Mike Browning

Tag: mike-browning-realty

  • 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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  • Am I Even A Real Person?

    Am I Even A Real Person?

    No meetings. No hassle. Just sold

    I’ve said before that in a high percentage of the land deals I handle—especially lots—I often don’t meet my clients until we’re signing documents at the title company. Sometimes, I don’t meet them at all.

    I do try to be at the closing, shake your hand, and say thank you in person. But sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Closings can happen without me there.

    Here’s a funny story from a few years ago: I sold a lot and couldn’t make it to the closing. I’d handled everything by email—pretty typical—and I don’t think I ever even spoke on the phone with the seller.

    She showed up at closing and asked the title agent:

    “Is Mike Browning even a real person?”

    The agent laughed and assured her I was. Said I was a great broker to work with.

    When I close deals with a new title company, I try to get there a little early. The staff are often surprised that I don’t know what my clients look like. Apparently, that’s unusual.

    If you’re selling a house, there’s a lot that needs to be shown, explained, and coordinated. And if someone’s going to be walking through your home while you’re not there, it makes sense to have met them and sized them up.

    But land—especially lots—is different. It’s usually straightforward. You just need someone who knows what to look for and what they need to know. With my experience, I can find all the key details (and probably a few you hadn’t thought about) without needing to meet in person.

    And you’re never committed to selling until you’re fully satisfied with the deal. You don’t owe me anything until the sale actually closes.

    I like to think my ability to close deals this way comes from writing clearly and helping people feel at ease. But really, most of the time, in-person meetings just aren’t necessary for this sort of thing.

    It’s not that I don’t want to meet you—we’re all just busy. Selling a piece of land usually isn’t at the top of your urgency list. So why not make it simple?

    My goal is to meet you once: at closing, when you’re being handed a check (or prepping for a wire). That way, our one in-person meeting is a good memory.

    No pressure. When you’re ready, I’m here.

    Got a lot you might want to sell?
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    Get Your Lot Valuation

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  • If They Knew, They’d Be on a Boat

    If They Knew, They’d Be on a Boat

    Take predictions with a grain of salt, no matter how convincing

    Even if you don’t watch them regularly, I’m sure you’ve seen the financial news channels—the ones with talking heads predicting where this stock, that stock, or the whole market is headed.

    And I’ll admit, some of them sound pretty sharp. Convincing, even.

    But here’s the thing:

    If they really knew what was going to happen, they wouldn’t be on TV. They’d be retired on a yacht somewhere. So let’s be honest—they’re at least a little bit full of it.

    Same goes for real estate. There are plenty of people out there ready to tell you exactly what the market will look like six months or a year from now. And they can sound pretty slick while doing it. But be careful. Even if they end up being right, that doesn’t mean they actually knew anything.

    Anyone who claims to know the future—or promises specific results in selling real estate—is either lying or fooling themselves. And like I’ve said before, either way, that’s not someone you want working for you.

    You can ask me what I think is going to happen, and I’ll tell you: I don’t know. Historically, land values tend to go up. But it’s not a straight line, and it depends on a lot of factors. What I can do is show you what’s happened recently and give you a sense of today’s market—assuming things stay reasonably steady.

    Am I ever wrong? Sure. Just ask my wife. Or my kids.

    But I’ll never just tell you something I don’t know, just because it sounds good.

    As always, no pressure. Ever. But you can get me here anytime if you’re thinking about selling.

    Got a lot you might want to sell?
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  • They want to buy my truck (at the cost of my sanity)

    They want to buy my truck (at the cost of my sanity)

    Curiosity didn’t kill the crow—but it sure blew up his phone.

    I recently made the mistake of entering my info into one of those “we want to buy your truck” ads.

    I like my truck. I own it outright. There’s no way they’re giving me enough for it to get a new one without payments—so what’s the point?

    Well… I’m curious. And I couldn’t help myself.

    So I punched in all the info. And surprise—it was worth more than I thought. But like I said, still not enough. And I knew that going in.

    Now I’m paying for it.

    Multiple calls. Texts. Emails. Every day.

    The ad should’ve read:

    “Find out what your truck is worth—and also let us call you during dinner every night.”

    I’ve told them I’m not interested. Doesn’t matter. They keep trying new angles:

    “If anything changes, let me know!”

    “May I ask what you’re willing to sell it for?”

    “Would you consider trading it in?”

    And so on. Forever.

    Look—I’m not mad at the guy making the calls. He’s just doing his job. Somebody somewhere has decided this makes money. I guess it must.

    But there’s got to be a better way to follow up without actively annoying the person you’re trying to win over.

    Then again, it’s car sales. Maybe they’ve just accepted that alienating people is part of the process.

    Anyway, I’m in sales too. I get it. Most people don’t decide to work with you unless you ask them.

    But this is why I don’t cold call. I don’t text unless we’re working a deal. It’s intrusive. Pushy.

    I do email. A lot. Almost every day. Sometimes more, if we are doing business.

    But you can read or ignore it on your terms. And hopefully, it’s either helpful or entertaining—or both.

    And yes, I usually end these emails with a reminder that when you’re ready to buy or sell land, I’m easy to find.

    But you’ll never feel hounded. Promise.

    And if these ever feel like too much?

    Just hit unsubscribe. I’ll miss you, but I won’t bug you.

    Can’t say the same for the truck guys.

    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:
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