SERVICES - Conservation Buyer Program

What is the Conservation Buyer Program?
The Wyoming Land Trust’s Conservation Buyer Program (CBP) works to match conservation-worthy properties with conservation-minded buyers. We are not realtors and do not charge commissions. We simply provide information to buyers and sellers regarding various properties’ natural resource values and the options available to conserve them.

To see a map and information on properties currently participating in the CBP, CLICK HERE.

To submit a new listing to the CBP, or to request more information, CLICK HERE.

How Does the Conservation Buyer Program Work?
The CBP maintains a list of available area properties with important agricultural, wildlife and open space values that we believe merit significant conservation attention. We work with sellers and real estate professionals to keep this list current, and share the information with interested parties that contact our office. Again, we are not realtors and do not charge commissions. We simply provide an alternative avenue for conservation-minded buyers to learn more about conservation-worthy properties in our area.

How Does the Conservation Buyer Program Benefit Buyers and Sellers?
The CBP offers buyers and sellers a unique way to structure traditional real estate transactions to meet their financial goals and ensure conservation of the area’s agricultural and natural lands.

For buyers, the CBP provides information on conservation-worthy properties in the area selected by the land trust’s knowledgeable staff, together with contact information for the listing agent. Buyers work with the agent to purchase the property and work with the land trust to donate a conservation easement at or after closing. We work with each buyer to tailor the easement to their individual needs and goals. If structured properly, the easement donation can qualify for federal income and estate tax benefits, which can effectively reduce a property’s purchase price by recapturing a portion of the cost through tax savings.

For sellers, the CBP offers an innovative way to market their properties to conservation-minded buyers. It also provides a way for sellers to reconcile the often-competing goals of conserving their property while realizing its full value. In a typical conservation buyer transaction, the buyer pays the seller full price for the property and donates a conservation easement at or after closing. If structured properly, the seller receives the cash they need and the buyer receives a tax deduction for the easement donation, thus effectively reducing the property’s purchase price through tax savings.

How Does the Conservation Buyer Program Benefit Real Estate Professionals?
The CBP offers real estate professionals a cost-free way to market conservation-worthy properties to a targeted audience of potential buyers. The CBP helps real estate professionals exceed their clients’ expectations by showing them how conservation easements can effectively reduce a property’s purchase price through tax savings, thus allowing the client to consider properties previously outside their price range.