A right of way agent works to obtain property rights from owners for use in government or private industries. Their job is to negotiate to purchase property, or come up with an agreement, so that the entity can utilize the property for their specific needs. In addition to negotiations, a right of way agent works with a variety of other professionals including engineers, land surveyors, and scientists to research the property. Other duties of a right of way agent includes estimating property values, going to court if a settlement cannot be reached, and communicating with project managers.
Right of way agents must go to different properties to evaluate the amount of money that a piece of land is worth. They do this by researching prices of land that are close by, as well as looking into the specific properties of the land that they are interested in purchasing. At this point, they communicate information to the person or organization who is interested in acquiring the land, to find out how much money is willing to be offered. If the land is too expensive, the right of way agent might be asked to find a different piece of land that can be purchased at a better price.
If a buyer needs a specific piece of property, it the duty of the right of way agent to negotiate the price with the owner of the land. This occurs sometimes when the land is being used for a government purpose, such as building a new road, and must go in a specific location. The right of way agent offers a fair price for the land based upon the research that he or she previously completed. It might be necessary for a right of way agent to work with others to come up with the price, so engineers, surveyors, and property estimators are sometimes asked to help provide information on the value of the land.
It is important for a right of way agent to have good communication skills, because he or she works with many different people on a daily basis. Communicating with property owners, management of entities that wish to purchase property, and other trained professional is a major task of the job. Knowledge of legal matters is also important, as an individual doing this job must be able to handle deed and title transfers, zoning, and construction that occurs on the property.