America’s Land Auctioneer

You’re Not Buying The Market, You’re Buying The Deal

• Kevin Pifer + Jack Pifer + Steve Link + Andy Mrnak + Jim Sabe + Christian Miller • Season 9 • Episode 20

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Good land doesn’t wait, and neither should a good plan. We bring together the most practical lessons from a year of conversations to create a clear, no-drama roadmap for buying and selling land with confidence. From the first spark of interest to the closing table, we unpack how to think about location, soil performance, access, flexibility, and the numbers that let you sleep at night. We also challenge the myth of perfect timing and show why preparation, not hesitation, is what gets you the right parcel at the right moment.

For buyers, we map out a simple playbook: define proximity and logistics, read beyond the soil map to understand drainage and tile, verify improvements, and model realistic cash flow that can survive softer rents or yield swings. We explain why availability is the opportunity, why this is not the 1980s, and why the strongest balance sheets and disciplined underwriting now favor quality ground. For sellers, we flip the lens and start with a tough but essential question: what must the proceeds do next? Retirement income, reinvestment, family distributions, or a 1031 exchange each requires different timelines, structures, and marketing strategies.

We then dive into execution. Marketing reach, on-site competition, and transparent representation can add real dollars to your net outcome, while poor process quietly leaks value. To make that real, we walk through a step-by-step checklist for choosing an auction company: experience with comparable assets, agricultural specialization, targeted marketing, robust systems from contract to closing, reputation for integrity, proactive communication, and full-time commitment to compliance and problem-solving. We dispel the myth of “exclusive buyers” and explain why serious buyers follow quality and exposure, not slogans.

Ready to act with clarity instead of noise? Listen now, then subscribe, share this episode with someone weighing a land decision, and leave a short review telling us your top land question. Your feedback helps more people find smart, grounded guidance on land, auctions, and real estate.

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Contact the team at Pifer's

SPEAKER_00:

Welcome to America's Land Auctioneer, your weekly radio show that talks about the foundation of America. And what is that foundation? It's land. Land is where everything starts. Land feeds us. Land fuels our economy. Land supports our communities. Land builds families, businesses, and small towns. And for so many people, land is the biggest asset they will ever own and the biggest decision they will ever make. Here on America's Land Auctioneer, we talk about everything connected to land, buying and selling land, land auctions. We talk about the equipment that farms it, the technology that improves it, the soils that make it valuable, mineral rights, conservation programs, landowner protections, and the real world stuff that shows up when a family is trying to make a decision. Estates, title work, partitions, family transitions, tenants, rental rates, improvements, and stewardship. If it touches land, we talk about it here. I'm Steve Link, broker for Piffers Auction and Realty, and I'm your host today. And whether you're a longtime listener or you're just joining us for the first time, I want you to feel like you're in the right place. This show is designed to make land simpler, clearer, and less intimidating because land decisions carry weight, and most people don't get a second chance to do them right. Today is an episode I'm really excited about because it's a land buying and selling 101 kind of show. I'm going back through some of the best topics we've covered throughout 2025 and pulling the big ideas together into a single episode. Think of this as a practical guide, how to think, how to plan, what to watch, and what to avoid. And then later in the show, I'm going to give you something very specific and very useful. I'm going to walk you step by step through how to choose an auction company. That might sound simple, but it's not. The auction company you choose can change who shows up, how confident bidders feel, how many bids you get, and ultimately what you net. So we're going to cover what to look for and what questions to ask. Now, before we go any further, quick housekeeping and a big invite. If you hear something today, or if I spark curiosity about a past show, you can go to Pyfers.com and click on the podcast page. From there, you can re-listen or you can search up past episodes. If you want to go deep on a topic like land values, interest rates, estate planning, minerals, soil productivity, or auction strategy, that podcast page is a gold mine and it's easy to use. And as always, I want to thank our sponsors, Piffers, Auction and Realty. You're experts in land auctions, real estate, equipment auctions, and land management. Whether you're buying or selling land, buying or selling equipment, expanding, retiring, or simply ready to turn your farm management duties over to the experts. Nobody does it better than Piphers. I'm Steve Link, and before we go further, I want to speak directly to the folks who may be hearing my voice for the first time. If you're new here, welcome. I want you to know who's talking to you and why I care so much about this topic. I grew up on a farm outside a small town called Mylan, Minnesota. Mylan was small, about 250 people big. And when I say small, I mean you rode your bike from one side of town to the other. You played by Tay, you knew everybody by first name and last name. And honestly, you probably knew a little bit too much about everybody in town. It was the kind of place where a wave meant something, where people showed up for each other, and where hard work wasn't a motivational quote. It was simply normal. My childhood was fantastic, and I could build tree forts, make mud pies, drive four-wheeler, hunt, fish, whatever we wanted to do. It was freedom, but it was also responsibility. You learn young that you don't get to ignore chores because you feel like it. You learn the weather doesn't care about your schedule. You learn that timing matters. You learn that a small mistake can create a big problem later. And you learn that land is not a background thing. Land is the main thing. Growing up on that modest farm, I soaked in knowledge without realizing it. You learn by watching, you learn by doing, you learn by seeing what works and what doesn't. And you learn to respect the ground because the ground is what feeds you literally and financially. After high school, I went on to North Dakota State University in Fargo. And I always smile saying that because here I am recording a radio show in Fargo all these years later. NDSU was impactful for me because it's an agricultural college. You're surrounded by people who speak the language of land, and that environment shaped my thinking. My degree was in natural resource management. And what I loved about that program is it gave me range. I wasn't boxed into just one narrow lane. I took accounting. I took animal science. I took soils, I studied land use, I studied conservation, I learned about decision making from the standpoint of economics, biology, and long-term planning. It was a great base for what I ended up doing. After college, I went to Glenwood, Minnesota and worked for prairie land management. That chapter matters because it put me on the ground. Literally, we planted trees, we did prescribed burns, we did a lot of native grass plantings. This was back in the early 2000s when the CRP program was extensive, and we planted a lot of those acres. We ran true wax drills. We started in northern Iowa and ended up close to the Canadian border. We caught both Dakotas and Minnesota as we planted all spring long, and we did fall dormant seeding as well. You learn a lot when you're on the road and you're in different soils and different conditions. You learn that two pieces of land can look similar on a map and behave completely different in the field. And somewhere in that period, I bought some land of my own. About 24 years ago, I bought a parcel of land in North Dakota. It was about 200 miles away. I wasn't licensed. I wasn't trying to be in the real estate business. I was just a landowner making a landowner decision. And that experience taught me a lot. I learned how the process feels from the buyer side. I learned how permanent it feels. I learned how you can feel confident one moment and uncertain the next. I learned that paperwork can be overwhelming, that details matter, and that land decisions are not just financial, they're personal. And that's when I had an epiphany. I realized without much planning or foresight that my base knowledge of land had been building for years. I had soaked in knowledge by living. I had the education, I had the on-the-ground work, and now I had the personal experience of buying land. And I thought this is what I want to do day in and day out. I also thought this would put me in front of deals, but it turned out it put me in charge of what is typically the highest valued asset a person can have. And I take that seriously. When you're dealing with land, you're dealing with someone's retirement, you're dealing with someone's legacy, you're dealing with family dynamics, memories, responsibility, and real money. That is not a place to be casual. That is a place to be careful, prepared, and honest. So if you're new to the show and you're wondering, who is this guy and why does he talk about land like it's a big deal? That's why. Land has been part of my life since I was a kid, and I've seen it from the inside, not just from a desk. Now let me talk about the market for a minute because this is where a lot of people get uneasy. There's a lot of noise out there, headlines, social media takes, coffee shop predictions, comparisons to the 1980s, talk of interest rates, talk of trade wars, talk of inflation. And the challenge is if you listen to enough noise, you start to feel like you're supposed to do something right now, even if you don't know what that something is. That's why I always come back to fundamentals. Land is not traded by the minute, it's not traded by the hour, and it's not meant to be reacted to emotionally. Land is a long-term asset. What we're seeing right now is not panic, it's adjustment. Buyers are more disciplined, sellers are more thoughtful, and quality matters. It always has, but it matters even more when money costs more and people are underwriting harder. And here's what I mean by quality: access matters, soil matters, drainage matters, field shape matters, reputation matters, uh, proximity to the services that land needs matters. Uh, the best land tends to attract the best bidders, the most confidence, uh, and the most competition. Uh, and land that has limitations can still sell well, but it needs the right buyer, uh, the right plan, and the right expectations. And that brings me to one of the lines I say all the time. And I'll probably say it a few more times today because it's true. You're not buying the market, you're buying the deal. Great deals happen in down markets, terrible deals happen in hot ones. The market doesn't make the deal, the deal makes the deal. Now, I also want to mention something I see constantly, and that's the anxiety landowners carry. Land decisions are heavy, they involve families, they involve history, they involve money, they involve emotion, they involve tenants and taxes and paperwork and timing. And often the person making the decision is trying to keep peace while also trying to make a smart financial move. So people wait, they wait for rates to drop, they wait for prices to go up, they wait for the perfect time, they wait for clarity. And sometimes waiting creates more stress than action ever would. That's why this show exists to slow things down, to cut through the noise, and to help you make decisions with clarity instead of pressure. When someone hires me, they're not just asking for a price or an auction date. They're asking for perspective, they're asking for guidance, they're asking for someone who understands land not just on paper, but in real life. And as always, I want to thank our sponsors, Piphers Auction and Realty. Pyphers Auction and Realty is your expert in land auctions, real estate, equipment auctions, and land management. Whether you're buying land, selling land, buying equipment, selling equipment, expanding, retiring, or simply ready to turn farm management duties over to experts, nobody does it better than Pyphers. I'm Steve Link, broker for Piffers Auction and Realty, and you're listening to America's Land Auctioneer. When we come back, we're gonna start land buying and selling 101 with buying land. We're gonna talk about the market, the fundamentals, what's different today, and what actually matters if you're looking at a purchase to deploy. I'm Steve Link, broker for Piffers Auction and Realty, and I'm your host today. And whether you're a longtime listener or you're just joining us for the first time, I want you to feel like you're in the right place. This show is designed to make land simpler, clearer, and less intimidating because land decisions carry weight, and most people don't get a second chance to do them right. Today is an episode I'm really excited about because it's a land buying and selling 101 kind of show. I'm going back through some of the best topics we've covered throughout 2025 and pulling the big ideas together into a single episode. Think of this as a practical guide: how to think, how to plan, what to watch, and what to avoid. And then later in the show, I'm gonna give you something very specific and very useful. I'm gonna walk you step by step through how to choose an auction company. That might sound simple, but it's not. The auction company you choose can change who shows up, how confident bidders feel, how many bids you get, and ultimately what you net. So we're gonna cover what to look for and what questions to ask. Now, before we go any further, quick housekeeping and a big invite. If you hear something today, or if I spark curiosity about a past show, you can go to Pyphers.com and click on the podcast page. From there, you can re-listen or you can search up past episodes. If you want to go deep on a topic like land values, interest rates, estate planning, minerals, soil productivity, or auction strategy, that podcast page is a gold mine and it's easy to use. And as always, I want to thank our sponsors, Piffers Auction and Realty. Your experts in land auctions, real estate, equipment auctions, and land management. Whether you're buying or selling land, buying or selling equipment, expanding, retiring, or simply ready to turn your farm management duties over to experts. Nobody does it better than Piffers. If you're just tuning in, today's show is land buying and selling 101. And this segment is all about buying land, how people should think about it, how they get it right, and where I see people make mistakes over and over again. And I want to start with something that may sound simple, but it's one of the most important truths about land ownership. Good land will not always be there. That's hard for people to accept, especially if you're a first-time land buyer or someone who's analytical, cautious, or trying to time things perfectly. But land doesn't work that way. If you're buying stocks, you can wait. If you're buying equipment, there will be another one. If you're buying a pickup, there will be another one just like it. But land is different. When the right parcel comes available in the right location with the right access, soils, and long-term fit, you do not get unlimited time to think about it. You can't wait for interest rates to be perfect. You can't wait for the market to feel calm. You can't wait for certainty. Because while you're waiting, someone else is underwriting the same parcel and deciding whether it fits their operation. Now, I want to be very clear here. I am not saying you should overextend yourself. I am not saying you should be reckless. I am not saying you should ignore risk, but I am saying you cannot be paralyzed by waiting for perfect conditions. Patience does not mean hesitation. Patience means preparation. It means knowing what you're looking for before the land comes up for sale. It means understanding your numbers, your financing, your risk tolerance, and your time horizon ahead of time. So when the land appears, you're ready. Because land doesn't trade daily, it doesn't reset every quarter and location cannot be recreated. Land is finite once a parcel is gone, it's gone. Now, I want to slow this down for a moment and speak directly to first-time land buyers. If you're listening right now and you've never bought farmland before, this part is for you. If you're driving, just listen. If you're sitting at home or in the office, grab a pen because these are some basics you should actually write down. If you are a first-time buyer, here are the things you need to understand before you ever make an offer. First, location. And I don't just mean the county or the state, I mean proximity to your operation. Distance matters, travel time matters, access matters. How easy it is to get equipment in and out matters. Poor access quietly costs you time and money every single year. Second, soils and productivity. Soil maps are a starting point, not the answer. You want to understand how that ground actually performs. Is it consistent? Are there wet spots? Are there areas that drown out? Has tile been installed? And if so, when and how? You're not just buying acres, you're buying how those acres behave year after year. Third, improvements. Tile, fencing, water, grain storage, conservation work. Improvements can add value, but they can also hide problems if you don't understand them. Ask what was done when it was done and why it was done. Improvements should make land more flexible, not lock it into one narrow use. Fourth, flexibility. Ask yourself this. If markets change, can this land adapt? Can it handle different crops, different tenants, or different management styles? Flexible land holds value better over time and gives you more options if life changes. Fifth, numbers. This is where first-time buyers often freeze. You don't need perfect numbers, but you do need realistic ones. Understand cash flow, understand debt service, understand what happens if rents soften or yields change. Buying land should stretch you mentally, but not financially, to the point where you can't sleep at night. And finally, understand yourself. What's your time horizon? Is this a long-term hold? Is this an expansion play? Is this about legacy? Only you can answer those questions. And those answers matter more than the headlines. Now, here's the part a lot of people don't like to hear. You will not regret being aggressive for the right parcel. You may regret missing it. Only you can decide what the right parcel is. Only you know your goals, your family situation, your operation, and your appetite for risk. That's not something the market decides for you, and this is where overthinking becomes dangerous. I see buyers try to time the land market all the time. They want to buy at the bottom, they want interest rates to drop first, they want confirmation from every direction, but land cannot be timed like that. Availability is the opportunity. Price is only part of the story. And this is especially true today. This is not the 1980s. Balance sheets are stronger, debt levels are lower, many buyers are using significant cash. And Most sellers today are selling by choice, not pressure. That changes the dynamics completely. Good land does not flood the market. It shows up occasionally, and when it does, it deserves attention. That's why working with experienced professionals matters. At Piffers Auction and Realty, we help buyers understand land beyond the listing. We help them see the risks, the opportunities, and the long-term implications. We help buyers avoid both emotional decisions and analysis paralysis. And if you're listening today thinking, I need to learn more before I make a move, that's a good instinct. That's why we do this show. And if something today sparks curiosity or reminds you of a topic you want to explore further, go to Pyphers.com and click on the podcast page. You can re-listen to past episodes, search by topic, and hear full conversations about buying land, market cycles, first-time buyers, and long-term strategy. And as always, thank you to our sponsors, Pipers Auction and Realty. You're experts in land auctions, real estate, equipment auctions, and land management. Whether you're buying land, selling land, expanding, retiring, or simply ready to turn your farm management duties over to experts, nobody does it better than Pipers. And when we come back, we're going to flip the conversation and talk about selling land, why people are selling today, how to think about timing and how sellers can avoid leaving money on the table. You're listening to America's Land Optioneer. Stay with us. And just a reminder: if something today sparks curiosity, or if you want to go back and listen to past radio shows, you can always go to Pyphers.com and click on the podcast page. You can re-listen, search by topic, and dive deeper anytime. In the last segment, we talked about buying land, why good land doesn't wait around, why timing the market doesn't work, and why preparation matters more than patience. Now we're going to flip the conversation and talk about selling land. And I want to start with something that surprises a lot of people. Most people selling land today are not selling because they have to. They're selling because they want to. That distinction matters. This is not the 1980s. This is not a wave of forced selling. Balance sheets are stronger, debt levels are lower. Many landowners have owned their ground for decades. Selling today is often about retirement, estate planning, simplifying life, reallocating assets, or helping the next generation, not distress. Selling land today is usually a strategic decision. And that means it deserves planning. One of the biggest mistakes I see sellers make is waiting too long to start thinking about the sale. They'll say, we're not ready to sell yet, but that's actually the best time to start the conversation because the first question you should ask isn't what's it worth? You know, the first question should be, what's the plan with the proceeds? That answer drives everything. Are the proceeds going to retirement income? Are they going to be reinvested into other land? Are they going to be split among family members? Are they going to be used for a 1031 exchange? You cannot answer how to sell land until you understand what the money needs to do next. Let's talk about 1031 exchanges for a moment because this is where timing really matters. If you are planning to do a 1031 exchange, you must work backward. You don't sell first and then figure it out later. You need to think about how long will it take to market the land, how long will it take to close, when will the proceeds be available? Do you already have replacement property identified? If not, what will trigger that purchase? 1031 exchanges are about deadlines and structure. If you miss them, the tax consequences can be significant. That's why sellers who are considering a 1031 need to start planning early, not after the sale contract is signed. This is where professional guidance becomes essential. Now let's talk about the market itself. Despite all the economic noise, you know, tariffs, interest rates, commodity prices, the agricultural land and equipment markets have shown remarkable resilience across North Dakota, Minnesota, and South Dakota. What started with cautious optimism has turned into a season of results that have consistently exceeded expectations. High quality land continues to attract strong interest, especially when it's well located, productive, and marketed correctly. And we're seeing the same thing on the equipment side. Well-maintained machinery has commanded premium prices. We've seen strong spring auctions where serious buyers showed up, not just online, but in person. In fact, in some auctions, less than 30% of items sold online. A major shift from what we've seen in recent years. That on-site competition matters. Real-time bidding pushes values higher. And it reinforces an important point for sellers. Who shows up matters. Marketing matters, execution matters, trust matters. And another thing sellers don't always realize is how global these markets have become. We've seen equipment sell to buyers outside the region, even internationally. That tells you something about demand and about the importance of having a marketing platform that reaches beyond just the local coffee shop. Now, beyond the mechanics of selling, I want to talk about something that often gets overlooked. Selling land or equipment is emotional. For retiring farmers, especially, this can represent the closing of a chapter that took a lifetime to build. Many sellers don't have exit strategies, many don't have tax plans, many don't know where to start. That's where full service auction and brokerage support matters. A professional auction firm doesn't just sell assets, they help manage the process. From preparation to marketing to logistics to loadout, the goal is simple. The seller should be able to open the mailbox and take a check without stress, confusion, or loose ends. Transparency is also critical. Honest representation builds trust, disclosing condition issues, explaining limitations, and setting realistic expectations creates confidence with buyers and confident buyers pay more. This applies just as much to land as it does to equipment. Now let's talk about pricing because sellers get hung up here. Sellers hear about a neighbor's sale and they hear about record prices, they see headlines and they anchor to a number without understanding context. Selling land is about net outcome. Terms matter, structure matters, timing matters, marketing reach matters. I've seen sellers leave substantial money on the table, not because the land wasn't good, but because the process wasn't thought through. This is also where using a licensed real estate professional matters, whether you sell by private treaty or by auction. A licensed agent understands fair market value, pricing strategy, negotiation, and compliance. They handle disclosures, contracts, timelines, and legal requirements. They protect you from costly mistakes. They also bring objectivity. Land is emotional. Having a professional in your corner helps keep decisions grounded when emotions threaten to derail a good outcome. And let me address the idea of saving commission. A strong agent doesn't cost you money, they help you keep it. Better exposure, better negotiation, better structure, and fewer mistakes often result in a stronger net outcome than trying to do it alone. Another thing I want to emphasize is that selling land does not always mean exiting land. Many sellers today are reallocating. They sell one parcel to strengthen another. They sell land to reduce management burden. They sell land to move from active involvement to passive income. Selling can be a strategic move forward, not an ending. And that brings us to method. Auction versus private treaty is not a one size fits all decision. Each has strengths, each has risks. The right method depends on the land, the market, the timing, and your goals, which is why in the final segment of today's show, I'm going to walk you step by step through how to choose the right auction company, what to look for, what questions to ask, what separates professional firms from the rest, and what can quietly cost you money if you miss it. I want to pause here for just a moment and speak directly to landowners and sellers who are listening right now. When you get home today, or even while you're listening, I want you to go to Piphers.com. Not just once, but make it a habit. If you click on the upcoming auction section, what you're going to see will change constantly. At certain times of the year, you might see 10 or 12 land auctions listed. And then when we move into our robust falls selling time frame, you may see 50, 60, even 75 land auctions active at the same time. That's not an exaggeration. We handle roughly 170 land auctions every year. Because of that, our website is always changing. Land auctions are being added. Auctions are closing. New listings are coming online. Marketing packages are being updated. It's dynamic, it's live, and it reflects what's actually happening in the land market right now. And it's not just land auctions. You'll also see private treaty land listings. You'll see rural, residential, and recreational properties. You'll see equipment auctions, everything from full farm retirements to single owner machinery lineups. Our equipment auctions alone tell a story about confidence in agriculture, about people making decisions, about transitions happening in real time. And that's why I encourage people to do more than just visit the site once. Bookmarket, go there weekly. If you're active in the land market, go there daily. Because Piphers.com becomes a window into what's happening across North Dakota, Minnesota, South Dakota, and beyond. You'll see what's selling. You'll see what buyers are responding to. You'll see the types of land coming to market and the pace at which it's moving. And for sellers, this is incredibly valuable. It gives you perspective. You start to understand seasonality. You start to see how marketing timelines work. You start to see how different parcels are positioned. You also start to realize that selling land isn't a one-day decision, it's a process. And that's exactly why I encourage sellers to engage early, learn early, and observe the market before they ever commit to selling. Our website reflects that entire ecosystem, you know, land, equipment, real estate, and auctions all moving together. It's one of the best ways to stay connected to the market without pressure, without commitment, and without noise. And so again, go to Pyphers.com, Bookmarket, and make it part of your routine. Whether you're buying, selling, or just paying attention, it's one of the best tools you can have. Before we go to break, let me remind you again. If something today sparks curiosity, or if you want to revisit past radio shows, go to Pyphers.com and click on the podcast page. All of our episodes are there. Searchable and easy to access. And as always, thank you to our sponsors, Pyphers Auction and Realty. You're experts in land auctions, real estate, equipment auctions, and land management. Whether you're buying land, selling land, expanding, retiring, or planning the next chapter, nobody does it better than Piphers. I'm Steve Link, broker for Piffers Auction and Realty. You're listening to America's Land Auctioneer. When we come back, we'll wrap things up with a practical step-by-step guide on how to choose the right auction company. If you're just joining us, today's show has been Land Buying and Selling 101. We talked about buying land, selling land, planning for proceeds, market timing, 1031 exchanges, and the realities of today's agricultural land and equipment markets. And in this final segment, I want to bring it all together by talking about something that matters more than most people realize how to choose the right auction company. Because the auction company you choose will directly affect the outcome of your sale. Not just the price, but the experience, the timeline, the stress level, and ultimately the net result. And I want to start by saying this clearly: not all auction companies are the same. They may all call themselves auctioneers. They may all advertise low commissions or flashy promises. But the differences between firms can be substantial. And those differences matter. So if you're listening right now and thinking about selling land, equipment, or real estate, I want you to mentally walk through this with me. First, experience matters. You want to know how long the company has been in business. You want to know how many auctions they conduct every year. You want to know if they've handled properties like yours. Not just something similar, but truly comparable. Experience isn't just about years, it's about pattern recognition. An experienced auction firm understands buyer behavior. They understand seasonality. They understand how different assets perform under different market conditions. They know what questions buyers will ask before those questions ever come up. That experience protects you. Second, specialization matters. Selling farmland is not the same as selling a house. Selling equipment is not the same as selling antiques. Selling a ranch is not the same as selling a city lot. You want a company that understands agriculture, land use, soils, access, improvements, leases, easements, and the realities of rural property. This isn't something you want someone learning on your asset. Third, marketing matters a lot. A good auction company should be able to clearly explain how they will market your property. Not just will put it online, but who they're targeting, how they're reaching them, and why. Marketing should include professional photography, drone imagery, mapping, clear descriptions, and targeted outreach. It should be transparent. You should understand the plan. The goal of marketing is not just views, it's confidence. Confident buyers bid stronger. Fourth, systems and resources matter. Many people don't realize how much happens beyond auction day, contracts, deposits, title work, coordination with lenders, loadout, closing timelines. A professional auction company has systems in place to manage all of this. They don't scramble, they don't guess, they don't disappear after the sale. If something goes sideways and occasionally something always does, you want a company that knows how to step in and solve problems. Fifth, integrity matters. This one is hard to measure, but it's critical. Does the company have a reputation for honesty? Do they disclose issues clearly? Do they set realistic expectations? Transparency builds trust. Trust brings repeat buyers. Repeat buyers drive stronger results. The best auction companies don't hide flaws, they explain them. They don't oversell, they educate, they don't promise the moon, they deliver results. Sixth, communication matters. You should feel informed throughout the process. You should know what's happening, what's coming next, and what decisions need to be made. You shouldn't feel rushed, confused, or left in the dark. Selling land or equipment is often one of the biggest financial decisions a person makes. Clear communication reduces stress and increases confidence. Seventh, full-time commitment matters. You want a firm that is dedicated to auctions and real estate as a profession, not something they do on the side. This business requires constant attention, continuing education, and awareness of changing laws, technologies, and market conditions. That's especially important when it comes to compliance. Disclosures, contracts, timelines, and legal requirements matter. Mistakes can be costly. A professional firm helps protect you from those risks. Now let me say something that surprises some people. A firm that invests in marketing, attracts more buyers, and executes professionally can often deliver a better result, even if the commission appears higher on paper. Saving a point on commission doesn't help if you leave 10% on the table. And now I want to connect this back to something we talked about earlier. If you're planning a 1031 exchange, choosing the right auction company is even more important. You need a firm that understands timing, coordination, and structure. You need people who can work backward with you, align marketing timelines with exchange deadlines, and communicate with your other advisors. This is not something you want to figure out after the fact. Another thing I encourage people to do is research. I want to touch on one more thing that comes up often when people are deciding who to hire. I'll hear sellers say, this firm says they specialize in hunters, or this company claims they have a special buyer pool, or they say they already know exactly who will buy my land. And I understand why that sounds appealing. Yes, buyers do work with companies that understand their needs. Hunters want certain features, farmers want others, investors look at things differently. That part is true. But here's the reality very rarely are buyers exclusive to one company. Buyers follow the land. They follow availability, they follow quality, they follow opportunity. A series Buyer, whether they're a farmer, a hunter, an investor, or a recreational buyer, is paying attention to the entire market. They are watching listings, auctions, and opportunities across multiple platforms. What actually brings buyers is not a niche promise, it's reach. Good marketing auction companies don't rely on one type of buyer. They create exposure that finds all the buyers. They present the land in a way that speaks to different motivations and lets the market decide who values it the most. In my experience, the strongest results happen when you don't try to funnel land to one narrow audience, but instead let competitive tension work in your favor. Farmers bid against farmers, hunters bid against investors, investors bid against locals, and that's how value is discovered. And so when you're choosing a company, don't just ask who they say their buyer is, ask how they create reach, ask how they market, ask how they attract competition. Because buyers usually don't belong to companies. Companies that do it right bring the buyers to the land. And that's why overall reach matters. When you get home, go to Pyphers.com, look at current auctions, look at how listings are presented, look at the detail, look at the photography, the maps, the explanations. You'll notice something important. The site is always changing. And at certain times of year, you might see 10 or 12 land auctions. During the robust fall selling season, you might see 50, 60, even 75 land auctions active at the same time. We handle roughly 170 land auctions every year. Because of that, our website reflects what's actually happening in real time. You'll also see private treaty land listings, rural residential properties, recreational tracks, and equipment auctions from full retirements to single owner lineups. It's a dynamic site, and I encourage you to bookmark it and check it regularly. It's one of the best ways to stay connected to the market without pressure. As we wrap up today's show, I want to leave you with this land decisions are rarely just financial. They're personal, they're generational, they're emotional. Whether you're buying, selling, or just thinking ahead, clarity matters and preparation matters. And having the right people around you matters. That's why we do this show. And if something you heard today sparked curiosity, or if you want to go deeper on any of these topics, go to Pyphers.com and click on the podcast page. All of our past episodes are there, easy to access and searchable by topic. And as always, thank you to our sponsors, Pipers Auction and Realty. You're experts in land auctions, real estate, equipment auctions, and land management. Whether you're buying land, selling land, expanding, retiring, or planning the next chapter, nobody does it better than Piffers. Before we wrap up today, I want to take just a moment to say thank you. Thank you to our listeners who tune in week after week and care enough about land, agriculture, and these decisions to spend part of your day with me. Thank you to my clients. Many of you start as clients, but over time you become much more than that. You become trusted relationships and lifelong friends, and I'm grateful for that more than you know. Thank you to my coworkers at Piper's Auction and Realty. I get a lot of the airtime, but the truth is they are unbelievably great. They make life easier, they make the process better, and they make the outcome stronger for the people we serve. And finally, thank you to my family. This work is a passion for me. It pulls me away from home, it can be stressful, and it demands a lot. But they keep me grounded, they keep me balanced, and they remind me what really matters that I'm grateful to all of you. I'm Steve Link, broker for Piper's Auction and Realty. Thanks for listening to America's Land Auctioneer, and we'll see you next time.