The Effect of COVID-19 on the Land Brokerage Industry
By Greg Fay, Founder, Broker, Fay Ranches Inc.
Many of us are wondering what the impact of the Coronavirus will be on the global economy and our communities. We can only guess if this will be a phenomenon that has a lasting impact or will pass us by in a matter of weeks.
We are seeing some interesting anecdotal effects on the land brokerage industry. The buzzword in articles I read this morning on coronavirus is “social distancing.” In speaking with Fay Ranches agents located coast to coast in the United States over the past few days, each has remarked that their land investor clients are contemplating moving their families to their land to insulate themselves, to socially distance themselves. We have an uptick in activity at Fay Ranches with several of the potential land investors we’re working with citing the need to have a place to “hide.”
It will be interesting to see if this is an increasing trend. Will people begin leaving the more densely populated urban areas of the United States to achieve “social distancing”? It’s too early to tell at this point if this is just a passing consideration or the beginning of a population shift. We’ll keep an eye on it and report back in a few weeks as the coronavirus pandemic evolves. In the meantime, stay safe and stay healthy. And if you own land, it probably wouldn’t hurt if you spent a little extra time on it over the next few weeks.
I encourage you to reach out to a Fay agent in your area for an update on the economic effect on the land industry in your community.
Connect with Gregory W. Fay
Greg founded Fay Ranches in April 1992 in his one-bedroom apartment in Bozeman, Montana. As the CEO of Fay Ranches, Greg has guided the company's growth from humble beginnings to today's national land brokerage. Over the years, Greg has transacted hundreds of millions of dollars of working farms, ranches, and sporting properties. He has successfully executed some of the nation's most significant land sales and acquisitions.
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