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Finding the Right Land
Finding the ideal land for your landscape supply yard is critical to the success of your business; this page will lay out the best approach to finding that right plot for you to get started. Naturally, this begins with evaluating land for proper size, topography, and location before considering things like a customer base, traffic flow, and zoning requirements that might interfere with your goals. Of course, there are major financial considerations along the way as well that make this a process that requires planning and due diligence. Here is what you should look for and be thinking about when searching for land:
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Evaluating land Requirements
A landscape supply yard can only be as good as the land that it sits upon. This includes both the physical size, but also what currently resides on the plot. When making your initial land purchase, consider if you have enough acreage for all your needs. This usually includes inventory storage, machinery movement, and customer service areas. Having a cramped landscape supply yard is both a never ending headache and an accident waiting to happen.
With size considered, there is also the question of the physical land itself. How is the land currently used? Where is it located? Is it flat? What is the soil quality/composition and are there major topography concerns that would limit accessibility? These are issues that could cost a tremendous amount of money, time, and resources should they not be fully considered prior to setting up your operation. Ensure your plot is within the bounds of efficient supply chain operations with suppliers to keep your yard well stocked.
Location Analysis
Outside of the physical land itself, the location of your supply yard will also play a major role in the direction of your business. Location is huge for customer interactions and the competitive landscape with other supply yards. As with all storefronts, placing yourself in an optimal location for increased foot and vehicular traffic can make or break the viability of your business. Make sure you’re located in an area with a customer base; look into the local demographics to see where potential customers may exist. How old are your potential customers? Do they buy or do they rent?
At the same time you try to tap into a customer base, be aware of competition in the landscape supply yard realm. Areas where big competitors are saturating the market with material are far from ideal when starting your supply yard. This competition can be debilitating to a business trying to find its footing. Find gaps in the market to fill and cater to your customer base to build that relationship. Unique, exclusive products or superior customer service are great ways to get a leg up in a competitive system.
Financial Considerations
As with any business, financial planning is a critical piece to long term success. Especially in landscape supply yards, where startup costs can be expensive, having a comprehensive budget and plan forward are huge. Before beginning, understand the costs for not only land acquisition, but the subsequent development of your land. Look into any potential subsidies that can help offset costs. From there, you’ll need a plan to pay for the large machinery and initial stock piles to get business flowing all before you’ll begin to see sales kick off.
Creating a cost-benefit analysis is a great way to go about planning the financial viability of your business. This analysis will show if/when you can expect a profit with different variables. This is where something like location can make a major difference in how much money you need to invest versus the customer base that you tap into. With a financial plan, you can look into methods of securing funds. This can include such things like bank loans or investor contributions. A more thorough cost-benefit analysis can be a great tool to secure those funds from interested investors as you show them the long-term plan towards profit.
Regulatory and Zoning Checks
While searching for that workable plot of land, checking in with regulatory and zoning obligations is a must to avoid major problems down the line. This starts with investigating any zoning restrictions and verifying that your desired land permits a landscape supply business operation. At its simplest, this means you usually can’t build a supply yard in the middle of a residential neighborhood. On that point, stay informed on the local government’s plans for development as this could potentially change the setting where your business presides.
Environmental assessments are essential to finding that optimal spot for your supply yard as well. Beyond just the visual appearance of hills, rocks, and trees, environmental assessments dig deeper to understand your impact on the surrounding planet. This can encompass factors like the watershed and runoff from your yard site as well as local ecological concerns that may require greater care and responsibility by a potential owner.
Due Diligence and Closing
As with purchasing any property, due diligence can go a long way, especially when it comes close to closing. Some of this you’ve already done through researching local zoning requirements/future plans and the financial plan to get things moving. Due diligence continues with property surveys to understand detailed land dimensions and outline easements/other features that could impact an operation. Then comes the more legal part of the transaction with titles and money.
Always be sure to investigate the land for any pending complications that could come down the pike. This includes land or title disputes as well as liens where a person may attempt to sell land that isn’t legally theirs, both of which can lead to a host of legal and financial problems. With a legitimate sale in order, negotiate the price. Secure a beneficial agreement for both you and the land seller. Any money you can save on the initial purchase is more cash that can be invested into the rest of the operation. And any money you’ll need to spend to repair the land immediately may be applicable in a negotiation to lower the price even more.
Conclusion
With so many factors to consider before purchasing a plot of land for a landscape supply yard business, having a detailed plan is absolutely key. Be sure to understand the acreage you need and find a plot that is free from major topographical constraints. Research the local regulations that could impact your new business including zoning laws and future developments. Take time to know your market, both the competition you’re fighting against and the customers you’re competing for. All of this needs to be financially viable as well; consider where your funding comes from and execute a cost-benefit analysis to predict when profit will be seen given the expenses for the land you’re looking at. From there, if that plot of land you’re eyeing is free from any legal disputes, clearly defined, fits the bill on what you need, make that purchase and get your very own landscape supply yard business on its feet.
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