City slickers set out for the country
Like metropolitan residents all over the country, the 2020 pandemic catalyzed seismic lifestyle changes for suburban and city residents of Texas. The forcible change encouraged many to reassess their lifestyle and even speed up retirement timelines, opting instead for outdoor acreage and an escape from the crowds.
Brad Bevers
Brad Bevers at Legend Texas Properties, a Side network partner, has witnessed this migration for the past six months, as weekenders became full-time residents in the rural communities he services. And Bevers is on target to have his best year ever, navigating the influx of buyers seeking wide open spaces and a significant change of pace.
Following in grandpa’s footsteps
Founded by Bevers’ grandparents in 1983, Legend Texas Properties is a family affair. Since those early days, 80% of the business has been farm and ranch sales. Bevers ran the business after college and purchased the entire operation in 2016.
“I have been heavily influenced by my grandparents and how they ran their business,” he said. “My grandfather is still selling at 82, and that’s my goal, too!”
While Bevers has certainly steered the brokerage forward, no one could have anticipated a global pandemic would deliver such a different buyer and a bottom-line boost of 20%, even with nearly two months of zero activity.
“Land is always a great investment, and very low property taxes mean virtually no holding costs,” Bevers explained. “Folks are trying to get out of Houston or Austin, or even coming from out of state to get some space, have room for remote work and schooling, and enjoy the overall freedom of the countryside.
“We have more buyers than ever in the $3M plus range looking for acreage. Typically we have enough inventory, but now it’s flying off the market.”
Delivering on expertise
With this influx of new buyers came new questions. Can I sink an oil well in my backyard? Who owns the mineral rights? Can someone else manage the hayfield?
Texas Farm & Rach Guide
These questions and more inspired Bevers to create valuable, educational content for prospective buyers. His Texas Farm and Ranch Guide serves as a primer for those looking to explore ownership.
With all the business comes the need to grow his team, of course, so Bevers created The Mental Game of Real Estate guide as a way of setting expectations and being transparent about the reality of real estate with prospective agents. Today, Bevers has 27 agents on the team and is ready for more.
Partnering with Side
With his focus on serving an expanding list of buyers, growing his roster of agents, and helping his neighbors thrive, Bevers chose to partner with Side to offload the backend aspect of his business—including transaction and vendor management, property marketing, legal, compliance—and to accelerate his recruitment of new agents. Side also develops and fully-implements a partner agent’s growth and business plan, taking the heavy lifting off their shoulders so that they can spend 100% of their time on what they do best.
“Side allows me to retain ownership but gives me the technological advantage to stay ahead of my competition. I don’t need to use my time and energy to learn social media and web site development. Side does all that for me, letting my team focus on our clients and our community.”