Selling a big, rural property takes special marketing effort

Q: I’ve dedicated 35 years, plus a million dollars, to creating a 200-acre rural sanctuary with a 2,600-square-foot “man cave” in the far north of Arkansas. It has natural beauty and complete privacy, just 14 miles from a nearby town. But I have cancer and am getting my business in order.

A major aspect is to find the right buyer for my property; I want the marketing plan to kick in after my death. How should I best reach out to the “perfect” buyer on a national or even international basis?

A: We’re sorry about your health issues and hope you will have many more years to enjoy your home.

When it comes to marketing your property, there are plenty of options. Start by talking to people in the community and real-estate agents who handle big transactions in your area. You’ll want to find agents who work with larger land purchasers or wealthy buyers from outside your area.

While the property you describe sounds beautiful, there is a limited market for people who will want to use it as you do. But there may be more people who could envision a small development of weekend retreats or retirement homes, or who might have other ideas. Your target audience may not be an individual but a developer. Real-estate agents should be able to give you better insight.

Once you determine who prospective buyers might be, and where they are (the nearest metropolitan area, or perhaps New York or abroad), you can develop marketing to target them. This will include building a website loaded with photos, video and other information; getting the property listed on websites like Trulia and Zillow; and running ads in magazines and newspapers that target your prototype buyer.

But people who already know your area are far more likely to buy your land. To that end, you might want to get creative and offer to host an event for a local charity that draws people with deepenough pocketbooks.