Uk Land Investments - How To Obtain Vital Information From The Seller
There is a simple tool you can use to help obtain the important information needed to make sound investment decisions when you are investing in UK land. This simple but effectual process consists of examining and then enhancing your own communication style.
What you say, how you listen, and the quality of your organizational skills are all worth paying close attention to when you are pursuing a UK land investment. The following tactics will help you easily procure important details about a UK land investment.
Query the seller:
This is a very fundamental concept, yet, some UK land investors are actually shy about asking questions for fear of appearing either callow or boorish. The old adage about the only dumb question being the one that you do not ask really is true. You cannot afford to be fearful of asking even the most basic questions if you are seriously considering a land investment.
If the seller assumes that you already know something, they will not volunteer that information and you will run the risk of missing a critical bit of data. If you should receive an answer that is not clear to you, do not be afraid to ask for clarification until you really understand the answer.
Pose your inquiries as open-ended questions:
An open-ended query is phrased something like this:
“Tell me about the zoning for this land”
As opposed to a close ended question such as:
“Are there any development restrictions for this land”?
Open ended questions can elicit a great deal of information since they are typically are not able to be answered with a short answer such as “yes” or “no”. Open ended questions are more likely to encourage the seller to talk.
Listen for hidden information:
In the course of continued conversation, the seller may reveal information they would not normally reveal, such as motivation for wanting to sell the land at a particular time, or problems with the property. Listen carefully to comments that may seem to be casual, trivial, or not directly related to the land investment. These comments may end up being important later.
Look for hidden information:
Sometimes, what is not said can be as important as what is. Body language such as not maintaining eye-contact or avoiding a direct answer to a reasonable question may indicate that the seller is not forthcoming about some aspect of the property or the deal.
Write it down:
As you begin the process of looking into a UK land deal, prepare a list of questions ahead of time. Have the list with you when you meet the seller, converse via telephone, or correspond by e-mail. Take notes about specific information - do not assume that you will remember it later. This will help avoid worry and feeling insecure about remembering to follow-up on something when you are ready to close the deal.
Your list and notes should be a work in progress with answered questions checked off, new questions added to the bottom of the list, and pressing issues highlighted so they don’t escape your attention. When taking notes during a conversation, write in a manner which is detailed and clear enough that it will make sense to you later, but also brief enough so that you can still concentrate on what is being said right then and there.
Review those notes before the end of the day to increase the likelihood that you will remember the context in which something was said. If you are not sure if something is important, write it down anyway. Something that may seem to be inconsequential at the time may prove to be significant as the deal proceeds and your understanding of investments in UK land and the specific property increases.
These simple steps will help you obtain the information that will need to make sound decisions, not just about a UK land investment, but any time you are investing in land.
Leonard Montgomery is a an expert in UK Land and land investment. For more educational resources for the private UK land investor please visit http://www.land-investment-uk.com
Tags: Land Investment, UK Land