Why does our independence make us the best agent for landowners seeking to realise the full potential of their land?
When landowners are considering whether to take on an agent to assist them in a land sale, they invariably have two very valid sets of questions.
Firstly, can I trust this agency? Will they do the very best deal for me with the most suitable buyer?
Secondly, what will it cost me to employ them? Will they add more value than they cost me?
At Alder King, we understand those concerns.
Like so many of the landowners we represent, we are proud of our independence. We are confident it puts us in the best possible position to get our clients the very best deal for their land.
Get in touch
If you’d like to discuss this in more detail and have land to sell in South West England or South Wales, call Simon Smith on 0117 317 1069 or email at ssmith@alderking.com
Read on for more …
Our promise to our clients
With over a century in the business, Alder King has an excellent track record of working for landowners in transactions with major housebuilders and developers. We know the development and planning landscape as well as our farmer and landowner clients know their land.
We are not influenced by relationships with housebuilders and developers: we choose to orientate our offer towards the landowners, and it is in their interests that we act.
On their behalf, Alder King objectively approach the full spectrum of active housebuilder contacts with the sole objective of securing the genuinely highest bidder.
That means the developer who not only offers the highest sum of money, but is also the keenest to pursue the opportunity and the most capable of following their bid through.
Adding value to your deal
Farmers and other landowners are understandably cautious about taking on the expense of an agent.
Naturally, they want the most favourable deal possible, and may be aware of their relative lack of skills and expertise in understanding the market and the legalities. They are often acutely aware of the corporate might of many prospective buyers by comparison to their own businesses, which can be seen as intimidating
Yet, at the same time, landowners are cautious about adding cost, and do not want to see a large proportion of their sale siphoned off in fees and expenses.
Whenever I sit down with a new prospective client, I am happy to provide real world examples of where Alder King, acting as a good independent agent, add substantially more in value than we cost.
There are two main ways in which we do so: in preparation of the opportunity we’re taking to market, and delivery of the best bid received.
Adding value: preparation
We will prepare your land to make it as attractive as possible to buyers. This is a process of de-risking – pre-empting the areas that will be of concern to a buyer and providing the answers before the question is asked. We then present the fully prepared opportunity to the full range of potential buyers – without exception.
Essentially, we are offering developers an opportunity that has been greatly de-risked, which reduces the chances that it will fail further down the line.
As such, we improve the reliability of transactions, whilst also ensuring the best price is achieved.
Adding value: bids analysis and diligence
We will prepare your land to make it as attractive as possible to buyers. This is a process of de-risking – It’s not about simply accepting the highest price; it’s about finding the highest deliverable price.
Therefore, for each deal we set up a bids matrix: a vast spreadsheet that contains all the possible permutations and variables that will go into forming the overall bid.
We compare each and every bid to find areas in which bidders could improve upon their offer.
Then we can return to the bidders with our analysis, making the bidding process an iterative one and driving best value for our clients.
This level of detail and scrutiny means that rather than simply accepting the highest offer and hoping it happens somehow, we can interpret how serious a prospective buyer genuinely is, what work they’ve done to examine the opportunity, and what work they still need to do.
That enables us to form a judgement about the probability of that offer actually being delivered in the form that it’s been made.
Only where we think a bid is credible do we recommend it to our client and take it forward to the next stage, limiting the risk that landowners spend money on documenting a transaction only to see the transaction collapse.
This diligence increases the likelihood that deals will go ahead smoothly, reducing not only the likelihood of costly delays for both vendor and purchaser, but also stress for all parties!
Our proud reputation
At Alder King, we trade on our reputation. The outcome of every job we do is what dictates whether we get the next one.
The proof of the pudding is in the fact that many of our clients come to us through referrals from other landowners. Some are also recommended by the solicitors we work with.
As regional experts, our knowledge of the market in the South West is unrivalled.
We also have an in-depth understanding of the local development context in all its intricacies, meaning that we sometimes approach landowners to highlight the potential of their land.
Whichever route brings you to Alder King, you can rest assured that we’ll be on your side.
Alder King is not a large corporate. We are local to the South West, and we are run by a small group of partners, each of whom owns the business.
We have a large senior team, each member of which has extensive expertise in his or her specific area.
Typically, your sale will be dealt with at partner level, rather than hived off to the more junior members of staff.
For all of us, it’s not merely a question of filling a corporate pot somewhere: we are personally invested in the business, and therefore determined to get the best possible deals.
That’s why our independence makes us your best partner in helping you maximise the potential of your land.