diff --git a/libfdt/fdt_sw.c b/libfdt/fdt_sw.c
index 6a80485..2bd15e7 100644
--- a/libfdt/fdt_sw.c
+++ b/libfdt/fdt_sw.c
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ static int _fdt_find_add_string(void *fdt, const char *s)
 	return offset;
 }
 
-int fdt_property(void *fdt, const char *name, const void *val, int len)
+int fdt_property_placeholder(void *fdt, const char *name, int len, void **valp)
 {
 	struct fdt_property *prop;
 	int nameoff;
@@ -238,7 +238,19 @@ int fdt_property(void *fdt, const char *name, const void *val, int len)
 	prop->tag = cpu_to_fdt32(FDT_PROP);
 	prop->nameoff = cpu_to_fdt32(nameoff);
 	prop->len = cpu_to_fdt32(len);
-	memcpy(prop->data, val, len);
+	*valp = prop->data;
+	return 0;
+}
+
+int fdt_property(void *fdt, const char *name, const void *val, int len)
+{
+	void *ptr;
+	int ret;
+
+	ret = fdt_property_placeholder(fdt, name, len, &ptr);
+	if (ret)
+		return ret;
+	memcpy(ptr, val, len);
 	return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/libfdt/libfdt.h b/libfdt/libfdt.h
index 2c9ddb4..a248b1b 100644
--- a/libfdt/libfdt.h
+++ b/libfdt/libfdt.h
@@ -1314,6 +1314,22 @@ static inline int fdt_property_cell(void *fdt, const char *name, uint32_t val)
 {
 	return fdt_property_u32(fdt, name, val);
 }
+
+/**
+ * fdt_property_placeholder - add a new property and return a ptr to its value
+ *
+ * @fdt: pointer to the device tree blob
+ * @name: name of property to add
+ * @len: length of property value in bytes
+ * @valp: returns a pointer to where where the value should be placed
+ *
+ * returns:
+ *	0, on success
+ *	-FDT_ERR_BADMAGIC,
+ *	-FDT_ERR_NOSPACE, standard meanings
+ */
+int fdt_property_placeholder(void *fdt, const char *name, int len, void **valp);
+
 #define fdt_property_string(fdt, name, str) \
 	fdt_property(fdt, name, str, strlen(str)+1)
 int fdt_end_node(void *fdt);
diff --git a/tests/include7.dts b/tests/include7.dts
index 2f6eb89..ab2c948 100644
--- a/tests/include7.dts
+++ b/tests/include7.dts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@
 
 		subsubnode {
 			compatible = "subsubnode1", "subsubnode";
+			placeholder = "this is a placeholder string", "string2";
 			prop-int = <0xdeadbeef>;
 		};
 
diff --git a/tests/sw_tree1.c b/tests/sw_tree1.c
index 4887dc3..6a338fc 100644
--- a/tests/sw_tree1.c
+++ b/tests/sw_tree1.c
@@ -85,6 +85,9 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	size_t size;
 	int err;
 	bool created = false;
+	void *place;
+	const char place_str[] = "this is a placeholder string\0string2";
+	int place_len = sizeof(place_str);
 
 	test_init(argc, argv);
 
@@ -135,6 +138,8 @@ int main(int argc, char *argv[])
 	CHECK(fdt_begin_node(fdt, "subsubnode"));
 	CHECK(fdt_property(fdt, "compatible", "subsubnode1\0subsubnode",
 			   23));
+	CHECK(fdt_property_placeholder(fdt, "placeholder", place_len, &place));
+	memcpy(place, place_str, place_len);
 	CHECK(fdt_property_cell(fdt, "prop-int", TEST_VALUE_1));
 	CHECK(fdt_end_node(fdt));
 	CHECK(fdt_begin_node(fdt, "ss1"));
diff --git a/tests/test_tree1.dts b/tests/test_tree1.dts
index 67ecfd0..77ea325 100644
--- a/tests/test_tree1.dts
+++ b/tests/test_tree1.dts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 		subsubnode {
 			compatible = "subsubnode1", "subsubnode";
+			placeholder = "this is a placeholder string", "string2";
 			prop-int = <0xdeadbeef>;
 		};
 
diff --git a/tests/test_tree1_label_noderef.dts b/tests/test_tree1_label_noderef.dts
index b2b194c..cfe5946 100644
--- a/tests/test_tree1_label_noderef.dts
+++ b/tests/test_tree1_label_noderef.dts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@
 
 		subsubnode {
 			compatible = "subsubnode1", "subsubnode";
+			placeholder = "this is a placeholder string", "string2";
 			prop-int = <0xdeadbeef>;
 		};
 
diff --git a/tests/trees.S b/tests/trees.S
index 3d24aa2..9854d1d 100644
--- a/tests/trees.S
+++ b/tests/trees.S
@@ -102,6 +102,7 @@ test_tree1_struct:
 
 	BEGIN_NODE("subsubnode")
 	PROP_STR(test_tree1, compatible, "subsubnode1\0subsubnode")
+	PROP_STR(test_tree1, placeholder, "this is a placeholder string\0string2")
 	PROP_INT(test_tree1, prop_int, TEST_VALUE_1)
 	END_NODE
 
@@ -141,6 +142,7 @@ test_tree1_strings:
 	STRING(test_tree1, linux_phandle, "linux,phandle")
 	STRING(test_tree1, phandle, "phandle")
 	STRING(test_tree1, reg, "reg")
+	STRING(test_tree1, placeholder, "placeholder")
 	STRING(test_tree1, address_cells, "#address-cells")
 	STRING(test_tree1, size_cells, "#size-cells")
 test_tree1_strings_end: