What are Strategic Land Advisors?

Because investing in real estate requires parcel-by-parcel study, strategic land advisors serve an important function for land investors.

Investing in land under current real estate market conditions is attractive to many individuals and institutional investors. But unlike other investments that allow apples-to-apples comparisons of such things as P/E (price-to-earnings) ratios, multiple variables associated with any property require close familiarity with all parcels.

This work is typically undertaken by strategic land advisors, who put together world-class teams of such professionals who make highly detailed analyses of any opportunity ahead of acquisition.

What the advisors – who generally manage strategic land funds or joint ventures – bring is an expertise in asset growth in real estate. Specifically, strategic land investing requires a skilled selection of property that holds promise for development. Such properties should be situated geographically where growth is likely – through housing or commercial development, in particular. That land also should be ready for change-of-use rezoning, with enthusiastic support of the local governance structure, such that homebuilders or commercial construction firms will find it attractive to purchase. A qualified strategic land advisor should also be able to determine where demand for housing and commercial property exists.

The alternatives for land investors include real estate investment trusts (REITs), which function much like the markets for stocks and bonds. While it enables greater liquidity for the investor, a REIT tends also to be subject to the ups and downs of the markets. Returns from an investment in REITs, consequently, are muted.