What is the Value of Your Time: The Value of Professional Planning Support
…SOUND FAMILIAR?
Often, we are contacted by property and business owners needing a severance or variance to expand their operations or their portfolio. When we mention our fee, they conclude: “This seems expensive, I think I’ll just do it myself. How hard can it be?” Well, oftentimes, the answer is it’s harder than you might think! Yet, to understand that, you may need to try it out yourself. This is where the fun starts and realizing the value of your time begins!
Let’s consider some scenarios:
NEW HOUSE/BUILDING: You spend a lot of time and money creating the plans for a new house/building. When approaching the city’s Building Department, they ask if you’ve talked to the Planning Department.
Who do you talk to? What do you do?
BUSINESS EXPANSION: You have long considered the need for a larger building or a new space for your business. Your budget is stretched with the high real estate costs, let alone the challenges of dealing with the city. Your architect notes that your plan has a zoning conflict.
What do you do? Who do you talk to?
YOUR FOCUS: You spend your time running your company and don’t have time for distractions like getting city approvals and attending more meetings.
Your architect or lawyer should be able to handle this, right?
In many cases, business owners rely on their lawyer or architect to get their municipal approvals, but a planner is best suited to help and frequently a lower cost. Some architects believe they can deal with simple planning matters. Although most cannot, many try, but only few succeed.
When you need a legal matter resolved, you contact your lawyer. When you need a building designed, you contact your architect. Most people don’t know they need a planner, until they do. For that matter, most people don’t even know planners exist. So before you go to your lawyer or your architect for a land use matter, ask yourself these questions:
Who would you go to for expert advice?
Do you know how to navigate the city’s requirements?
How much is your time worth (per hour/day)?
How much value do you think you can gain from purchasing another property?
Do you know what you’re getting into BEFORE buying?
Understanding what you’re getting into before you buy land is the smartest thing you can do. Often, lawyers and architects can’t give you all the information you need, but a planner can. Although without this expertise purchasing land becomes an emotional decision and not a financial one?
WHAT IS THE VALUE OF YOUR TIME?
Whether you are purchasing a property for your business or your portfolio, to get the results you want you probably will have to go through the development process. This process can vary from months to years, so speed and efficiency is critical. The larger the project the larger the costs, and when mistakes are made there are even greater consequences. So, any project regardless of size can benefit from a team that has the expertise to get it done right the first time.
As a professional you can recognize the value of expanding your business and your portfolio, but you lack the time to navigate a rezoning or a site plan approval. The development process can be complex and learning how to navigate it is not in your schedule, but repping the benefits are.
WE WORK FOR YOU, NOT THE CITY
So, what do you need a planner for? We navigate the process quickly and efficiently, achieving your goals as fast as possible. We work for YOU, not the city. We know the rules and the process, which means you don’t have to. So, we provide the information and the advice, and you make the final decision.
Overall, a Planner is an advisor, a designer, a facilitator, and a voice before and throughout the development process. LandPro believes a planner should be all of this plus your trusted partner with you from beginning to end.
CLOSING THOUGHTS
So now that you have considered the value of your own time and the value a planner can offer you, again take some time to ask yourself the following questions. Can you answer each with confidence?
Who would you go to for expert advice?
Do you know how to navigate the city’s requirements?
How much value do you think you can gain from purchasing another property?
Do you know what you’re getting into BEFORE buying?
LandPro Planning Solutions – Changing your world is possible. We do it all the time.
