Agricultural land is difficult to find – not all real estate agents specialize in the buying and selling of agricultural land and hence if you are looking for fertile agricultural land, you should consider approaching a specialized agricultural real estate agent.
Agricultural land can have multiple uses – it could be converted into a farm, a ranch, an orchard or even a vineyard. However, if you are newly purchasing agricultural property, chances are that its previous use will influence what purpose you can or cannot use it for. This is because the land’s previous use could have most likely damaged the nutrients in the soil. This is where an agricultural real estate agent comes into place – they help you research any given land’s previous use and the likeness of it to be fertile.
Who is an agricultural real estate agent?
An agricultural real estate agent specializes in the buying and selling of agricultural land. Since, in any given country, not all states have fertile land, it is likely that an agricultural real estate agent may be limited in terms of the property that they are knowledgeable about and hence they may operate in certain locations or cities only.
What does an agricultural real estate agent do?
An agricultural real estate agent helps you rent, buy and sell agricultural properties. If you have acreage for sale or are looking to rent or buy one, an agricultural real estate agent is likely to help you study property listings, meet prospective clients, conduct visits to the property and handle negotiations before the final sale. Agricultural realtors are also responsible to draw up contracts for the sale, rent or purchase of the property in question and they can also wholly solely represent the buyer or the seller in a transaction.
As mentioned earlier, it is likely that an agricultural real estate agent or an agricultural brokerage specializes in their knowledge regarding certain geographic areas, and hence while looking for an agricultural real estate agent you should choose one that specializes in an area of your interest.
How can your real estate agent help?
While your real estate agent is required to perform the above-listed duties as a part of his/her job description, his expertise is most likely a lot more than that. Listed below is a list of things you can ask your real estate agent’s help for which would ultimately lead to a much informed and knowledgeable buying, renting or selling decision on your part:
1. Get help in testing the soil
While your real estate agent will not test the soil for nutrients, they will be aware of companies that do so and could get you a good deal. You would need to test the soil of the land you are interested in and check whether those nutrients are in line with the intended purpose of the crop you have in mind.
2. Get help in checking the land’s drainage
Once again, while your real estate agent will not check this themselves, they will connect you to personnel who do so for a fee. Checking your farmland’s drainage is of utmost importance as land that drains faster is likely to prevent the onset of plant diseases such as root rotting, molds and blight.
3. Get help in assessing the surrounding infrastructure
In order to make use of agricultural land, you need much more than simply healthy soil. You would need to check whether the land you intend to purchase has access to roads, buildings, electricity, water, irrigation, etc. This is because such factors add up to assess whether or not you would be able to cultivate or work on your land successfully. Roads, for instance, are necessary to ensure that your employees can make their way to their workplace every day and also so that tractors and rollers can make their way to your land. You need other buildings in the area that can store as storage or warehouses for your crop or other equipment.
