Owning land is pretty easy – it rarely takes a lot of effort. But when you want to sell, that can be a different story. Do you own landing (or a house that has a large lot size) and are wondering, “How do I sell my AB land to a developer”? At YEG Home Buyers, we’re often asked that question so we wrote this blog post to answer it for you…
Before we get into of the big questions around selling your land – if your house is within Edmonton, then a great strategy is driving around the neighbourhood and look for houses currently being built or that have been demolished. These construction sites will usually have the developers contact information on the fence that surrounds them – you can then give them a call and ask if they are buying houses or land currently! This is a great strategy because developers are location specific, so this way you’ll know that they definitely work in your area. Additionally if you want to save some leg work, just give us a call! We can tell you some of the local developers by pulling development permits from the City of Edmonton’s website in just a few minutes while we’re on the phone with you. We may even know some of them and be able to refer you directly.
First, it’s important to know what developers are looking for
A developer wants to be able to build on the property and sell it, so they’re probably looking for property that is close to infrastructure and services (like water, sewer, power, and roads). After all, they’ll need to connect these services to their development and they’ll want people to get to their development!
It’s okay if the land isn’t serviced but developers will probably want to know how far away the services are and whether those services are being actively worked on by the city.
Second, you may want to bypass the real estate agent
A lot of real estate agents tend to work with residential homeowners who are looking to buy a house to live in. If you’re wondering “How do I sell my land to a developer?” you may need to find someone who specializes in selling land to commercial businesses. Alternatively, we work with a large number of local developers who purchase land within the Anthony Henday for Infill Development, as well as “Greenfield Developers” who are looking for farm-style or acreage land typically on the outskirts of town outside of the Henday do build new suburbs – reach out and we’ll discuss the specifics!
Third, be aware of zoning and lot size when wondering “How Do I Sell My Land To A Developer?”
Developers will be looking to build, which may include potentially subdividing and doing additional work on the land. They’ll want to know how your property is zoned so they can anticipate the work required to build. Of course zoning can often be changed but zoning changes will just add to their timeline and workflow so it’s helpful for developers to know up-front how the land is zoned. If you’re wondering what your lot size is and what zoning your house has then good news! We can tell you both of these things over the phone.
Fourth, be aware of the path of new construction
This one is harder for land owners to know but if you’re wondering, “How do I sell my AB land to a developer?” this will be an important consideration that the developer is thinking about: If your land is not inside a city then a developer will probably want to know if the city is growing in the direction of your land. (Even if the city is not growing toward your land, that’s okay but developers will want to know). You don’t have to know this answer yourself but if you do, that will be helpful to developers.
Selling raw land can be challenging because it’s a very different kind of buyer. But if you’re wondering, how do i sell my land to a developer, then these 4 tips will help you.