LAND CASE STUDIES
Client Success Stories
How TradeMark Turned a $2.55M Land Deal Into a $3.7M Closing
ADDITIONAL VALUE SECURED
+1.5M
SALES PRICE INCREASE
45%
MONTHS ALL CASH CLOSING
6
Service: Investment Sales
Location: Youngsville, NC
Broker: Sandra Simpson
Situation
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Strategy
Results
Challenge
A property owner wanted to sell an inherited land for $2.55M. At first, that price sounded like a win. But Sandra Simpson saw something the owner did not. She recognized that the land had more potential with the right buyer. A potential worth $1.15M more. The owner recognized Sandra’s expertise and decided to work with her.
Before Sandra got the owner the value his land deserved, the transaction encountered a series of challenges. The owner’s sister passed away during negotiations, forcing the family to put everything on hold. On top of the personal tragedy, the property carried a 1938 deed with unresolved title issues, complex zoning classifications, and strict municipal restrictions that limited water access to only 50 new build units per year.
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An additional $1.15M (from $2.55M to $3.7M) received in 6 months
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The legal and personal complications did not stop Sandra. She took immediate control of the transaction and handled every obstacle that came her way.
Researched zoning laws and municipal water restrictions to position the property accurately for the right buyers
Conducted deep submarket analysis to show the land's true value and set a higher asking price
Brought in an estate attorney to resolve the sister's passing
Secured a specialized closing attorney to clear a 1938 deed and eliminate every title defect standing in the way
Targeted major local developers and active land buyers who understood the property's full potential
Here’s what Sandra executed:
Structured negotiations to protect the client and secure the highest asking price
Sandra delivered an outcome the owner never expected when he first made the call.
Here is what the owner walked away with:
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Zero delays from title defects or estate complications, delivering a seamless closing
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Contact Sandra
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Sandra Simpson, CCIM
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919-244-8714
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How TradeMark Turned Contaminated Land Into a Development-Ready Site
Service: Investment Sales
Location: Raleigh, NC
Broker: Mike Keen
Situation
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Strategy
Challenge
Mike didn't accept the first set of bids as the final answer. Instead of choosing the most expensive solution, he found an opportunity most brokers would have missed: a nearby construction site with excess structural fill that needed to be moved at no cost.
Negotiated directly with a grading contractor who had excess fill dirt from a nearby project to clear the site, install erosion control, and complete final grading at a cost-controlled price
Rejected the removal bids and sourced an alternative fill solution to make the project financially viable
Relocated the bad soils to the rear two acres rather than paying to haul them off-site entirely
Brought in thousands of yards of clean structural fill from the nearby site at no charge, rebuilding the front five acres from the ground up
Engaged a licensed engineer to develop the site plan and secure all required permits
Here’s what Mike executed:
Placed a geotechnical engineer on-site to supervise the fill and compaction work, ensuring the land could support future development
The owner had what looked like a perfect development site: 7.61 acres with road frontage, a natural slope, and good zoning. It should have been a straightforward path to market. Then soil testing revealed what was hidden beneath the surface. The previous owner had filled the front two acres with wood and construction debris. It was invisible from the road and completely unsuitable to support any structure or roadway. What looked like buildable land was actually a buried landfill.
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The cost to dig up and haul away that volume of contaminated material would have exceeded what the land was worth. No developer would pay market price for property that required hundreds of thousands in remediation costs before construction could even begin. A standard real estate broker would have walked away. That's why the owner called Mike Keen, a commercial broker who is also a civil engineer.
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Converted 7.61 acres of contaminated, unbuildable land into a fully pad-ready 5-acre tract
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Achieved O&I zoned comparable pricing per acre, restoring the asset to full market value
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Results
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Eliminated excavation and haul-off costs that had made conventional remediation unfeasible
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Delivered a fully permitted, geotechnically certified site ready for immediate marketing and development
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Contact Mike
​Mike Keen, CCIM​
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919-795-1944
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How a Buyer Went From No Options to 0.65 Acres Off-Market
0.65
ACRES SECURED
90
DAYS UNDER CONTRACT
Service: Buyer Representation
Asset type: Industrial Land
Location: Durham, NC
Broker: Kharmika Alston, CCIM
Situation
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Strategy
Results
Challenge
A general contracting company was ready to buy land and build its own facility. They had the resources, the zoning requirements mapped out, and a team ready to build. What they did not have was a single listing that fit their needs. The right land was not on the market.
With no listings to work from and a business ready to build, they needed more than a broker who could search the listing websites. They needed someone who would find land that wasn't for sale and make a deal happen. That's when they called Kharmika Alston.
Kharmika identified East Durham as the right location, better value, correct zoning, and the right fit for the business.
Went to both off-market properties in person, and made a direct case for the sale
Researched individual parcels in East Durham and identified two adjacent off-market properties that fit every requirement
Got the first owner from no to yes after staying in contact and renegotiating weeks later
Verified the second parcel could legally be sold before investing time in the deal
Priced both properties accurately with no comparable listings on the market
Here’s what Kharmika executed:
Closed one parcel in 30 and the other in 90 days
By working with Kharmika, the owners received:
Two off-market parcels assembled into one 0.65 acre site
$360K total acquisition for parcels that never appeared on any listing
Industrial-zoned land in East Durham, exactly where the business needed to be
A site ready to build their own facility
