Land Acquisition Specialist Employment Agreement

What a good one includes

• A detailed scope of duties outlining responsibilities from sourcing off-market parcels to conducting initial feasibility and zoning assessments.
• A clearly defined compensation structure that details the base salary alongside specific performance-based bonuses linked to successful site acquisitions.
• An explicit definition of when a deal commission is considered earned, typically tied to the close of escrow or the securing of entitlements.
• Robust non-disclosure and non-circumvention clauses that protect your proprietary land pipeline, seller lists, and strategic developer relationships.
• A reasonable geographic non-compete and non-solicitation clause tailored to your active local submarkets to prevent the immediate loss of leads to local competitors.
• A clear termination clause specifying notice periods and detailing how pending acquisitions in the pipeline will be compensated post-departure.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Failing to precisely define when a land acquisition commission is legally earned, which often leads to costly disputes over deals currently in escrow.
• Neglecting to address how pending deals in the active pipeline are handled and compensated if the employee leaves the company mid-transaction.
• Creating overly broad geographic or industry-wide non-compete clauses that courts will refuse to enforce due to unreasonable restrictions on the specialist's livelihood.
• Omitting clear definitions of proprietary data ownership, leaving your proprietary seller lead lists vulnerable to being taken to a competing firm.

Frequently asked questions