When thinking of hiring an agent to help you list or buy land, consider the following questions:
1. How does his work experience qualify him to help me reach my goals?
2. Does your agent actively buy and sell for himself ? In other words: is he your competition?
3. Is having a lot of experience killing critters the same as knowledge of wildlife management? Does hunting or fishing experience equip someone to help you understand the limits of a certain property?
4. When looking for ag/forest investment property can your agent show it to you on an Excel spreadsheet?
5. Where does he/his business rank on the major search engines? If you are a seller this is important research!
6. If buying timberland for recreation or investment would it be a good idea to select someone with real forestry experience to help you make your selection?
7. Does a history of land sales necessarily imply knowledge of land use or an understanding of the limits of a specific property in meeting your buying criteria?
8. Is the agent compatible with you to the extent you can get through the process to closing?