What’s on the Horizon for Land With RPR Commercial

RPR® is committed to meeting the needs of all real estate segments, including a focus on what got this industry started—land. The strength of this all-important sector is unmistakable. Last year, RPR recorded more than 450,000 on-market land listings in its database—across both residential and commercial segments.

That's a large enough number to command anyone's attention, including RPR's commercial team who recently surveyed land industry experts from across the country. Their goal was threefold: 1) Learn what tools are most helpful to practitioners, 2) Identify their current challenges, and 3) Set a path for how RPR can help. Here's what the team came up with.

What should be simple, isn't.

Searching for a parcel of land without an address can be an exasperating and sometimes futile exercise. And finding one true method is nearly impossible with most platforms.

Our focus group delivered this constructive criticism loud and clear, so we listened. What if RPR offered that "one true method" by building in the ability to search via section, township and range? Stay tuned. We'll work on it.

Whoever said a picture is worth a thousand words never worked in the land sector.

Viewing a picture of grass, dirt or trees does little to reveal the true characteristics of a property.

In response, RPR is looking at two ideas: first, allow agents to modify a map by adding borders, points of interest, etc., and second, also allow agents to upload a video to RPR's Property Details page.

Finally, the dirt.

Limitations on land, based on soil composition, can be problematic as well. Although accessing the information is easy enough, sites like the USDA Web Soil Survey are not as user friendly, according to end users.

Where do we go from here? Based on the helpful feedback received from our focus group, along with support from the REALTORS® Land Institute (RLI), RPR has identified a few key places within its system where meaningful improvements can be made. "Here at RLI, we're committed to sharing expertise that could further enhance RPR technologies and provide additional benefits for REALTORS® who specialize in land deals," said 2016 RLI National President Bob Turner.

Now, we turn to discovering how to integrate those solutions into our system.

Want to share your ideas? Tell us what tools you are using and what you like/don't like about them in the comments below.

To view the original article, visit the RPR blog.