So You Need LAND!
Gen 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened.
Gen 1:10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
And that’s it, that is all the land there is on the planet. With increased car wash construction and interest, land has become the limiting commodity to expansion for most operators. There are not as many opportunities with developers and municipalities as there used to be, and more competition from other car wash companies has driven up the price as well.
With fewer opportunities and higher prices, what are you to do?
- Start. Decide today that you want to expand and start. Have multiple paths to expansion and start putting offers on property that either will take a long time for entitlement or for the developer to get everything ready, but start. The time will pass quickly and other companies will wonder how you grew so fast. While you’re working on the long term properties, keep looking for the opportunity to build today.
- Make it your full-time job. Other companies have hired someone to look, call and negotiate full time. If you want to compete, make it your priority as well.
- Look at it differently. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. Look for re-development opportunities. Look for ways to convert current buildings into car washes. Is there an opportunity to add an additional revenue source to the property? How about dividing the property and selling a portion to someone else? Expand your area, maybe it’s time to increase your reach and stop fighting with everyone else; find a place the majority don’t want to be.
The market for land has become hyper-competitive. When competition enters your market, you can either watch them buy land and expand, or you can get in the game with them. Make a plan; make it you job and think differently than the competition. Before you know it, your competitors will wonder how you did it!