Right-of-Way Agent

Contract Land Staff; Michigan; On-site; USD 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Contract Land Staff is seeking experienced Acquisition Agents to handle field-level investigations in Michigan. You will engage landowners to acquire property rights, analyze appraisals, and negotiate settlements in coordination with the ROW Supervisor.

This role requires independent work and strong communication with clients and attorneys. On-site work in Michigan is required, with potential for per diem, and you must obtain a Michigan Notary and hold a valid driver’s license.

Qualifications

• Minimum 1+ year acquisition experience.
• Must be willing to work on-site in Michigan.
• Must obtain a Michigan Notary.
• Must have a valid driver’s license.

Responsibilities

• Contact landowners to discuss acquisition of real property rights.
• Negotiate with owners, analyze property appraisals, and advise client.
• Represent client in complex negotiations with owners and attorneys.

Skills

Negotiation

Communication

Document interpretation

Report writing

Property law basics

MS Office

Driver's license

Education

Associate degree or two years college

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Contract Land Staff is looking for experienced Acquisition Agents for work in Michigan. This position is responsible for the field level investigations to obtain all information needed for land values, agencies requiring permits, crop data, potential areas of concern along the route, etc. This person is an experienced agent, able to perform a variety of duties independently. This position answers directly to the ROW Supervisor.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

include but are not limited to:

• Contact the owners of interests in land regarding the acquisition of real property rights, amendments of rights, notifications of entry, settlement of claims and other matters.
• Responsible for purchasing property by negotiating with the property owners, analyzing property appraisals, and making recommendations to the client using real estate practices, legal concepts, governmental standards, and regulations.
• Represent the client in complex negotiations with property owners and attorneys.
• Responsible for recommending to the client whether a reasonable compromise is likely and further negotiations should be pursued or whether to pursue condemnation litigation.
• Responsible for recommending payment increases to the client if the property owner has a legitimate basis for seeking a substantially higher amount.
• Responsible for estimating areas of potential damage in advance of construction and accumulate information as to damages occurring during construction.
• Responsible for preparing lawsuit packages for condemnation proceedings, assisting the client’s attorney, and serving as an expert witness in mediation or trial if the negotiation process fails.
• Capable of working unsupervised in a variety of roles.
• Well qualified in a specialized area such as land title, regulatory matters, or acquisition that they are selected to work only in this area of special expertise.
• May be responsible for Right of Way operations and maintenance.

Accountability

This position is responsible for working with all office staff, ensuring a healthy work environment and the satisfaction of all staff. Must be able to work effectively and professionally with office staff, the client, and landowners.

Qualification Requirements

(minimum and preferred requirements):

• Must be willing to work on-site in Michigan; per diem is available.
• Must have 1+ years of Acquisition experience.
• Must be willing to obtain a Michigan Notary.

Education

• Associate degree or two years of college and two plus years of Right of Way experience or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Experience

• Experience in interpretation of documents and in the use of all the tools required in the Right of Way field.
• Broad array of knowledge in all phases of Right-of-Way.
• Understanding of environmental issues.

Licensing

• Must have valid driver’s license.
• Must maintain minimum automobile liability insurance in the amount of $100,000/$300,000/$100,000.

Language Skills

• Requires excellent oral and written communication and presentation skills.
• Must be able to write clearly and concisely to prepare reports, specifications, and correspondence.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure, using whole numbers, common fractions, percentages, and decimals.

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to apply commonsense understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral, or diagram form.
• Ability to deal with problems involving several variables in standardized situations.

Other Skills and Abilities

• Intermediate computer skills and familiarity with general PC operation.
• Intermediate software skills with all Microsoft Office applications.
• Ability to learn new computer programs rapidly.
• Ability and willingness to move rapidly from place to place and meet timeline constraints.
• Capacity to be flexible, multi-task and maintain a great attitude.