How to market a land listing

Land is hard to sell from a screen. There is no kitchen to photograph and no living room to walk through, and a ground-level photo of an empty lot mostly shows grass. Buyers of land are buying three things: the land itself, where it sits, and what they could do with it. Good marketing shows all three.

1. Show the land from above

Aerial photos and video are the single most useful thing for a land listing. From above, a buyer can see the shape of the lot, how it slopes, where the trees are, how it meets the road, and how much space there really is. None of that comes across from the curb.

Drone work needs a licensed pilot. Commercial flights fall under the FAA's Part 107 rules, and parts of New Jersey sit in controlled airspace near airports, where a flight needs an authorization first. Ask whoever you hire whether they are certified and whether they check the airspace before the shoot.

2. Show what's around it

For land, the surroundings are a big part of the value: the neighboring homes, the street, nearby open space or water, how far the town center is. A wider aerial shot that places the lot in its neighborhood answers questions a buyer would otherwise have to drive out to answer.

3. Help buyers picture what could be built

Most land buyers are imagining a house that doesn't exist yet. Concept images of what could be built on the lot give them something to react to. They have to be honest about what they are, though:

• Label them clearly as concepts, not plans and not renderings of an approved build.
• Keep them plausible for the lot's size, slope and neighborhood.
• Never imply approvals. Zoning, permits and what can actually be built are for the buyer to confirm with the town.

4. Use video to walk the property

A short video that moves across the lot, from the road to the back boundary, gives a sense of scale and setting that still photos can't. Vertical video works on Instagram and Facebook, where it reaches buyers who aren't searching listing sites yet; horizontal suits the MLS and your website.

5. Put the facts up front

Land buyers ask practical questions before they ask about the view. Have the answers ready in the listing: lot size and dimensions, zoning, whether utilities are available at the street, road frontage, and any easements or restrictions you know about. The media gets the buyer interested; the facts are what get them to call.

For homes rather than land, see our services or the listing video checklist.