Putting Idle Land to Work
Advisory for landowners deciding what to do with land they have held for years.
Who It Is For
Property owners, business owners, and retired entrepreneurs who own land in Urban Texas Counties in areas where the uses around them have changed. Many now live elsewhere in Texas or in another state and have been holding the land for the right time.
How I Work: The Egret's Five Stages
The egret wades slowly through the water, watching closely and noticing what others pass by. I do the fieldwork first. I walk the area and ride public transportation through it, because there is so much to see that is missed from behind the wheel of a car. I photograph what I notice and discover. Then, for each urban area, I contemplate several concepts that could redevelop it.
Observer
Seeker
The egret searches with focus, scanning the water for what it needs. I analyze trends in the commercial market and the residential neighborhoods together, because commercial and residential redevelopment share a symbiotic relationship in each of Texas’s urban counties. Then I find out who owns the land.
I approach property owners by U.S. mail and schedule an initial consultation to learn about their ideas and discuss the possibilities. If you own property and are interested, please call or email me. We can meet at your place of business, your home, or my office.
Pilgrim
I approach property owners by U.S. mail. If you own property and are interested, please call or email me to schedule an initial consultation. I’d like to learn about your ideas and discuss the possibilities. We can meet at your place of business, your home, or my office.
landing
After the search, the egret lands with care and purpose, choosing exactly where to set down. This is the moment my work turns from seeking to shaping. Working from my own photographs, I use AI to transform each image into several visual concepts of what the property could become. I then bring in qualified, licensed professionals, such as architects, engineers, and land planners, to prepare a preliminary site plan that fits the true scale of the land. From there, I develop a concept for the site and a plan for the property.
Hunter
The egret hunts by standing still, waiting patiently, and then striking with precision. I work the same way. If assemblage is required, I bring the neighboring owners together and see the plan through to completion. This is often the most challenging phase, because not every owner is ready to sell at the same time. It is where patience and listening matter most.
How Urban Land Texas is Engaged
Advisory is a retained engagement. The owner retains Urban Land Texas for the advisory work itself, and that fee is separate from any compensation the brokerage firm earns on a fully executed real estate contract.
What Sets Urban Land Texas Apart
I start with the owner, not the listing. The owner's own plans come first: retiring, selling the business, or relocating it to a modern facility. The land decision follows from that.
I provide the concept. Most brokers market a property as it is. I imagine what it can become and who belongs on it.
I do the fieldwork myself, on foot and by public transportation. I see a property the way the people who live and work around it see it, so my advice comes from observation and not only from a database.
Patience
There is no pressure to sell. If the right time is not now, the owner says so.
Independence
The owner works directly with me, a Texas broker with 30 years of experience, and not with a team or a corporate office.
Experience with Difficult Land
I am comfortable with older industrial sites and properties with environmental history.
A Win-Win Outcome
I look for the use that serves the owner, the next owner, and the surrounding community.
Advice That Stands on Its Own
Because I am retained for the advice, my recommendation does not depend on whether the land is sold.
Advisory Experience
I built the business plan and lead the site search that brought a proposed manufacturing plant to Hutto, Texas, resulting in an incentive package of about $12 million.