- We Help Equine Businesses
Susana De Nokodem
Susana De Nokodem - Argentina
Having built Equestrian property from the ground up, I can tell you that I truly appreciate what you do not see. Having built a barn with running water and power, an arena, an irrigation system plus installing a pond and what seems like hundreds of French drains; I know that the infrastructure is far more significant than the buildings themselves.
That is why I am confident I can help you buy or sell Equestrian Property. I will show you how it fits into my overall marketing plan and how it will benefit all parties for a win-win situation.
Disclaimer: (I am a story teller so I don’t mean to be long winded!).
Why I feel I am knowledgeable: Five Years ago I set out to purchase a “Horse Property” in Pierce/Kitsap County. I was a new real-estate agent that had grown up on a “Standard Breed” farm in Ohio near Scioto Downs. We had the infrastructure to accommodate 27 Horses along with all the training equipment, sulkies, hobbles, harnesses, letters, colors, trailers etc. It was a fast paced hobby/obsession that was accomplished only by having everything neat and tidy and in its proper place.
But back to the point…When I started to look at properties (horse or otherwise) I quickly realized that most agents had absolutely no idea what it took to put together a property suitable for horses, nor did they have any foresight to know what could be done to improve land, be it raw or otherwise. I looked at hundreds of arena’s , barns and land throughout this area and found that most, even if they had the facilities, were lacking proper drainage, water, irrigation , or soil type, were sometimes too flat, bowl shaped or the extreme opposite, too steep. I finally found a property that was not listed as a “Horse/Equestrian Property” but rather a residence with land. It had been clear cut but had a moratorium on it because of the lack of permits and also had a natural swale for drainage running through the 15 acres!
My Property Education: I had not built the place I grew up on (it had been developed initially by the Amish many years ago so everything worked) so I had to educate myself and what an education it was! I now know all about irrigation systems, the county requirements and what types of grasses work or do not work for various livestock. I work with the conservation district and have had soils tested and evaluated, I have had to bring in and move around tons of good soil to cover poorly dug ditches, raise roads and level barn sites. Then there was the barn building fiasco. My first barn cost almost $50,000, yes, it is 1800 sq ft however there were only $9000 in materials! Then of course there were the footing and settling issues, shed row etc. I am currently in the process of bidding an arena large enough for Dressage but with a span of more that 60 feet, quite an engineering issue to deal with outside of a metal building (can be UGLY).
This has given me a true appreciation for what works and what doesn’t. Hence, this is why I am so interested in selling your property. I understand what it took to get your property to the place it is today and more importantly how to showcase and sell it nation wide. (I would have loved to have had the opportunity to call another agent who was Knowledgeable).
My Real Estate Education: I wanted to immediately go out and specialize in this type of property however, in my type of business you have to crawl before you can walk. I needed to become a quality realtor, have an understanding of the market and both learn and understand financing (Financing is critical in buying or selling this type of property because most bankers, brokers, appraisers and underwriters do not know how to give value to farm buildings).
I have had the opportunity to now become a top producing agent with a high level of education and expertise in this field. I have developed and grown my business to such a point that allows me to specialize in what my true passion is, and that is buying and selling equestrian properties.
How am I going to bring buyers: Unique properties require Unique and Subject Specific Marketing. You, as well as buyers want and need to know that I am a player that is knowledgeable in all aspects of the horse industry. Not just English and Western but all the ancillary disciplines that fall under those categories as well. I have knowledge and am active in both areas and can at speak in terms and conditions relating to such. (i.e. a cutter may need a small herd of heifers if there is room etc., an Event Rider may need trails nearby or specific areas to set up Cavaletti or Standards, a Dressage Rider may need mirrors or a specific size arena to work in, a Reining Breeder may want foaling stalls with a camera system installed, Thoroughbred Trainers may need space for a short Track High and Dry, etc.). Finally, knowing how to take an existing facility and change or alter it to fit specific needs is equally important.
Marketing:
This is a critical portion of this process. It is Imperative that I target market your property. A small percentage of the population have a need for or would be interested in your type of property, that is why it is critical to expose it to the maximum amount of buyers. If I cannot get people to easily find your property then I cannot sell it to them.
The development of a PDF File has been very successful. It would be downloadable and available to any person interested in your property. It would contain items such as your Plat Map, Title Information, local statistics which include information on Schools (Scores, Public/Private), demographics, crime, types of properties and places of worship. Also included would be your Farm Overview, 10-20 Photos and information on how to view a virtual tour.
A Virtual Tour of the Home and Barn Facility available.
I have recently sold several Equestrian properties, currently have many listed and am bringing several more online over the next few months. My projection is to have 10-15 specific horse properties in Pierce, Mason, and Kitsap Counties. Initially you may think this would be competition however, it has been my experience that this will double the number of target market folks I come into contact with and the diversity of the properties does not cause competition.
Word of mouth is still alive and well I continue to be amazed at how well this “low-tech” method sells homes. I am involved in Team Penning (sanctioned) meaning I travel all over the Northwest, Montana, Oregon, California, Utah and may even make it to Nevada this year. On the English side my wife and I participate in many events. I am also a member of many organizations such as; the Rodeo both local and in Ellensburg, Washington State Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Equestrian Institute and US Dressage Foundation. We also spend a lot of time at the Emerald Downs and have taken several ex- Racers, finished them and placed those animals in good homes. All of these events and organizations bring me maximum exposure to the target population and create wonderful marketing opportunities for your property.
The company I am affiliated with, Coldwell Banker Hawkins-Poe, is the number one company in Pierce County and the number twenty real-estate Company in the nation. Because of this we are the primary relocation company for the entire South Sound. (Please see attached relocation list of a few companies we service). In addition, I was recently awarded the 2002 Relocation Award which means that I helped more people relocate nationwide than any other agent within our company.
Types of Advertising:
Nationwide and Local “Horse Specific” advertising in venues such as Northwest Horse Source, Pacific Coast Journal and Horseman’s News.
WWW. Horse Specific Websites. There are hundreds and will utilize major sites as well as Event Specific Sites. I also would be interested in where you have had past success.
Nationwide and International Marketing via the Internet on not only the Real-estate Web Sites, also MSN, Yahoo, Google, and many other primary Websites.
Showcased on Coldwell Banker, Local and National, Windermere, John L Scott, ReMax, Century 21, Realtor.com as well as other Property Specific sites.
In closing I would like to thank you and look forward to meeting you.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call me at 800-842-753.3
All the Best,
Richard LeMieux
Having built Equestrian property from the ground up, I can tell you that I truly appreciate what you do not see. Having built a barn with running water and power, an arena, an irrigation system plus installing a pond and what seems like hundreds of French drains; I know that the infrastructure is far more significant than the buildings themselves.
That is why I am confident I can help you buy or sell Equestrian Property. I will show you how it fits into my overall marketing plan and how it will benefit all parties for a win-win situation.
Disclaimer: (I am a story teller so I don’t mean to be long winded!).
Why I feel I am knowledgeable: Five Years ago I set out to purchase a “Horse Property” in Pierce/Kitsap County. I was a new real-estate agent that had grown up on a “Standard Breed” farm in Ohio near Scioto Downs. We had the infrastructure to accommodate 27 Horses along with all the training equipment, sulkies, hobbles, harnesses, letters, colors, trailers etc. It was a fast paced hobby/obsession that was accomplished only by having everything neat and tidy and in its proper place.
But back to the point…When I started to look at properties (horse or otherwise) I quickly realized that most agents had absolutely no idea what it took to put together a property suitable for horses, nor did they have any foresight to know what could be done to improve land, be it raw or otherwise. I looked at hundreds of arena’s , barns and land throughout this area and found that most, even if they had the facilities, were lacking proper drainage, water, irrigation , or soil type, were sometimes too flat, bowl shaped or the extreme opposite, too steep. I finally found a property that was not listed as a “Horse/Equestrian Property” but rather a residence with land. It had been clear cut but had a moratorium on it because of the lack of permits and also had a natural swale for drainage running through the 15 acres!
My Property Education: I had not built the place I grew up on (it had been developed initially by the Amish many years ago so everything worked) so I had to educate myself and what an education it was! I now know all about irrigation systems, the county requirements and what types of grasses work or do not work for various livestock. I work with the conservation district and have had soils tested and evaluated, I have had to bring in and move around tons of good soil to cover poorly dug ditches, raise roads and level barn sites. Then there was the barn building fiasco. My first barn cost almost $50,000, yes, it is 1800 sq ft however there were only $9000 in materials! Then of course there were the footing and settling issues, shed row etc. I am currently in the process of bidding an arena large enough for Dressage but with a span of more that 60 feet, quite an engineering issue to deal with outside of a metal building (can be UGLY).
This has given me a true appreciation for what works and what doesn’t. Hence, this is why I am so interested in selling your property. I understand what it took to get your property to the place it is today and more importantly how to showcase and sell it nation wide. (I would have loved to have had the opportunity to call another agent who was Knowledgeable).
My Real Estate Education: I wanted to immediately go out and specialize in this type of property however, in my type of business you have to crawl before you can walk. I needed to become a quality realtor, have an understanding of the market and both learn and understand financing (Financing is critical in buying or selling this type of property because most bankers, brokers, appraisers and underwriters do not know how to give value to farm buildings).
I have had the opportunity to now become a top producing agent with a high level of education and expertise in this field. I have developed and grown my business to such a point that allows me to specialize in what my true passion is, and that is buying and selling equestrian properties.
How am I going to bring buyers: Unique properties require Unique and Subject Specific Marketing. You, as well as buyers want and need to know that I am a player that is knowledgeable in all aspects of the horse industry. Not just English and Western but all the ancillary disciplines that fall under those categories as well. I have knowledge and am active in both areas and can at speak in terms and conditions relating to such. (i.e. a cutter may need a small herd of heifers if there is room etc., an Event Rider may need trails nearby or specific areas to set up Cavaletti or Standards, a Dressage Rider may need mirrors or a specific size arena to work in, a Reining Breeder may want foaling stalls with a camera system installed, Thoroughbred Trainers may need space for a short Track High and Dry, etc.). Finally, knowing how to take an existing facility and change or alter it to fit specific needs is equally important.
Marketing:
This is a critical portion of this process. It is Imperative that I target market your property. A small percentage of the population have a need for or would be interested in your type of property, that is why it is critical to expose it to the maximum amount of buyers. If I cannot get people to easily find your property then I cannot sell it to them.
The development of a PDF File has been very successful. It would be downloadable and available to any person interested in your property. It would contain items such as your Plat Map, Title Information, local statistics which include information on Schools (Scores, Public/Private), demographics, crime, types of properties and places of worship. Also included would be your Farm Overview, 10-20 Photos and information on how to view a virtual tour.
A Virtual Tour of the Home and Barn Facility available.
I have recently sold several Equestrian properties, currently have many listed and am bringing several more online over the next few months. My projection is to have 10-15 specific horse properties in Pierce, Mason, and Kitsap Counties. Initially you may think this would be competition however, it has been my experience that this will double the number of target market folks I come into contact with and the diversity of the properties does not cause competition.
Word of mouth is still alive and well I continue to be amazed at how well this “low-tech” method sells homes. I am involved in Team Penning (sanctioned) meaning I travel all over the Northwest, Montana, Oregon, California, Utah and may even make it to Nevada this year. On the English side my wife and I participate in many events. I am also a member of many organizations such as; the Rodeo both local and in Ellensburg, Washington State Thoroughbred Breeders Association, Equestrian Institute and US Dressage Foundation. We also spend a lot of time at the Emerald Downs and have taken several ex- Racers, finished them and placed those animals in good homes. All of these events and organizations bring me maximum exposure to the target population and create wonderful marketing opportunities for your property.
The company I am affiliated with, Coldwell Banker Hawkins-Poe, is the number one company in Pierce County and the number twenty real-estate Company in the nation. Because of this we are the primary relocation company for the entire South Sound. (Please see attached relocation list of a few companies we service). In addition, I was recently awarded the 2002 Relocation Award which means that I helped more people relocate nationwide than any other agent within our company.
Types of Advertising:
Nationwide and Local “Horse Specific” advertising in venues such as Northwest Horse Source, Pacific Coast Journal and Horseman’s News.
WWW. Horse Specific Websites. There are hundreds and will utilize major sites as well as Event Specific Sites. I also would be interested in where you have had past success.
Nationwide and International Marketing via the Internet on not only the Real-estate Web Sites, also MSN, Yahoo, Google, and many other primary Websites.
Showcased on Coldwell Banker, Local and National, Windermere, John L Scott, ReMax, Century 21, Realtor.com as well as other Property Specific sites.
In closing I would like to thank you and look forward to meeting you.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to call me at 800-842-753.3
All the Best,
Richard LeMieux
