Let me give my two cents as I own over 15,000 acres across the western US and have invested in land for many years. First off land is a dangerous investment in any market if purchasing without a real exit strategy. This downturn has been extremely difficult for one of my companies as we had to shift our entire business plan to accommodate this downturn. Selling land in this climate is nearly impossible unless your goal is to ultimately be the bank.
If you have a plan to sit on a piece of land and hope for future development, you’ve probably got a better chance at winning on the stock market. There are so many different reasons to invest in land, but putting money there in this climate for a long term play could turn out to be a very risky move.
I am a huge proponent of farming and I believe if you have a short term goal of using the land to create income that buying land for this purpose is genius. As a wise man once said, “you can’t eat silver and gold.”
I am working on a number of projects including farming, mining and alternative energy, to name a few. The goal is to think outside the box when looking at a land purchase. In this economic climate you want to look for any short term value. Look at water rights, mineral rights, etc. These are the things that many land buyers fail to miss. Land has much more value than just the surface of the property. In fact the surface may be the least desirable piece of the puzzle in today’s real estate market.
Last, but not least, never listen to someone at a seminar trying to promote a specific area. Do your own due diligence and find out whether or not other savvy investors feel the same. There are a few companies that I am well aware of and some that I’ve done business with that run auctions on a monthly basis and promote land in certain areas merely because they have excess inventory in that area.
At the end of the day, do your own homework. Know that land is a risky move if you really don’t have an exit strategy or see any short term potential. Learn about mineral rights and water rights and how that effects the value of the land and how it could be used to increase the value.
Good luck in your search and don’t let these negative people push you away from the idea of purchasing land. Let this be a lesson that there are no guarantees in life, but your are far more certain to succeed when educating yourself.
