Finding Deals that are Unavailable to The Competition

August 2022

How to Find Off-Market Opportunities That Are Unavailable to The Competition

Both property and land are selling for record prices. In this rising market, it has never been harder for developers to find profitable deals. Because agents know that their listings can sell for higher than before, they are raising the price on their valuations. Although this is understandable, it does make it hard for deals to be found on the open market.

With the market showing no signs of change, developers must find new and inventive ways of securing opportunities that leave them with enough margin to make a profit. This is our guide on how to go off-market and find land opportunities that are unavailable to anyone else.

Direct-to-vendor marketing can take many forms. You have your traditional method of posting letters (which you can learn more about here) and modern methods which use the latest technology. Paid advertising is a great example of this, with Facebook and Google adverts becoming increasingly common.

Although these methods do require an upfront investment, they pay dividends when a stream of leads starts flowing through your computer. Essentially, pay-per-click advertising (PPC) targets people who have an active interest in your service. So, with Facebook, you can create ads that find people with an interest in land sales and Rightmove. With Google ads, you can target people who are searching for terms like “sell my land”.

Paid advertising is a great way of getting in front of people looking to sell. It is especially useful as it allows landowners to find you before they find a land agent, so they avoid being given an overinflated valuation.

This is an old-school method, but it works. Some people do not realise that their land is valuable, others cannot be bothered with the hassle of selling it on the open market. However, when a knock comes at the door from a property developer who is willing to offer them a fair price, it makes them think. You are allowing them to avoid the hassle of the open market, and you are saving them costly estate agency fees.

This method of finding land also makes creative purchases easier to come by. Joint ventures and lease options are easier to accomplish when you can speak with the landowner directly. Trying to explain these things to agents who only understand a simple sale and purchase can become convoluted.

If it is not clear who the landowner is, then you can check on Land Registry by clicking here.

Although gaining planning permission is a controversial topic for many developers, it does not stop the planning portal from being their best friend. There is a high chance that someone looking to sell their land will seek to gain planning permission first, because it raises the value of their plot.

We recommend frequently checking your local planning portal. When a new application comes up for land with planning, find the owner using Land Registry and send them a letter. Sometimes you will end up writing to another developer, but other times you will find a landowner just as they are looking to sell.

We deliver a hands-off service to our partners without the hassle. Whether this is giving our investors opportunities that are already sourced and ready-made with our own professional team in place or working with landowners to give them a seamless sale.

If you are looking for a development opportunity that will make your money work for you, then contact us today by clicking here.