really an option, here it often is. Most of the time, it’s the best option for most people. You can afford to wait and see.

    Which means the bar is higher.

    It’s not enough to say I can sell your property. Plenty of people can do that. The real question is whether selling is the right move in the first place.

    Lots of brokers skip that step. When the only outcome is a transaction, that’s the recommendation you’re going to hear.

    List it. Price it. Move it.

    Sometimes that’s correct. Sometimes it isn’t. And once you’re moving, it’s a lot harder to slow down and rethink it.

    So I’ve tried to structure things a little differently.

    Yes, I get paid when something sells. But I’m not set up in a way where every conversation has to end there.

    A lot of the time, the right move is just understanding what you have, what’s happening around it, and what your options actually look like—then deciding.

    That tends to produce fewer deals. It also tends to produce better ones, with less regret.

    Most landowners don’t need someone to sell their property.

    They need someone who can look at it without needing that outcome.

    PS- Most landowners are not planning to sell today.

    But things change. Timing, markets, personal situations. When that happens, the people who already understand where they stand tend to make better decisions.

    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?

    Get Yours Here

    PPS- If you’re not ready for that but like thinking through land, markets, and negotiation, you can sign up below and get these posts in your inbox.

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    By submitting, I understand I will receive marketing emails and blog posts from Mike Browning Realty and/or associated companies. Unsubscribe at any time.

  • You Understand This When Dealing With Your Own Kids, But Forget When God’s Dealing With You

    You Understand This When Dealing With Your Own Kids, But Forget When God’s Dealing With You

    You don’t need more detail, just do what you’re asked.

    In the Old Testament story of Samson, before he was born an angel came to his mother with some simple instructions:

    Don’t drink wine, don’t eat anything unclean, don’t shave his head. And your son will begin to deliver the Israelites from the Philistines.

    She told her husband Manoah about it, and he wanted to meet with the angel himself.

    That makes perfect sense to most people.

    If you’re told you’re going to raise a child set apart for something important, you probably want more than a few lines of instruction. So he asks for it, and God sends the angel back.

    And nothing new is added.

    Same instructions. Same limits. No extra detail. No roadmap. Not even a name.

    They got a second chance to ask, and still didn’t get what they were looking for.

    People ask for clarity when what they really want is control. They want to understand the outcome before they commit, to make sure it makes sense first.

    That’s not what they were given.

    They were told what to do, and that was it. No explanation of how Samson’s life would unfold. No outline of how this would deliver Israel. No reassurance that it would go smoothly.

    Just do this.

    Then Manoah asks for the name. Most of us probably would. If something significant is happening, you want to know who you’re dealing with.

    The answer he gets is basically, “Why do you need to know that?”

    In other words, you don’t.

    We think more information will make us more faithful. Usually it just makes us more selective.

    If we know the outcome, we can decide if it’s worth it. If we understand the plan, we can adjust it. If we know the why, we can negotiate the how.

    That’s not obedience, it’s management. But we aren’t the manager. God is.

    Look at your own life.

    You feel like you should do something. Call someone, stop something, start something. It doesn’t seem efficient. It doesn’t seem important.

    So you wait. Or you tweak it into something that makes more sense to you. Or you ask for more confirmation.

    I’ve done that. Most people have.

    It sounds responsible and thoughtful, but usually it’s hesitation. Sometimes it’s just disobedience dressed up as wisdom.

    Much later, Jesus tells Peter something about how his life will end. Peter immediately points at someone else and asks, “What about him?”

    And the answer he gets is, what is that to you?

    Follow me.

    Same idea.

    You don’t need to know his path to walk yours. You don’t need the full picture to take the next step.

    You don’t need better instructions.

    You already have enough.

    P.S. If you’d like to read through the Bible this year, you can join us at His Word Together.

    No commentary.
    No telling you what to think.
    Nothing to buy.
    Nothing fancy.
    Just steady time in the Word.


    Check it out here.

  • News Isn’t Good or Bad. It’s facts to be acted on (or not).

    News Isn’t Good or Bad. It’s facts to be acted on (or not).

    There’s no point in curling up into a ball, keep making decisions.

    Lots of people read the news like it’s a scoreboard. Up, down, good, bad. That’s not what it is. It’s information about where things are moving, and who is moving.

    I was reading through one of Dan Kennedy’s memos this week. He was in Florida for a few days, just observing. His takeaway was simple. There’s money everywhere down there. Restaurants full, prices high, people spending without hesitation. He wasn’t celebrating it or complaining about it. He was noticing it.

    Most people don’t do that. They react. A smaller group watches patterns.

    Money leaving one place and showing up somewhere else isn’t “good” or “bad.” It depends on where you’re standing. If you own property where it’s going, it tends to look pretty good. If you’re on the other side of it, it doesn’t. Same movement, different outcome.

    People talk about “the market” like it’s one thing. It isn’t. It’s a bunch of separate movements happening at the same time. Some areas are heating up, some are flattening out, and some are quietly getting ignored.

    Most people don’t adjust. They sit where they are and hope they’re in the right bucket. That’s not a strategy.

    You don’t control where money flows. You don’t control policy, taxes, or migration. But you do control what you own and what you do with it.

    That’s where people get stuck. They treat everything like it belongs in a separate box. Retirement accounts over here, real estate over there, and that piece of land they haven’t looked at in ten years sitting off to the side. No connection between them.

    The outside world doesn’t respect those boxes. If money is moving, it’s moving. It doesn’t care how you’ve categorized your assets. The only thing that matters is whether you can respond.

    Retirement accounts come with rules. Limited options and limited timing. Real estate doesn’t. You can hold it, sell it, split it, reposition it, wait, or move on. That flexibility gets wasted more than it should.

    Not because people make a bad decision, but because they never make one at all. They stop looking.

    They label something “long term” and mentally file it away. Meanwhile everything around it keeps changing. Population shifts, infrastructure, development pressure. Then one day they realize something passed them by, and they didn’t even know it was happening.

    There are always people who see movement early, and people who react late. That part doesn’t change.

    So when you hear about money moving, companies relocating, entire regions reshuffling, it’s not something to argue about. It’s something to factor in, then decide what it means for what you own.

    Or don’t.

    PS- Most landowners are not planning to sell today.

    But things can change quickly. When they do, the people who already understand their position tend to make better decisions.

    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?

    Get Yours Here

    PPS- If you’re not ready for a Reality Check but like reading about land, markets, and negotiation, you can sign up below and get these posts in your inbox.

    Register to Receive Posts Via Email!

    By submitting, I understand I will receive marketing emails and blog posts from Mike Browning Realty and/or associated companies. Unsubscribe at any time.

  • You’re Not Avoiding Selling

    You’re Not Avoiding Selling

    You’re avoiding the conversation that comes with it.

    Most people like the idea of a new car.

    They don’t like buying one.

    It usually means going somewhere, sitting down, and dealing with someone who says they’re there to help, and you know they’re trying to sell you something.

    That’s not a knock on them. The job is to sell. They also know that if you leave without buying, you’re probably not coming back.

    That changes the conversation.

    You start sorting through everything in real time. What’s real, what’s a line, what’s being left out. After a while, you’re just looking for a way to get up and leave.

    So you put it off.

    Not because you don’t want the car, but because you don’t want that process.

    If you own lots or land, it’s usually the same thing.

    You know at some point it might make sense to sell, or at least understand where things stand. But that usually means stepping into that same kind of conversation.

    Sitting down with someone who talks in generalities, leans on clichés, and keeps nudging things toward a deal. Whether it’s obvious or not, there’s a preferred outcome.

    So you leave it alone.

    Not because doing nothing is clearly right, but because it’s easier than dealing with that.

    I see it all the time. People wait until something forces the issue, and by then they’re reacting instead of deciding.

    What you actually want is pretty simple.

    You want someone who will tell you the truth, even if it doesn’t lead anywhere. Even if it doesn’t make anyone money right now.

    And you don’t want to block off half a day just to get there.

    That’s how I handle it.

    I do things in a way that doesn’t soak up your time or leave you feeling dragged along in the process.

    I’m here to advise, but you’re in control. I work for you, not the other way around.

    A lot of the properties I’ve sold, I didn’t meet the seller until closing. Some I never met at all. Not because I avoid it. I’ll meet whenever it makes sense.

    But it doesn’t have to start there.

    It can start with a conversation. Email is fine. That’s usually what I prefer anyway.

    Sometimes that turns into a sale. Sometimes later. Sometimes not at all.

    But at least you’re deciding based on what actually makes sense, not because you got pulled into something you didn’t really want to deal with in the first place.

    PS – Most people aren’t planning to sell today.

    But things change, timing, markets, personal situations.

    When that happens, the people who already understand where they stand tend to make better decisions.

    That’s what the MBR Land Reality Check is for.

    It looks at nearby sales, current listings, development pressure, and the details that affect value but don’t show up in a quick search.

    This is typically something I’d charge for, but I’m offering it at no cost for now.

    If you’ve ever wondered what your property actually looks like in today’s market, it’s a straightforward way to find out.

    Get the MBR Land Reality Check

    PPS – If you’re not ready for that but you like thinking through land, markets, and negotiation, you can sign up below and get these posts in your inbox.

    Register to Receive Posts Via Email!

    By submitting, I understand I will receive marketing emails and blog posts from Mike Browning Realty and/or associated companies. Unsubscribe at any time.

  • The Plan They Sell Isn’t Always The Plan They Use

    The Plan They Sell Isn’t Always The Plan They Use

    Doesn’t mean it’s wrong, just don’t miss the gap

    A while back I talked about The 4-Hour Workweek. The idea that most people already have that, they just spread it across forty.

    One thing I didn’t mention then is the guy who wrote it, Tim Ferriss.

    He wasn’t wrong about the mechanics. You can automate parts of a business, outsource work, and cut down the time you personally spend on certain things.

    But the title was a marketing decision. It was the one that tested best.

    And when that book came out, he was everywhere. TV, interviews, flights, promotion. If you paid attention, it felt like he was on TV more than four hours a day by itself, before you even account for travel, prep, or whatever else he had going on. He didn’t have the four hour week he was selling.

    So there’s a split there. The idea has some truth to it. The presentation is doing something else.

    That doesn’t make it useless. It just means you don’t take it at face value. You look at what the person is actually doing, not what they’re telling you can be done.

    That shows up in a lot of places. Real estate is one of them.

    There’s a version of this where every seller gets the same pitch and the same process, no matter what they actually need. That’s usually about the agent, not the property.

    Because the situations aren’t the same. Some people need to sell now. Some want to sell if it makes sense. Some only want to sell if everything lines up just right. Those don’t get handled the same way, even though they often are.

    Yes, I get paid on commission. That part isn’t hidden. But I’m not set up where every conversation has to end with a listing. I’ve got other things going on, so I don’t need every situation to force the same outcome.

    If the only path someone offers you is the one that gets them paid, you’re not really being advised. You’re being moved.

    PS – Most landowners are not planning to sell today. But things change, and when they do, the people who already understand their market tend to make better decisions.

    That’s what the MBR Land Reality Check is for. It looks at nearby sales, current listings, development pressure, and the details that affect value.

    Is it a bad idea to know where things stand?

    Get Yours Here

    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.

    Register to Receive Posts Via Email!

    By submitting, I understand I will receive marketing emails and blog posts from Mike Browning Realty and/or associated companies. Unsubscribe at any time.

  • In Defense of Doubting Thomas

    In Defense of Doubting Thomas

    He wasn’t the only one.

    Thomas gets singled out.

    That’s how the story is usually told. Everyone else believed, Thomas didn’t, and he needed proof.

    But that’s not really what happened.

    The other disciples didn’t believe at first either. When the women came back and told them the tomb was empty, they didn’t take it at face value. Luke says it sounded like nonsense to them. Peter ran to check for himself.

    And later, two of them walked with Jesus for miles on the road to Emmaus. He explained things to them in a way only He could, and they still didn’t recognize Him until afterward.

    And this wasn’t coming out of nowhere. Jesus had told them ahead of time what was going to happen. More than once. They had heard it and still had a hard time putting it together when it actually happened.

    That’s the part that gets skipped.

    These weren’t outsiders. These were the same men who had been with Him, and even they didn’t immediately understand what they were seeing.

    Thomas just wasn’t there the first time Jesus appeared to the group.

    So when they told him, he responded the same way they had, just more directly. Unless I see it, I’m not going to believe it.

    He said it out loud. That’s the difference.

    Then comes the line people remember.

    “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

    It’s often used like a quiet rebuke of Thomas, but that doesn’t really fit either.

    It wasn’t describing the other disciples. They had already seen.

    It was pointing forward, to everyone else who wouldn’t get that moment. No room, no wounds to touch, no direct proof in front of them.

    That’s today.

    Not in the room. Not seeing it directly. Hearing about it and deciding what to do with it.

    And it’s not an easy thing to believe.

    The people closest to it struggled with it, even after being told in advance. Now it’s often treated like a simple statement. Something people say without stopping on what it actually means.

    A man was executed in a brutal way, buried, and then came back to life.

    We say we believe that.

    But sometimes it sounds more like we’ve gotten used to saying it than actually thinking through it.

    Thomas asked to see.

    He wasn’t the only one.

    P.S.- If you’d like to read through the Bible this year, you can join us at His Word Together.

    No commentary.
    No telling you what to think.
    Nothing to buy.
    Nothing fancy.
    Just steady time in the Word.

    Check it out here.

  • Most Landowners Aren’t Stuck. They’re Just Not Looking

    Most Landowners Aren’t Stuck. They’re Just Not Looking

    Some people feel stuck but aren’t really. Others just have their heads in the sand.

    Some landowners are genuinely stuck.

    Most aren’t. They just haven’t looked at things in a while.

    Sometimes that’s because they don’t want to see what’s there. Other times life just moves on.

    They bought it with some kind of plan. Build later. Hold it long term. Maybe sell when the area catches up. Then the property slides into the background.

    A few years go by. Then a few more.

    At some point it stops being something they’re actively managing and turns into something they just own.

    That’s where things start to drift.

    Because the land didn’t freeze in place when they stopped paying attention to it. Everything around it kept moving. Development shifts. Prices move. Buyer demand shows up in pockets, then disappears. Infrastructure gets extended in one direction and skipped in another.

    Sometimes the property quietly gets better.

    Sometimes it doesn’t.

    If you’re not paying attention, you don’t know which one you have.

    So people settle into a simple explanation. “I’m just holding it.”

    That sounds like a decision, but most of the time it isn’t. It’s just inactivity dressed up as a plan.

    Holding can be the right move. Selling can be the right move. Reworking it, splitting it, or just waiting for a different window can all make sense depending on what’s actually happening around the property.

    But all of those require the same first step. You have to look at it as it sits today, not how it looked when you bought it.

    That’s the part people skip.

    Not because they can’t do it. Because once they do, they might have to make a decision they’ve been putting off.

    PS- Most landowners are not planning to sell today.

    But things change. Sometimes faster than expected. When they do, the people who already understand what they own tend to make better decisions than the ones starting from scratch.

    That’s what the MBR Land Reality Check is for.

    It looks at nearby sales, current listings, development pressure, and the details that actually move value, not just what it looks like from the road.

    Is it a bad idea to know where things stand?

    Get Yours Here

    PPS- If you’re not ready for that but like reading about land, markets, and how these decisions actually play out, you can sign up below and get these posts in your inbox.

    Register to Receive Posts Via Email!

    By submitting, I understand I will receive marketing emails and blog posts from Mike Browning Realty and/or associated companies. Unsubscribe at any time.

  • Waterstone, Worth a Look

    Waterstone, Worth a Look

    Make sure you see this one.

    If you build or sell custom homes in northern DFW, this is a straightforward one to look at.

    One acre in Waterstone Estates, northeast of McKinney. The neighborhood requires a minimum build of 3,500 square feet, which keeps the overall product consistent.

    If you build in the area already you know this is a higher end subidivision. If not, but you have customers or clients interested in Collin County, this is a great option.

    Can currently be purchased for $279,000 (Buyer to pay all closing costs other than sellers agent commission).

    That’s the basic framework. Beyond that, it’s just a matter of whether it fits what you’re working on right now.

    Photos and aerials are below so you can get a quick read on it.

    If you want to walk the lot, just let me know ahead of time and I’ll coordinate access.

    P.S. If you want to see more like this as they come up, you can sign up here and get them by email.

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  • Never Ask a Barber If You Need a Haircut

    Never Ask a Barber If You Need a Haircut

    And be careful asking a real estate agent if it’s a good time to sell.

    You already know how agents get paid.
    Property sells, they get a commission. If it doesn’t, they don’t.

    That part isn’t confusing.

    What people don’t always think through is what that does to the conversation before anything sells.

    Most brokers give out information upfront.
    Valuations, pricing opinions, strategy.

    I do it too.

    It looks free, and in a narrow sense it is. You’re not writing a check for it.

    But it’s not neutral.

    If someone only gets paid when something sells, their advice is going to lean that way. Not because they’re lying. Because that’s how the structure works.

    List it.
    Price it.
    Get it done.

    You’ll hear about timing, positioning, exposure. A lot of that is right.

    What you won’t hear as much about is doing nothing. Holding. Waiting. Changing the plan in a way that doesn’t lead to a quick transaction.

    Those paths don’t pay.

    So they don’t get the same attention.

    That doesn’t make the broker bad. It just means you should understand what’s driving the advice.

    In my case, I’m in the same model. I get paid when something sells.

    But I’m not in a position where every conversation has to end there. I can tell someone to sit still when that’s the better move.

    A lot of brokers can’t.

    If the only path someone lays out for you ends in a listing, it’s worth noticing.

    Not arguing. Not accusing.

    Just noticing.

    And asking yourself one question.

    Would this still make sense if I didn’t sell?

    PS – Most landowners aren’t planning to sell today.
    But situations change, and when they do, the people who already understand their position tend to make better decisions.

    That’s what the MBR Land Reality Check is for.
    It looks at nearby sales, current listings, development pressure, and the details that don’t show up in a quick search.

    Is it a bad idea to know where things stand?

    Get Yours Here

    PPS – If you’re not ready for that but like reading about land, markets, and negotiation, you can sign up below and get these in your inbox.

    Register to Receive Posts Via Email!

    By submitting, I understand I will receive marketing emails and blog posts from Mike Browning Realty and/or associated companies. Unsubscribe at any time.