SO
Hello and Welcome to Reichwein Ranches!!! IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A BEAUTIFUL PLACE TO LIVE IN THE COUNTRY WITH A LOT OF RECREATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN AN AREA OF THE COUNTRY WHERE ACTIVE BABY BOOMERS ARE HEADING, THEN YOU WILL WANT TO KEEP READING. NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE ALOT TO DO HERE, WE HAVE GREAT WEATHER BUT WE HAVE THE MOUNTAINS AND WE HAVE AFFORDABLE LIVING WITH A SAFE SENSE OF COMMUNITY. THIS IS WHY WITHIN A 3 HOUR DRIVE OUR AREA HAD 3 COMMUNITIES PICKED #3, #4 AND #12 AS THE 3 OF TOP 12 PLACES TO BUY LAND FOR RETIREMENT IN THE WHOLE "COUNTRY".
We own all of our land free and clear so offer owner financing on all of our land that we offer for auction. This tract is a flat terrain tract with very nice mountain views to the east of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the east and Mt. Blanca to the North w/mesas to the west. It has sagebrush with mountain wildflowers in the summer and fall months. Because the terrain is fairly flat this will mean that the depth for the well is pretty standard thruout the subdivision and is 80 foot to 120 foot maximum. I have pictures included of all of this. The Trinchera Creek and Smith Reservoir are both well stocked with 18 - 24 inch Rocky Mountain Trout. You can go hiking, biking or horseback riding endlessing right out your back door and play your heart out!!!. It doesn't get any better than this for those of you wanting to have mountain living while also having town just a couple of minutes away. This is about 15 minutes from the town of San Luis, 40 minutes from the town of Alamosa and about 40 minutes from the resorts of Red River and Taos, New Mexico. ! OUR PICTURES ARE ACTUAL PICTURES TAKEN BY ME AND ARE THE "ACTUAL" Pictures and Views FROM THIS LAND!! I also include some pictures of local reservoirs, streams or other items of local interest but I do mention this in my picture section.
I know you have many companies looking for your business and lately it seems that many of them are not honest and it is scary figuring out what to do. To make things worse some of the dishonest ones are ones that have been around the longest so time in business isn't a factor in determining honesty. But they never have been.
That is why we believe it is important for our customers to do their homework first and then they will all find out that we are the only company that has the 30 year history in this County. We are the only family that has developed multiple subdivisions over that last 25 years and owns several thousand acres in this County free and clear in this County. That is why we are able to sell land from 1 acre to 160 acres with owner financing because we do own all of our land free and clear. Also we do not need to involve a bank for our customers loan financing and can secure the financing for the land ourselves up to 30 years ourselves. We have been doing owner financing for the last 30 years and have the record with Costilla County to back it up.
Also we have our 1435 acre family ranch there where I live full time(PICTURE #1 THE TRINCHERA CREEK & PICTURE 11 SMITH RESERVOIR DURING SUNSET.). We are the only Seller on Ebay that has a local connection. We also try to show most customers their properties as long as they can set an appointment a week in advance with us. We own all of our land free and clear including our family ranch free of any liens or encumbrances. This how we are able to sell the land on both Ebay and Overstock with the owner financing with a low down payment and owner finance the balance. We will take our customers out to see their land after their purchase as well by appointment unlike our competition that has no roots to the area and for the most part doesn't know where the land is located that they are selling. We take actual pictures because I live here year round and take the actual pictures of the land we are selling from the land we are selling in the subdivisions we are selling.
******THE SALES PRICE IS *********$7325************* The Land IS OWNER FINANCED FOR UP TO **************15 YEARS AT ******************6%********** INTEREST AND THE AUCTION IS FOR THE DOWN PAYMENT ONLY. THE AUCTION STARTS AT $100 DOWN PAYMENT AND IF THE WINNING AMOUNT IS $120 THE MONTHLY PAYMENT WOULD BE *************$60.80 EACH MONTH FOR UP TO 15 YEARS OWNER FINANCED AT 6%INTEREST. ANNUAL PROPERTY TAXES ARE $130.30 TO BE PRORATED $11 PER MONTH.
THERE ARE NO PREPAYMENT PENALTIES. There are no prepayment penalties for any of our loans!!!!!! THE DOWN PAYMENTS ARE APPLIED TOWARDS THE SALES PRICE. You can make a larger down payment if you wish to lower your monthly payment and we can do shorter loans by request.
*********OR******** WE ALSO OFFER A ****************3 YEAR INTEREST FREE OPTION w/$130 DOWN PAYMENT THE MONTHLY PAYMENT IS $200.15 EACH MONTH AND WE ACCEPT PAYPAL FOR THE DOWN PAYMENT AS WELL AS FOR THE MONTHLY PAYMENT EACH MONTH.
**** WE HAVE ************NO EXTRA MONTHLY BILLING FEES********** LIKE MANY OTHERS LIKE TO ADD ON OR HUGE UP FRONT PROCESSING COSTS. WE OWN ALL OF OUR LAND FREE AND CLEAR SO WE DO NOT SELL OUR LOANS AND YOU WILL ALWAYS BE DEALING WITH OUR FAMILY THRU THE ENTIRETY OF THE LOAN.
******** We accept PayPal for the down payment and for the monthly payments as well.********* Also I get asked alot if it is ok to set the monthly payment date up to align with pay dates and that is fine with us. We can set the monthly payment date up to be any date as we are flexible on dates if there is a preferred date that is fine with us. We are a family business and so our goal is to try and keep that personal touch. We will never sell our loan that we make to you. You will always be dealing personally with our family. You will always know that we are locals and have our family ranch here in San Luis, Colorado and so we will always treat you as an individual customer and never sell your loan. We also allow customers to make exchanges at any time during the lifetime of their loan for no cost other than the difference of the land if their is any.
*************BUYING LAND IN OUR AREA AS AN INVESTMENT. (This is an area that has steadily increased over the last 15 years because of its location and closeness to Taos,New Mexico and for it natural beauty. Land is not like the Stock Market where you have no idea of what is going on within the company's management or the accounting team and therefore your lifes savings can be totally wiped out in a matter of weeks or a good portion of it. With land it never has those kind of swings and you actually own something vs owning worthless stock.(THE CAVUTO WEEKEND BUSINESS SHOW ON THE WEEKEND GAVE THE YEAR END STATS FOR RETURNS ON STOCKS AND THIS IS THE AVERAGE RETURN ON MUTUALS FUNDS. 10 YEARS WILL BRING YOU A 10% RETURN BEFORE THIS YEAR AS THIS YEAR COULD NOT BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT BECAUSE OF THE HUGE LOSSES WHICH WERE 34% FOR THE DOW THRU JAN,2009 & NOW OVER 50% LOSS BY THE END OF FEB.,2009 AND STILL FALLING DAILY W/NO END IN SITE. SO FROM 1997 TO 2007 THE AVERAGE MUTUAL FUND RETURN WAS 10% BEFORE IT GOT WIPED OUT IN 2008. THAT WAS A BETTER RETURN THAN I GOT WITH MY 401K WITH VANGUARD OVER 20 YEARS WHICH BARELY MOVED JUST TO WIPE OUT MY PRINCIPAL IN 2008 BUT I DIGRESS. EVEN WITH WITH THE RECESSION THIS AREA'S LAND PRICES ARE 15 TIMES WHAT THEY WERE 15 YEARS AGO MINIMUM AND IN SOME AREAS MANY TIMES MORE THAT. THAT IS WHY THE COUNTY IS PUTTING HOLDS ON ANY NEW SUBDIVISIONS GOING IN HERE BECAUSE GROWTH HERE IS HAPPENING TOO FAST AND THEY ARE LOSING CONTROL OF IT HERE.
That is why most of the wealthiest people in this country have made their money in Real Estate. And So I have several good articles from the WallStreet Journal that will take 5 minutes or so to read in this listing but are well worth it to read if you are interested in buying this land for investment reasons as one of your reasons!!!)I HAVE SEVERAL ARTICLES FROM THE WALL STREET JOURNAL BELOW AS WELL AS FIGURES FROM THE TAOS,NEW MEXICO AREA WHICH AFFECTS OUR AREA TREMENDOUSLY AS WELL. THIS IS SOMETHING NEW I AM GOING TO TALK ABOUT THAT HAS HAPPENED THAT IS GOING TO POSITIVELY AFFECT OUR AREA IN A BIG WAY. ON 6/27/08 OUR COUNTY HAD A LARGE CELEBRATION PARTY TO CELEBRATE THE PASSAGE OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA ACT. OUR COUNTY ALONG WITH CONEJOS COUNTY AND ALAMOSA COUNTY ARE PART OF THE SAN LUIS VALLEY AND THE PASSAGE OF THIS ACT WILL BRING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO OUR AREA. OUR SMALL TOWN OF SAN LUIS IS HOME TO TWO BROTHERS, KEN SALAZAR AND JOHN SALAZAR, WHOM ARE A U.S. SENATOR(now one of President Obamas Cabinet as Secretary of the Interior & has already passed a bill in our County creating a new National Park area.) U.S. CONGRESSMAN RESPECTIVELY THAT WERE BOTH ELECTED TO OFFICE 2 YEARS AGO AND HAVE BEEN FIGHTING HARD FOR OUR AREA. ALSO 2 YEARS AGO THE STATE OF COLORADO ELECTED A DEMOCRTIC GOVERNOR, BILL RITTER, WHOM HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE SENATORS TO BRING ABOUT THIS BILL AS WELL AS SENATOR GAIL SCHWARTZ. THE BILL IS TO BRING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS TO THE AREA TO EDUCATE AND DEVELOP RECREATION WITH MOUNTAIN HOME RESERVOIR, "SMITH RESERVOIR", SANCHEZ RESERVOIR, THE MONTE VISTA WILDLIFE NATIONAL REFUGE, THE BACA WILDLIFE NATIONAL REFUGE, AND THE GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK PRESERVE(this was just recently given National Park status during the Clinton Presidency and has helped drive tourism numbers), & THE CUMBRES TOLTEC RAILROAD. THERE ARE ALSO A VARIETY OF HISTORIC SITES SUCH AS THE FT GARLAND MUSEUM DEDICATED TO KIT CARSON AND RELATIVES.
THERE ARE ONLY A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PLACES DESIGNATED IN THE COUNTRY GIVEN A HERITAGE AREA DESIGNATION AND THE FUNDS FROM CONGRESS THAT COME WITH THAT DESIGNATION, SO IT IS AN HONOR OUR COUNTY AND OUR SENATORS, CONGRESSMAN AND GOVERNOR WORKED HARD ON OUR COUNTY'S BEHALF TO RECEIVE. THIS TRACT HAS THE VIEWS OF THIS MOUNTAIN RANGE AND IS ONLY 2-3 MILES FROM THE ENTIRE RANGE AND YOU ARE BLESSED TO BE LIVING RIGHT IN A NATIONAL HERITAGE AREA WHERE YOU CAN PLAY IN THE MOUNTAINS, LAKES, NATIONAL REFUGES THAT OTHERS HAVE TO SPEND THOUSANDS TO COME AND TRAVEL TO DURING THEIR VACATIONS. THE BEST PART IS YOU CAN LIVE SOMEWHERE AND WATCH YOUR LAND APPRECIATE BECAUSE THIS IS AN AREA WHERE LAND HAS BEEN GOING STRAIGHT UPWARD FOR THE LAST 12 YEARS AND HAS A LONG WAY TO GO BEFORE IT CATCHES UP WITH MANY OF THE PRICIER AREAS OF TAOS AND SOUTHWESTERN COLORADO. ANYONE WHOM HAS BEEN WATCHING THIS AREA WILL KNOW WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING HERE.**********************
A few general questions that we get asked; 1) we do issue WARRANTY DEEDS once the land is paid in full and we offer owner financing on all of the land that we sell for the down payment of the winning auction amount which varies per auction. 2) buyers can begin to use property right away once they send the paperwork received from us back to us and pay the down payment but do not have any time frame that they need to begin building, as many owners buy this land for investment purposes or for retirement use 3)this property is going to a well permit for water use and all tracts in this subdivision are guarateed to be able to get a well permit.
**************I am going to enclose a HUUUGE article about our area that just happened 2 weeks ago. It was a sale of the Forbes Ranch here and it makes it the largest family estate in all of the United Estates by over $50 million dollars. There is an estate in Aspen that a Saudi Prince has had on the market for years at $135,000,000 million and he just took it off the market because he couldn't sell it. And then Donald Trump's house in Florida has been overpriced at 120,000 million for severals and those two were competing to see whom sell the most expensive house in the United States. And then the Forbes Family sells to a Hedge Fund Billionaire whom is a noted conservationist and buys the Forbes Ranchs for 175 MILLION. There is no contest left as Louis Bacon is the undisputed owner of the most expensive family estate in all of the United States and it is in Costilla County NOT Aspen Not Vail, NOT Beaver Creek, NOT Telluride But it is RIGHT HERE in the San Luis Valley FOR $175,000,000 MILLION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The reason he bought here is because it is everything that I have been saying in my description. It has unspoiled beauty that you won't find anywhere else and we have some of the greatest weather in the country to enjoy outdoor activities year round as we live in an outdoor recreational paradise for horseback riding, hiking, mountain biking, skiing, ATVing, snowmobiling, fishing and hunting as we have some of the largest elk herds anywhere in the country here.
CHIEFTAIN PHOTO/FILE
The 171,000-acre Forbes Trinchera Ranch near Fort Garland has been purchased by Louis Moore Bacon. |
Forbes Trinchera Ranch purchased for $175 million
Hedge-fund manager Louis Moore Bacon buys 171,000-acre property in San Luis Valley.
By MATT HILDNER
THE PUEBLO CHIEFTAIN
One of the country's wealthiest investors has purchased the Forbes Trinchera Ranch in northern Costilla County.
Louis Moore Bacon bought the 171,000-acre ranch earlier this month for $175 million.
A spokesman for Bacon called the ranch an extraordinary property for its scenic grandeur and unspoiled natural habitat.
Bacon, 51, founded Moore Capital Management in 1989. Forbes.com ranks the hedge fund manager among the 400 richest Americans and estimates his net worth at $1.7 billion.
The transaction brings a close to the nearly four decades of ownership by the Forbes family.
Malcolm Forbes bought the ranch in 1969 and expanded it in 1982 with the purchase of the adjacent Blanca Ranch. The Forbes family used the ranch as a hunting preserve, for corporate entertaining and as an executive retreat.
Steve Forbes, president and chief executive officer of Forbes, praised the new owner for his commitment to conservation.
"Louis Bacon has passionately devoted much of his life and resources to the protection of extraordinary properties," he said. "By finding such a committed owner, we are certain Trinchera will thrive and be enjoyed, as it is, for years to come."
Bacon set up the Moore Charitable Foundation in 1992 to aid nonprofit groups that focus primarily on conservation and the protection of natural resources.
He's also gone on to make significant conservation gifts, including the 1997 donation of a conservation easement to the Nature Conservancy for Robins Island, a 434-acre property on the south shore of Long Island.
In 2001, Bacon protected the 540-acre Cow Neck Farm in the town of Southampton, N.Y., by donating a conservation easement to the Peconic Land Trust.
Bacon does not have any specific plans for the property beyond spending part of the year there with family and friends for recreation.
OUR FAMILY HAS BEEN IN THIS AREA FOR APPROXIMATELY 30 YEARS AND WE ARE THE AREAS LARGEST LANDOWNERS WITH APPROXIMATELY 14,000 ACRES OWNED FREE AND CLEAR INCLUDING OUR FAMILY RANCH HERE IN TOWN WHICH IS CLOSE TO 1000 ACRES. IT IS ON HWY 142 A FEW MILES FROM THIS PROPERTY AND THE TOWN OF SAN LUIS. WE HAVE A TOLL FREE NUMBER IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS BEFORE YOU BID OR ONCE YOU ARE A CUSTOMER OF OURS PLUS WE HIGHLY ENCOURAGE ANY QUESTIONS UP FRONT BEFORE YOU BID PLUS WE ARE ALSO AVAILABLE BY PHONE OR EMAIL AFTER THE SALE FOR ANY HELP YOU MAY NEED. EMAIL IS COLORADOMTNPROPERTY@WILDBLUE.NET AND OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER IS ****(888- 723-0503) or my cell phone(719-206-2847)****** We are a family business that owns all of our land free and clear of any liens or encumbrances and we do our own in house financing and don't need to sell the loans for finacial liquidity and have a 30 year history in this County so we have a longstanding history in the community and own substantial amounts of land in this County free and clear. We do have our family ranch here in this county which is 865 acres and is 5 1/2 miles from San Luis on Hwy 142 and I live here year round and have lived in Colorado for the past 30 years.
MY PICTURES-- ARE ALL ACTUAL PICTURES TAKEN BY ME!!!!!!!! These are not downloaded pictures from some website and are of the views of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the East or Mt. Blanca to the North. PICTURE 1 IS THE TRINCHERA CREEK. PICTURE # 2 IS OF MT. BLANCA TO THE NORTH. PICTURES 3 - 10 ARE OF THE LAND LOOKING TO THE EAST SHOWING THE VIEWS OF THE SANGRE DE CRISTO MOUNTAINS FROM THIS PROPERTY. PICTURE NUMBER #11 THIS IS A SUNSET PICTURE OF SMITH RESERVOIR. PICTURE NUMBER 12 IS THE PLATTE MAP AND THIS TRACT IS HIGHLIGHTED IN YELLOW WITH THE NUMBER 10 WRITTEN ON IT. THIS TRACT IS ON BURLINGTON RD. This tract is approximately 20 minutes from the town of Alamosa.
Wall Street Journal January 5th, 2006 Article reported;
"Realty Check"/ Troy McMullen
Colorado Ski Territory
Real-estate values continue to soar in some popular Colorado ski areas;
MEDIAN HOME PRICE % CHANGE FROM A YEAR EARLIER*
SNOWMASS $3.11 MILLION 51.7% INCREASE
ASPEN $4.26 MILLION 25.5% INCREASE
BEAVER CREAK $3.82 MILLION 12.5 % INCREASE
*12 MONTH PERIOD ENDING NOV 30TH
SOURCE: LAND TITLE GUARANTEE COMPANY ASPEN, COLORADO
ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE TAOS PAPER FOR THE JAN 4TH THRU THE 10TH WEEK ONE OF THE LEAD ARTICLES IS;
"COUNTY SUBDIVISION PROJECTS TO ACCELERATE IN 2007" The 2006 totals are in: Only four housing subdivisions received approval to build in Taos County the past year. I have updated below for you to look at the current land prices in Taos, New mexico as of December, 2008 because these directly affect our land values to the north since many cannot afford land in Taos or may want larger tracts or more scenic mountain view tracts that our area offers for horse owners and others.
But so are the 2007,2008 and 2009 forecasts: The new year promises to be much, much busier for county planners, with as many as 40 residential subdivisions looming on the horizon.
The article continues on with the details of what Taos's County Commissioner's are struggling with as far as getting a handle on growth and expansion with many Baby Boomers retiring to small mountain towns out west in record numbers. Many are looking for areas to be able to retire in that they will have plenty of recreational opportunities once they retire while also having a sense of community. Since many love the climate out west with all of this packaged together it is why this area has been chosen consistently as a great place to live.
THIS IS SUNDAY NIGHT AND I AM JUST GETTING READY TO ADD SOME STATISTICS FROM THE TAOS, NEW MEXICO BOARD OF REALTORS THAT I NEED TO ADD TO ALL OF OUR LISTINGS. OUR AREA AND THE REAL ESTATE VALUES ARE TIED VERY CLOSELY TO THE TAOS, NEW MEXICO REAL ESTATE VALUES BECAUSE AS PEOPLE GET PRICED OUT OF THE MARKET THERE THEY WILL SHOP IN THE SURROUNDING AREAS BECAUSE OF FINANCIAL NECESSITY. IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO NOT THAT THE AVERAGE LAND SALE PRICE HAS GONE FROM $122,833 IN 2005 TO $163,854 IN 2006 TO $196,291 FOR RIGHT NOW. The average price for 2008 was $308,490 .(These are 33% increases from 2005 to 2006 and 32% increases from 2006 to 2007. This is why people are coming North and driving the prices up all around the areas surround the Taos area because the costs of real estate in the Taos are increasing so incredibly fast.)
THEY DO A BREAKDOWN OF ALL OF THE DIFFERENT SUBDIVISIONS IN THE TAOS AREA AND THIS IS NOT FOR JUST THE PREMIER SUBDIVISIONS. THE LAND COST FOR THE STARTER SUBDIVISION IN TAOS CALLED THE LAS COLONIAS/BLUEBERRY HILL AREA WHICH IS 10 MIUNTES TO THE NORTHWEST OF TAOS AND IS TOTALLY FLAT AND IS VERY DISTANT FROM THE MOUNTAINS WHICH ARE IN ONE DIRECTION ONLY. THE OTHER THREE DIRECTIONS HAVE NO MOUNTAIN VIEWS. THE LAND IS TOTALLY FLAT AND IS PRETTY BARREN AND IS 20 TO 25 MINUTES MINIMUM FROM THE MOUNTAINS AND I WOULD BE HARD PRESSED TO SAY IT EVEN HAD ANY MOUNTAIN VIEWS BECAUSE IT IS PRETTY DISTANT FROM THE MOUNTAINS IN THAT DIRECTION. THE AVERAGE LAND/LOT PRICE IS $149,788. MANY OF THESE ARE SOLAR GAIN TRACTS AS MANY TAOS RESIDENTS ARE BIG BELIEVERS IN BUILDING GREEN. THERE ARE LAND LOTS FOR SALE IN THE TAOS CANYON AREA FOR $536,000 FOR 1 ACRE TRACTS NOW. OBVIOUSLY THAT IS THE HIGHER END BUT IT IS SHOWING YOU HOW CRAZY THE REAL ESTATE PRICES ARE GOING FOR THE MOUNTAIN COMMUNITIES AS PEOPLE JUST WANT TO GET OUT OF THE CITIES AND LIVE IN A BEAUTIFUL PLACE AWAY FROM IT ALL. Their is also also one a new lsiting in for December of 2008 for 15.79 acres which can be subdivided into 3 five acre tracts whoopee for a measley $949,000.00 MLS81923. It is also totally flat with sagebrush and a few pinon trews but not many in the picture as I couldn't distinguish them from the sagebrush. They raved about the views but their is only views for one direction and it isn't much of a view as I know the area and their is 0 view in the other 3 directions. The area with the view is several miles from the mountains so has a so,so view. The description says the same thing. Their description says"The View is filled with cloud and sky". A river is a few miles from the land as well.
TAOS, NEW MEXICO 2005-2006 COMPARISON REAL ESTATE ACTIVITY
2006 2005 %Change 2007 %Change
Residential Sold Properties
Average Sold Price $307,624 $301,060 +2% $345,313 + 14%
LAND SOLD PROPERTIES
AVERAGE SOLD PRICE $163,854 $122,833 +33% $196,291 + 32%
Credit crunch hits hard in some real estate markets but the wealthy clientele of Taos,NM remain unaffected.
Wall Street Journal
Thursday, August 23, 2007
By Glenn Roberts Jr.
Inman News
Taos, N.M.
The outlook is not so glum in Taos, N.M., said James Kimmons, a sponsoring broker for Gallery Realty of Taos.
"I can't tell you there's any difference in perception for buyers ... and they don't seem to be having any more trouble getting mortgages than they did before," Kimmons said. The area is a strong vacation-home and resort market, he said, so buyers typically have strong credit and bring plenty of money to the closing table.
"I can't say there's a buyer or seller who has expressed any kind of mortgage-related or mortgage news-related concern," he said. "This area's just not typical."
AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS DESCRIPTION I AM GOING TO INCLUDE PARTS OF A RECENT ARTICLE IN THE WALL STREET JOURNALS JULY 22ND ISSUE TALKING ABOUT HOW THERE IS A SURGE IN THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE BUYING RAW LAND TODAY VS NEW HOMES. THEY ALSO TALKED ABOUT HOW ONE OF THE VERY IMPORTANT THINGS IN BUYING RAW LAND IS BUYING LAND FROM SOMEONE THAT IS LOCAL AND KNOWS THE LOCAL ISSUES. WE ARE ON THE COUNTY'S LIST OF LAND DEVELOPERS THAT HAS DEVELOPED MANY SUBDIVISIONS OVER THE YEARS AND SINCE WE ARE LOCALS WE ARE AROUND TO SHOW OUR BUYERS THE LAND AFTER THE SALE AND WE ARE THE ONLY SELLER ON EBAY THAT IS ABLE TO DO THAT.
LAND IS A WISE INVESTMENT AS THE WALL STREET JOURNAL SAYS AND THEY DO TALK A COUPLE OF TIMES ABOUT PRICING IN THE SOUTHWEST PART OF COLORADO AND IN GENERAL TALK ABOUT BUYING LAND IN THE MORE AFFORDABLE AREAS THAT ARE CLOSE TO THE TOO HIGH DOLLAR REAL ESTATE MARKETS LIKE SKI AREAS, BEACH MARKETS, LAKEFRONT LAND ETC AND THIS AREA IS GAINING A FOOTHOLD BECAUSE OF ITS PROXIMITY TO SEVERAL SKI AREAS AND ITS EXCELLENT HIKING, BIKING, HORSEBACK RIDING TRAILS, ITS EXCELLENT FISHING AND RAFTING IN THE RIO GRANDE RIVER, ITS GREAT HUNTING WITH ITS QUADRUPLE ELK HERDS AND ITS PROXIMITY TO SO MANY HIGH DOLLAR RESORT TOWNS THAT MAKE DAYTRIPPING OR WEEKEND TRIPS IN THE CAR AN ENDLESS VACATION PLAYGROUND WITHIN WHICH TO LIVE YEAR ROUND IN AND HOW CAN ONE ASK MORE THAN THAT?
Colorado and the Rocky Mountain High that John Denver made so famous. Our family vacationed here all the time while I was growing up as I child and my parents vacationed here while they were growing up here and my grandparents before them coming to Estes Park riding horses and always dreaming of moving to Colorado to have a horse ranch and do some fishing and live the Colorado lifestyle. Our state is known for its beautiful mountains, crystal clear mountain streams, high mountain lakes with mountain trout just waiting to be caught by a fisherman on a break while laying against a stone sunning himself in the high sun of one of our famous Colorado afternoons dreaming of returning to ski down one of our powder filled slopes on another sun filled afternoon. Well this is just part of what our state is known for as far as recreational activities as there is also hiking, biking, cross country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, rock climbing, ice climbing and the list goes on and on. This land is not for big city people though as this is country living and the Colorado lifestyle. This is for people that are looking for some open space and this tract is right in the town of San Luis(for all functioning needs plus restaurants) and an hour from Taos which is going to be your major resort town that you will spend time in as well as Red River which is a little bit smaller though but about 15 minutes closer.
Yes "TAOS REAL ESTATE PRICES ARE HEADED THIS WAY AND THEY ARE BEING DRIVEN FROM THE RESORT PRICES OF TAOS,NEW MEXICO WHERE A 2.4 ACRE REAL ESTATE TRACT 2 MILES FROM THE DOWNTOWN AREA GOES FOR $199,000.00 AND SO THE PEOPLE WITH MONEY ARE BRINGING THEIR MONEY NORTH AND LUSTING AFTER LAND. REAL ESTATE PRICES HAVE BEEN STEADILY ESCALATING IN OUR AREA FOR MANY YEARS AND THIS SUMMER A SAN LUIS RANCHER TURNED DOWN AN OFFER OF $5,000 AN ACRE FOR HIS 235 ACRE RANCH ALONG CULEBRA ON HWY 159 AND ANOTHER RANCHER TURNED DOWN $10,000 AN ACRE FOR A SIMILAR RANCH NEARBY FINDING IT PREFERABLE TO ANOTHER RANCH HE HAD PURCHASED IN NEW MEXICO. BOTH OF THESE OFFERS WERE DECLINED ACCORDING TO THE REPORTS IN THE LaSIERRA , SAN LUIS'S LOCAL NEWSPAPER WHICH DID A FEATURE STORY ON ESCALATING REAL ESTATE PRICES IN SAN LUIS IN THEIR OCT. 7TH ISSUE THIS YEAR. THE MONEY IS COMING FROM THE TOWN OF TAOS, NEW MEXICO WHICH IS KNOWN AS AN INTERNATIONAL TOURIST DESTINATION BECAUSE OF ITS SKIING, HIKING, BIKING AND IT IS ALSO KNOWN INTERNATIONALLY AS AN ART MECCA AND DRAWS PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER TO VISIT THE QUALITY ART GALLERIES, FESTIVALS AND MUSEUMS. HIGH TAOS PRICES HAVE BEEN PUSHING GROWTH TO THE NORTH FOR YEARS WHERE LAND USED TO BE CALLED AFFORDABLE BUT THAT HAS LONG SINCE CHANGED SINCE THE TAOS PRICES HAVE BEEN STEADILY HEADING NORTH UP HWY 159 INTO THE TOWN OF SAN LUIS WHERE IT IS ONLY AN HOURS DRIVE TO THE TOWN OF TAOS. IN COSTILLA COUNTY SOME RANCHERS ASKED TO BE UNNAMED IN THE STORY AND HAD TURNED DOWN $5,000 AN ACRE BUT SAID THE REASON THEY HAD WAS THERE WAS NOWHERE IN COLORADO THAT YOU COULD GO AND BUY LAND TO REPLACE WHAT THEY HAD JUST SOLD FOR THAT SO THEY SAW NO REASON TO SELL. LAND HAS GONE FROM $800 AN ACRE TO OVER $16,000 AN ACRE IN JUST 10 YEARS AND IS STILL ON THE RISE ACORDING TO THIS ARTICLE AND IT LEAVES LOCAL RANCHERS IN AWE OF HOW QUICKLY THINGS HAVE CHANGED IN THIS VALLEY AND THEY ARE STILL RISING EXTREMELY FAST. A TRACT IN SAN CRISTOBAL, NEW MEXICO ALONG HWY 159 WHICH IS ABOUT HALFWAY BETWEEN SAN LUIS AND TAOS IS SELLING FOR $275,000.00 FOR A 7.8 ACRE TRACT AND THEN AS YOU TRAVEL UP NORTH INTO THE TOWN OF SAN LUIS ON HWY 159 APPROXIMATELY A MILE SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF SAN LUIS A THREE BEDROOM HOUSE CAN BE YOURS FOR $16,000.00 AN ACRE OR $1,104,000.00.
This tract and this entire subdivision has a guarantee to be able to get residential well permits and every tract of land we sell is guaranteed to be able to get a well permit thru the County with no approval process or we would not sell the land. This is common in the west. I am going to show a listing in the Taos, New Mexico area as well where you cannot get a well permit just to show you how they slip and slide with the descriptions about this. In New Mexico even if you can get a well permit, most land you will need to dig at least 400 to 500 feet to hit water so fo for those potential buyers from the midwest and east coast that aren't familiar with how valuable water is out west it is wise to make sure you understarnd water policy in the western states. THIS IS IMPORTANT AS THEIR ARE 3 SUBDIVISIONS IN OUR COUNTY THAT YOU CANNOT GET GET WELL PERMITS AND UNFORTUNATELY THEIR ARE SOME UNSCRUPULOUS SELLERS THAT ARE SELLING LAND IN THESE SUBDIVISIONS ON EBAY SO BEWARE!! THESE SUBDIVISIONS ARE 1)TOP OF THE WORLD 2) MT BLANCA VALLEY RANCHES 3) TRINCHERA ESTATES
This listing is a solar powered tract or as they would say in Taos it has excellent solar gain. One of the most commonly asked questions I get asked is about utilities and since so many of our buyers are from the midwest or east coast and they don't understand our climate and exactly how sunny it is out here. What I want to show is that solar is popular for many reasons and it is popular in high dollar homes as well as moderate dollar homes because 1)It frees you up from where you can build your home as far as not being tied to building next to a power pole. All of these fancy mtn homes built out alone in the mtns are not built there w/ the power companies running power lines there just for one home. These people are using alternative power sources to build their luxury mtn homes in these secluded locales. 2) Have you ever met a rich person that got rich by not watching their finances? Solar pays for itself within 2 years for a typical 2000 sq ft home & the remaining years you live leaving the lights on & the heat on wherever you want it because it is FREE! 3)You get 1 & 2 and you help the environment to boot! You didn't escape the big city to come live in paradise because you don't care about pollution & this helps do your little bit & you save money by doing it!
Since I live here and spend alot of my free time in Taos I thought I would peruse the real estate section and type in word for word a few of the ads for you to show you what our southern neighbors are paying for things solar so you don't have to take my word for it: So here goes a few examples of a couple of homes and a couple of land parcels. This is all solar!! I AM GOING TO ADD ON A FEW LAND LISTINGS THAT ARE BEING LISTED OUT OF TAOS REALTORS THAT ARE SAN LUIS,COLORADO LAND LISTINGS. THERE ARE QUITE A FEW OF THEM SO I AM ONLY HAVE ROOM FOR A FEW OF THEM BUT IT IS JUST TO EMPHASIZE WHAT IS BEING TALKED ABOUT IN THE TAOS LAND PRICES ARTICLE ABOUT THE LAND PRICES IN OUR AREA RAPIDLY ESCALATING. THESE ARE AUG, 2008 LISTINGS
In Taos most all of the homes are adobe homes as that is typical of the southwest style of home and you will also see this continued southward down thru the beautiful areas in to Santa Fe as well.
1; 2008 This is a listing in Taos,New Mexico that most likely either cannot get a well permit or the depth of the water is so deep to reach to make the cost of the land too out of reach to make purchasing this land a reasonable purchase so they don't mention it and call it a solar, and catch your rainwater property. Some people do like to build sustainable building homes but no one lists the property as that as the only option unless their is a problem with the well. So this listing is 3 acres in Llano Mesa. Do solar ,catch your water and gets lots of sunshine to grow a garden.(that is if you can get water to water it) $64,000 MLS 80736 December,2008 listing
2; 2008 15.79 acres This can be subdivided in to 3 five acre tracts. This land is very flat with sagebrush and no views in 3 directions and soso views of the mountains in 1 direction filled with cloud and sky. Their is power and phone already to this property. Their are a few small pinons to on this property as well. Also in is a basic dirt driveway. Price is $949,000 MLS 81923 December,2008 listing
3; 2008; 10 acres Lush irrigated field vs a sagebrush type of land. This land the mountain views are also to the east as in most properties since the main mountain ranges are to the east. The other 3 directions their are no views. Water does run thru this lush irrigated field. Utilitiesare on the paved highway and so is the sewer line. You do need to install the well though. Most wells to hit water will be a minimum of 400 to 500 feet. $550,000 December, 2008 listing MLS 81923
4: 2008; 5 acres Blueberry Hill $154,000 1.3 acres w/well share approximately 10 minutes from town to the north, the one direction to the east where the mountain views are you really need a good set of binoculars to see them so this property is mostly sold as being 10 minutes from Taos, it is really sitting out in the middle of nowhere, the houses when built out run in the high $400's for a bedroom adobe style, this is the newer middle class subdivision,
5; 2008; 5 acres New well is in which was 400 feet to hit water. Land is flat with sagebrush and mountain views in one direction to the east. The other 3 directions their are no views. Land is close to town and shopping yet you can hike or bike or stroll for miles or horseback ride for miles into the Forest Service just across the street . $365,000 MLS # 82804 December,2008 listing
6; 2008; 10 acres $297,000 MLS #84620 Turley Mill Lot Very thick sagebrush the views look a bit closer and the sagebrush a bit thicker on this tract The same deal as on most of these tracts the views are in the same direction to the east and nothing to the other 3 directions but with this tract the views do look a bit closer on this tract.
*****************7; So what do all of these Taos listings have to do with buying this tract we have for sale, well they have alot to do actually. As you may have noticed they are alot higher in price and alot of people canot afford their high price tag so they look for land closer and many also want land where they can keep their horses. The other reason people buy here is for investment reasons because they see our area rising in price just like all of the surrounding areas around us have risen in the Taos area and many of the surrounding areas. And last but not least many buy in our areas because they like the beausty of our area. You may have noticed how I have repeatedly said mountain views in only one direction for all of those pricey property's well you don't have that in our area. We have the awesome Sangre de Cristo Mountain Rangre to the East and the 14,000 plus mountain named Mt. Blanca to the North here and then you have the Rio Grande River here and the mesas and BLM all around it to the west and then Ute Mountain to the South here. *********************
Solar is for people that want to be able to choose where they live and not be tied into living next to a power pole, Solar is for people that believe in a clean environment, solar is for people that want to manage their finances whether they are rich or poor as most people that are rich became rich by watching their finances. Solar is for people that want to be able to buy and build in a beautiful area & not have their lives controlled by the confines of the power companies and put their extra money that they have saved by not having to pay utility bills into making their house nicer or buying a nicer car or some extra toys to play with while living in paradise such as a new set of skis or maybe a new bike or new camping gear but it will be something that is much more fun than sending $200 every month to the power company I'm quite sure. Builders in this area are very used to building homes that are eco friendly so there are many contractors that are familiar with building solar technology homes in this area as it is quite popular at all income levels..
Our family has been in Colorado for over 25 years and it is the place I call home. Our family ranch "REICHWEIN RANCHES" is here and we will continue to call it home for the rest of our lives. I went to college here and have lived in Colorado, hiked in Colorado, skied in Colorado, biked in Colorado, rafted in Colorado, camped in Colorado, rode my horses in Colorado, met my husband in Colorado and made alot of friends and built my life in Colorado. There is still much to be explored and will continue to live in and love Colorado. I even still take mini vacations in different areas of Colorado because there is so much to do here that when I leave it is to go overseas and do something different but there is just so much to do here in this state as it is an outdoor lovers paradise. With having Taos,Taos,Taos,Taos so close we have the extra bonus of having international quality art galleries and weekend art shows and music festivals or Native American Festivals of some type going on almost every weekend and then another hour south we have Santa Fe, New Mexico so we have the artistic and cultural cream of the crop in our back yard here that people travel from all over the world to vacation for a week to come and see and we can drive down and see it anytime we want to just with a daytrip. We have alot of people that love to do that and it gives you a great opportunity to see alot of the wildlife up close. Alot of people have told me that they have seen antelope, elk, hear the coyotes, some will see fox, deer, rabbits, eagles, and then view our awesome sunrises to the east thru the LaGarita Mountains and spectacular fiery red sunsets to the west with all of the big mesas. For those that prefer to enjoy nature by day and have restaurants that stay open later at night and shops til you drop then I recommend staying in Taos, New Mexico as it is one of the premier artistic communities in the world and only an hour from Santa Fe. There is also Red River, New Mexico which is a small mountain ski town that has a few restaurants and shops and a mountain stream with things staying open later than they do here in San Luis but it is still a relaxed small mountain town that is very beautiful and a great place to stay at night while visiting your land. You can have a great vacation and visit your land all in the same week.
Also most shopping can be done here and I try and support the local businesses as much as I can and not hassle with the hussle and bussle of city traffic in Alamosa but for things that we don't have here either Taos or Alamosa will have pretty much anything you need and I personally prefer to go to Taos. Taos, NM is an hour South of the town of San Luis and is a world class ski resort as well as part of the Enchanted Circle of Northern New Mexico. Taos and Santa Fe offer International Class Artists and Galleries so it is really amazing actually to get to live within driving distance of this and there are many weekends with different Fairs and Festivals going on. Santa Fe is only an hour further south with all that it has to offer. Fire protection is furnished by the San Luis Volunteer Fire Department which operates year round. Police protection is furnished by the San Luis County Sheriff's Department in San Luis, Colorado. The nearest hospital is either in Taos, New Mexico or in Alamosa, Colorado but there is a nice new medical clinic right here in San Luis. Ambulance service is provided by Alamosa City and County Ambulance, Dial 911. The property lies in the San Luis Valley, with the Sangre de Cristo mountain range lying to the northwest, the Lagarita Range to the east and the San Juans to the west . The land is rolling hills gently and very buildable and covered with sagebrush and wild grasses with an elevation of 7900 feet or higher. WE WILL CONTACT THE WINNING BIDDER AT THE CLOSE OF THE AUCTION AND THE WINNING BIDDER DOES NEED TO BE PREPARED TO GIVE US ALL OF THEIR INFORMATION AT THE CLOSE OF THE AUCTION. We need your full name, address and phone number to send your land contract to you upon your purchase of the land.
WE HIGHLY ENCOURAGE YOU TO EMAIL ALL QUESTIONS UP FRONT AND/OR CALL OR DO BOTH. IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL OUR TOLL FREE NUMBER (888-723-0503) AND TALK TO FRANK AND OR EMAIL JULIE, THAT IS ME. ONCE THE AUCTION IS OVER, WE WILL CONTACT YOU RIGHT AWAY AND NEED YOUR NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE NUMBER FOR PAPERWORK TO BE OVERNIGHTED AS WELL AS PAYMENT INFORMATION. PAYPAL IS PREFERRED AND WE WILL ACCEPT CASHIERS CHECKS OR MONEY ORDERS AND ONCE PAYMENT IS RECEIVED WE WILL PRIORITY YOUR PAPERWORK TO YOU. WE ALSO NEED TO KNOW IF YOU WANT WHICH OWNER FINANCING OPTION PLAN YOU ARE CHOOSING SO THAT WE CAN FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK ACCORDINGLY. We don't have any hidden paperwork fees or add on monthly billing fees just your straight cost of your land with no hidden fees of any kind!!
You have views of Mt.Blanca which is a 14,000 foot mountain. The town of San Luis which is the oldest town in Colorado is within a few minutes drive. Taos, New Mexico is 60 minutes away. Ideal for people that want to live in a beautiful area and close to many mountain towns including Red River, New Mexico which is only a 40 minute drive. It is also within an hour and a half of Wolf Creek Colorado skiing area. Wolf Creek is also said to be undergoing a major expansion to put it on a class with Breckenridge Ski Resort because it is known to have the best snow in Colorado but there are alot of us that actually hope it stays the way it is, small and personable with a whole lot of snow. During the spring, summer and fall their will be a multitude of wildflowers with the winter having occasional snowstorms of 4-5 inches that typically will melt within a few days as winters are usually very sunny days and great for outdoor activities. The San Luis Valley is place where cattle ranchers still are the norm and trendy boutiques are 50 - 60 miles away in Red River, or Taos, New Mexico. This is a place where all the neighbors know who you are and they all wave at you when they drive past your house and I say this because they all do this to me every day as I am out feeding my horses. This is small town living so for those looking for museums, dancing and all of that, this is probably not going to be what you want if you are looking for it out your front door but Taos has International Quality Art Museums and has many Art Festivals on the weekends and another hour south is Santa Fe which is the greatest art and cultural center in the world. www.taoschamber.com . I spend usually one day a week in Taos and I love it down there and Red River is also a great little town and a really fun and quaint little ski and snowboarding mountain so I really love both of those towns. Also for those looking for ski in/ski out condos this is not the place. This is for people that don't mind driving an hour to have that because they would rather have a 5 acre spread to have a nice log cabin and some space around them.
This is also an area ideal for people that are lovers of big herds of deer, ELK, antelope and yes we even have WILD HORSES running free here in southern Colorado. Our elk herds are quadruple the size the game wardens would like them to be which makes this area very popular for hunters and those that just are lovers of wildlife. When people come here to see there property and see all the elk signs on the highway they ask me"Are those for real?" and I tell them I can vouch firsthand . Yes, they are. My husband and I hit a 1300 pound male elk Christmas night coming home from Denver in our Subaru and it was so big my first thoughts were that I was hitting a moose. It totaled our car and other than it not being our time to meet our maker, we were fortunate enough to walk away but Mr.Elk was not. So I tell everyone those signs are for real and be careful when you are driving at night here. We also have wild horses that hang out on Hwy 159 just south of San Luis and can be seen grazing thruout the day. We have alot of birdlife here as well with one of my favorites being the red spotted hawk. There is one lady moved here always dreamed of having a camel and shopped the Internet and brought a trainer in from Australia and bought herself a camel and got trained to ride it. We have alot of horse trainers in the area with big equestrian operations for racing and showing and some just for personal pleasure and alot for hunting and packing into the mountains. Llamas are also popular but the area is great for people looking for space and to do things that you just can't do in the cities. We have alot of retirees and because of satellite and the Internet making the area a place where people can now have second homes where ten years ago this wasn't possible.
Our area is centrally located for alot of outdoor activities for those loving the great outdoors. To the south there is Carson National Forest which covers the mountainous areas of Taos and Red River, New Mexico and it has some of the most beautiful hiking, horseback riding and mountain biking trails in the western United States. www.taoschamber.com To the North is the entire Sangre de Cristo Mountain Range and our flagship mountain Mt. Blanca which is a 14teener in addition to the six 14,000 plus mountain peaks plus several other mountains in the range which you can spend a lifetime exploring the hiking, biking and horseback riding trails. The beauty of our trails is that since we are in the south central mountains when you set out to go hiking or whatever, you do not go hiking with 300 plus people, like you do when you go hiking in the mountains close to the front range as they are so busy you wonder if you are walking on a busy sidewalk in downtown Denver during lunchtime. To the east is the Lagarita Mountains and to the west is the San Juan and Uncompagre Mountain Ranges which also has 14,000 plus mountains and has Wolf Creek ski area, Pagosa Springs area, and you can travel a little bit further to Durango and Purgatory or Telluride. The Rio Grande River runs thru the San Luis Valley and is great for fishing and we have several streams for fishing and within a couple of hours drive we have some of the worlds greatest rivers for whitewater rafting and kayaking. Our area is home to huge herds of antelope, deer, elk, moose, wild horses, bear and mountain lions. Hunting is very popular in the area for elk and deer. Our weather here is very sunny year round and therefore the area is very popular for eco friendly solar type homes. Coloradans in general are very environmental friendly type of people so eco type of homes are popular and because of the sunny climate it is something we are seeing more and more of here in the area. With the high cost of energy the eco homes are becoming more and more popular as utility bills can become larger than ones mortgage. The San Luis Valley is the last place in Colorado where life is still like the old west. We still have cattle ranchers that free graze their cattle and you can get on your own horses and ride out your back yard and ride for miles and miles and run into nothing but cattle, or maybe herds of deer or elk or wild horses. From your property you have full views of Mt.Blanca and the Sangre de Cristos Mountain Range.
This tract is on an a subdivision dirt road. Your annual property taxes are $97.68. You have year round access to your property. The property is owned free and clear and therefore a clear title is available and is yours to begin building on immediately in time to enjoy the beautiful Colorado summers. So if you are looking for a more relaxed lifestyle of living and enjoy hiking and horseback riding during the summers and skiing and snowmobiling during the winters than you have found the right place. We look forward to seeing you in Colorado soon the most beautiful state in the country!!
The Rush to Invest in Land
Undeveloped Plots Draw Buyers
As the Housing Market Softens;
The 'Jed Clampett' Problem
By JEFF D. OPDYKE
July 22, 2006; Page B1
The real-estate market has a new cry: Land ho!
As the nation's housing market cools, there's a rush to snap up undeveloped property as buyers stake their claim on everything from New England creek-front parcels, to mountainous woodlands in Tennessee, to big-sky vistas in Montana.
Some people are buying dream lots now, while the land is available and prices affordable, with plans to one day build a vacation or retirement home.
Others are investing in recreational property they want to use today: In rural west Texas, for example, scrubland that wouldn't even sell a few years ago has become so popular with deer hunters and the offroad-vehicle set that it now fetches premium prices from buyers flying in from Florida, Illinois and California.
Keith and Mary Payden of Minneapolis a few years ago bought 35 acres of land in a wooded canyon in southwestern Colorado. They've put in a well and set up temporary living quarters above a barn to use when they visit. "This is where we want to spend our retirement," says the 59-year-old Mr. Payden, an information-technology consultant. The land "fits our hobbies, since there's horseback riding, skiing and golf nearby." Their eventual plan: Put up a small house they can use there.
In the face of demand like this, prices for undeveloped land in many parts of the country are shooting up. Around the country last year, farmland values rose at their highest year-over-year rate -- 11% -- since 1981, according to the Agriculture Department. Rural land in Texas hit a historic high of nearly $1,500 an acre on average last year, up about 75% since 2000, according to Texas A&M University Real Estate Center.
Robert R. Johns, a 68-year-old retired gas-pipeline worker, recently bought 400 acres of corn and soybean fields in central Illinois. The land, which the Johnses lease to farmers, serves mainly as an investment, generating what he expects will be rental returns of as much as 5% a year plus any long-term price appreciation.
But the couple, who live near Chicago, also enjoy visiting friends and shopping for antiques in the area, and plan to park a camper there to visit, "almost like a weekend vacation."
In some ways, buying land and buying a second home are similar. Both are capable of generating income -- a house through rental income; land through leases for farming, hunting, fishing, ranching or mineral rights. And in both cases, the first three rules of a successful purchase are LOCATION, LOCATION AND LOCATION!!.
Some buyers are heading farther afield to find affordable acreage. Charlie Chernak, owner of Bear Island Land Co., in Ely, Minn., near the Canadian border, says *****"remote backlands are now becoming popular because people are getting priced out of lakeshore properties."******
Land also comes with its own set of snafus that can quickly turn a picture-perfect parcel into just that -- something that's pretty to look at, but not much else. Among the important questions: If you plan to build a vacation home there or eventually live there, can you get electric power onto the property? And can the land support a water well and septic system?
The U.S. has roughly 1.5 billion acres of rural land, excluding public lands, representing about 65% of the country. Prices vary widely: Rural land can fetch $250 an acre in the brush country of far southwest Texas, to $3,000 an acre for timber and pasture land in Iowa, to a scenic, 37-acre property in southwest Colorado straddling both sides of a river for nearly $27,000 an acre.
Of course, not all plots are in the depths of the wilderness. Wagner Brothers Land Co., in Dunlap, Tenn., charges $20,000 to $30,000 an acre for parcels in the mountains north of Chattanooga that come equipped with utilities, but no house. In Colorado, ranch-size properties overlooking the snowcapped La Plata Mountains are attracting buyers from Hawaii, Florida, California and Arizona, says developer Durango Alpine Realty. These tracts, which are a minimum 35 acres, generally go for $10,000 an acre.
In some circumstances, it can make a lot of sense to buy land well in advance of your intention to build on it, especially if you find a scenic plot you're particularly fond of. Over the course of years or decades, the price of the land is likely to escalate faster than the cost of one day building a house on it. On undeveloped land, real-estate taxes are typically lower, and you have no expenses for electricity, water and insurance.
There are many pitfalls. First, even before you buy, consider having a survey done of the land you're interested in, or at least work through a local land agent who knows the area and terrain. Property lines aren't always well defined, and soils may be too wet to support a building in the spot you really want to build.
Also, pay attention to how you access the land. In some places, makeshift roads that cross a variety of property lines have become semipermanent through the years -- although nothing about them is legal. As a result, you may not have legal access to your property, resulting in lawsuits.
In urban developments, lots are often zoned to prevent certain types of construction or businesses. But that's not always true with rural land, meaning you could find one day that your dream property is bordered by a new mobile-home park. A local real-estate agent with land expertise will know the zoning and covenants in place.
Land prices often don't move in the same way home prices do. Despite the run-up in recent years in some housing markets, home prices are typically expected to rise alongside the rate of inflation. But with land, price appreciation is traditionally more closely tied to how much money it can generate from activities such as farming or grazing. And in general, land prices, when they cool, don't tend to fall as much as an overpriced residential market might, largely because while a housing market can be overbuilt, land can't. Increasingly, however, recreational demand is defining land prices. Land has become such a popular investment.
One final consideration: Mineral rights. In some instances -- particularly in energy-rich Texas and the Rocky Mountain states -- sellers retain the rights to oil or minerals buried beneath the land you own. This can have ramifications years or decades later. Not only does it deny you your own Jed Clampett moment of discovering bubbling crude oil and striking it rich, but more importantly it means that the owner of those mineral rights can drill or mine on your property, and you must allow it.
John Bailey, an officer at J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.'s Specialty Asset Group, recently bought grazing land for himself 100 miles west of Fort Worth. Part of the property came with mineral rights, but the other portion didn't, which means the owner of those mineral rights must be allowed to come onto the land and drill for oil and gas.
Mr. Bailey points out that "they must pay you surface damages" for the loss of land use. "At your Shangri-la, you must be cognizant of this issue," he says.
'It's the Only Thing That Lasts'
For Some Rich Americans,
Accumulating Land Is Like
Collecting Art and Autos
By THADDEUS HERRICK
April 25, 2007;
In 2001, Kentucky native Brad Kelley sold his cigarette manufacturing company Commonwealth Brands Inc. for some $1 billion and promptly went on a shopping spree. He didn't go to Rodeo Drive or Fifth Avenue -- he set his sights on the range.
Mr. Kelley bought hundreds of thousands of acres of West Texas ranchland. In Florida, he snapped up some 60,000 acres near Sarasota, where he breeds animals such as antelope and anoa, a miniature water buffalo native to Indonesia. Today he is the seventh-largest landowner in the U.S., according to the debut issue of The Land Report, a publication that bills itself as the magazine of the American landowner.
THE WEALTHIEST ENTREPRENEURS ARE ACCUMULATING OPEN SPACES ACROSS THE U.S. MUCH AS THEY HAVE WITH VACATION HOMES, AUTOMOBILES AND RARE ART IN THE PAST. AS URBAN AREAS HAVE GROWN , SOME WELL OFF CITY DWELLERS HAVE PURCHASED SPREADS IN REMOTE PLACES , THOUSANDS OF MILES FROM THE TYPICAL PLAYGROUNDS OF THE WEALTHY.
"ITÂ’S LIKE RARE ART," SAYS JIM TAYLOR, PRESIDENT OF HALL AND HALL, A BILLINGS, MONTANA REAL ESATE FIRM THAT HAS WORKED WITH CNN FOUNDER TED TURNER, AMOUNG OTHER LAND
BUYERS.
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At the same time, in the agricultural stretches of America, the population is aging and the economy is in many cases unable to sustain ranches and farms.
A study published in the journal Society and Natural Resources said between 1990 and 2001 only about a quarter of those who bought parcels of 400 acres or larger in 10 Montana and Wyoming counties were traditional ranchers.
******************More recently, real-estate brokers say, buyers have been scouring the Great Plains for spreads that offer hunting and fishing, wooed by brokerage outfits spearheaded by retailers such as Orvis Co. and Cabela's Inc.*****************
*************While the typical land buyer these days is looking for a remote piece of wilderness or ranchland for outdoor sporting activities, or simply to admire the beauty of the landscape, the top landowners tend to be driven by more varied interests like hiking, horsebackriding, skiing, hunting, fishing, skiing, mountain biking, cross country skiing and snowmobiling.**************.
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Longfellow Ranches near Van Horn, Texas; the property is owned by Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos.
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Mr. Bezos, for example, used his parched land in the far reaches of West Texas last year to test a developmental vehicle for his space-flight company, Blue Origin LLC, while Roxanne Quimby, co-founder of cosmetics and candle company Burt's Bees, has acquired acreage in the northwoods of Maine for conservation.
To be sure, the nation's rich have long owned large tracts of land. *******But population growth and urban development have made far-flung property more desirable, while advances in transportation and communication have made it more accessible. *******That, combined with the sort of wealth made by Mr. Bezos of Amazon.com ($4.3 billion, according to Forbes Magazine's 2006 estimate) and the woes of the agricultural economy, has sustained the land boom for the very wealthy.
The owners of the Dallas-based Land Report LLC, publisher of the magazine, believe the phenomenon merits monthly coverage. With a circulation of 40,000, The Land Report is distributed free to 30,000 of the nation's largest landowners and to some 10,000 industry professionals, such as real-estate brokers.
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But the concentration of land in the hands of a privileged few could yield a backlash. Ms. Quimby, who sold Burt's Bees in 2002 to private equity firm AEA Investors LLC for $177 million (she retained 20% ownership in the company), wants to assemble about 100,000 acres to help realize a decade-old dream among Maine conservationists to create a national park. She says she has amassed 80,000 acres so far.
But some locals in the town of Millinocket were outraged when Ms. Quimby proclaimed that her land would be off-limits to logging, hunting and motorized vehicles, including snowmobiles. Now they sport "Ban Roxanne" T-shirts.
"Our way of life is being threatened," says Jimmy Busque, a member of the Millinocket town council and a steam plant operator at the local paper mill.
No. 100 on The Land Report list, Ms. Quimby agreed to allow a year of hunting and motorized access on her latest purchase, the 25,000-acre Sand Stream Sanctuary, which came last September. But she is unapologetic about her plans for her newly acquired property, much of which she has purchased from logging companies. "I don't have to argue the environmental merits of anything," says Ms. Quimby. "I own it."
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One of Ted Turner's many properties, the Flying D Ranch in Gallatin Gateway, Mont.
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The nation's largest private landowner is Ted Turner, whose portfolio includes 15 ranches in seven Western states and a total of about two million acres. Long intrigued by bison and how close the animal came to extinction, Mr. Turner acquired his land over the past 30 years in large part to raise livestock. Today his herd of about 45,000 bison allows most of his ranches to pay for themselves in part through sales of steaks and burgers around the country and Mr. Turner's restaurant chain, Ted's Montana Grill.
**************Mr. Turner's latest acquisition came in 2005 in Nebraska, where he bought almost 65,000 acres for about $19 million. Russ Miller, general manager of Turner Enterprises Inc., which manages Mr. Turner's land, says the profound economic and demographic change under way in the Great Plains have enabled Mr. Turner to assemble such a large swath.
Why so much? "It's the only thing that lasts," says Mr. Miller. It's a declaration Mr. Turner has made in the past, echoing the famous line from "Gone With the Wind."*************
Mr. Kelley, who was raised on a farm, says he amassed about half of his landholdings before selling his cigarette manufacturing company. (The Land Report says he has 789,851 acres, but he puts the total at about 1.2 million acres.) Since 2001 he has redoubled his efforts to build a ranching empire, acquiring cattle operations across the country and breeding hoofstock in conjunction with zoos.
One place of particular interest for Mr. Kelley has been the Big Bend region of Texas, a vast expanse in the state's western corner. In Brewster County, the size of Rhode Island and Connecticut combined, Mr. Kelley owns a total of 429,366 acres, according to the county appraisal office.
"I have an appreciation for land," says Mr. Kelley. "That's sort of where my heart's at."
But Mr. Kelley dismisses the notion that he is a land collector, albeit No. 7 on the list of the nation's top 100. "It's not a hobby," he says. "If you're a hedge fund you buy stocks. If you're a rancher, you buy land."
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By Conor Dougherty
From The Wall Street Journal Online
Amid decades of change in Arch Wagner's life, Montana's Boulder River Ranch was the constant.
Thirty years ago, Mr. Wagner, then a radiologist in Virginia, spotted the ranch's ad in the back of a fishing magazine. He visited for a week, then returned nearly every summer, teaching his children to fish on the river that runs through the ranch, sprinkling his late wife's ashes there and riding horses with his grandchildren through its 600 acres.
Last summer, he didn't go back. Thanks to rising land prices, the family that owned the ranch since 1918 sold to a group of investors that included newscaster Tom Brokaw, and the property stopped taking guests. "Three generations of us went there," says Mr. Wagner.
For a century of summers, American travelers have headed to Western ranches, saddled up their horses and galloped away from the tedium of modern life. Now, the future of dude ranching is being threatened by rising land prices and the reach of development. Some ranches are being sold off to a new generation of wealthy investors seeking private retreats, while others are attracting neighbors with names like McDonald's and Starbucks. At the same time, dude ranches that stay in business are racing to catch up with travelers' changing tastes, which increasingly tend toward massages and shopping.
At the heart of this is a fact: Many dude ranches rest on land that is now far more valuable than the business on top. More money means more choices. Ranches can continue as if nothing has changed, and many have. They can increase revenue by adding amenities and taking more guests. Or they can cash out, by subdividing the ranch or selling it in its entirety.
In 1968, Sherry and Dave Farny bought Skyline Ranch near Telluride, Colo., for $168,000. So when eBay Chief Executive Meg Whitman offered to buy their 150 acres a few years ago and, they say, eventually increased her offer to just under $20 million, the Farnys sold. "We would go to bed at night totally exhausted saying, 'What are we doing this for?' " Mrs. Farny says. "We're sitting on a gold mine." Skyline Ranch closed to guests last summer. A spokesman for Ms. Whitman confirmed she bought the property.
Ranchland Prices Rise
For the one-year period ended March 31, the price of ranch land increased 20% in Wyoming and Colorado, both dude-ranch-heavy states, according to Federal Reserve surveys of agricultural bankers. Ranch values in California, Idaho, Oregon, Utah and Washington are up about 19% to $1,642 per acre.
The last option has been increasingly lucrative. At a time when so many Americans buy and flip properties for profit, the ranch business stands out for its relatively slow churn. Many ranches have been in the same family for almost a century, and first-time ranchers -- often executives who flee the corporation for a simpler life -- buy with the intent of running the ranch for several years. What's changed is that many new owners have stopped taking guests or have overhauled the property.
So the number of dude ranches is slowly decreasing. The Dude Ranchers' Association, a grouping of guest properties west of the Mississippi in the U.S. and Canada, reports that its membership has fallen to 114 ranches last year from 116 in 2003. The Colorado Dude & Guest Ranch Association counts 30 members this year, down from 36 in 1999. The Colorado association estimates three of its ranches are now for sale.
Pete Kunz, a retired sales executive who has run the Rawah Ranch in the Colorado Rockies since 1989, recently put the ranch on the market for $2.5 million. He estimates that of the 20 potential buyers he's met with only half or so are interested in the guest-ranch business. He says he's resigned to the idea that new owners may not take guests, but he'd be upset to see it filled with "a bunch of starter castles."
Dude ranching traces its roots to the late 19th century, when working cattle ranches took in boarders for extra cash. By the early 20th century, new ranches opened solely to serve city-slicker guests, or dudes. Today, ranches typically charge guests $1,000 to $3,000 per week, which generally pays for activities and three square meals a day. Guests eat family-style, often with the ranch's owners, and they're expected to settle up later if they grab a beer from the lodge fridge. Guests can hike or fish, and may get a chance to help round up cattle. Rooms typically don't have Internet access, or even phones.
That's how Tim Murphy likes it. The lawyer from Orinda, Calif., says Montana's Nine Quarter Circle Ranch still looks the same as it did when he started taking his family there in 1979, and he keeps returning for its weekly softball games and Saturday square dances. The ranch's guest rooms don't have TVs, cellphones don't get reception -- there's a land line in the laundry room -- and Mr. Murphy recalls his disappointment when Federal Express started delivering to the ranch more than a decade ago. "It sounds very limiting, but it's very freeing," he says. "The only thing you can do is hang out."
But in many ranch areas, the outside world is drawing closer. The Lake Mancos Ranch in Mancos, Colo., is celebrating its 50th year of guiding riders through the San Juan Mountains and taking guests trout fishing in streams where prospectors once panned for gold. Todd Sehnert, its second-generation owner, remembers looking out the lodge window as a child and seeing nothing but trees and cattle. Now, he says, visitors can see three homes and a fourth under construction. The ranch is about five miles out of town on a road that used to have four families living along it; now there are more than 60 addresses. The Sehnert family has put the 235-acre spread on the market for $4 million, and Mr. Sehnert says he expects it won't last much longer as a guest ranch. "Maybe lean more toward a resort or something," he says.
Other ranchers have become developers. The owners of the 8,000-acre C Lazy U Ranch in Colorado are selling 35-acre plots for $1 million to $1.5 million. The Home Ranch, also in Colorado, next year plans to sell about 10 home sites a few miles from the dude ranch at about the same price ($1 million for a 35-acre plot). "What we're trying to do is get some money out, but preserve the look and feel," says John Fisher, manager of the Home Ranch.
'Drop-Dead Charming'
Of course, not all owners are building rural subdivisions. In many cases, relative newcomers and high-profile owners continue to invite guests: Ted Turner's Vermejo Park Ranch and Val Kilmer's Pecos River Ranch -- both in New Mexico -- take guests. (Pecos River Ranch is on the market for $18 million but will continue to take guests at least until October, the ranch says.)
Others say they aim to preserve the land. Mr. Brokaw says he and his partners -- including actor Michael Keaton, musician Dave Grusin and former Treasury secretary Robert Rubin -- had little interest in continuing to run a guest operation at Boulder River Ranch, where Mr. Wagner took his family. "It is an absolutely drop-dead charming place, but it's not where Generation X is looking to go," says Mr. Brokaw, who has owned property nearby for 17 years. "What we were trying to do is keep it from getting chopped up into 25-acre ranch plots."
Dude ranches make up a shrinking sliver of the travel industry. The average guest ranch takes about 40 people at a time, and the 114 ranches in the Dude Ranchers' Association have a total capacity of about 4,200 guests. That's fewer than the number of people who can fit on Royal Caribbean's new Freedom of the Seas cruise ship, with a total occupancy of 4,375 passengers. Meanw |
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