Land Lovers
I was showing some land and ranches in the
Fredericksburg Texas area to some folks from Houston this past weekend. Driving from place to place gives you ample time to get to know each other and get a good sense of how “informed” people shopping for real estate really are. They, in turn, have the opportunity to see if I know what the heck I’m talking about. Usually, this works to everyone’s advantage and the relationship move forward to the point that the client ends up buying something.
As we were focused on “land” the subject of land as an investment (asset class) naturally came up. I provided these folks with a copy of an article I mentioned in my last post Jumpin’ on the Land Wagon . They then discussed an article in a recent Wall Street Journal that, basically, said the same thing. On Sunday, I came across and article in Austin’s American Statesman that quoted both the “Land Wagon” story and the Journal story (title: “Undeveloped tracts draw land lover as housing slows down”).
The Statesman story talks about some of the basics to look for (or watch out for) when buying land. Among the potential problems are: availability of electricity and water and the need for septic systems, legal access to the property and mineral rights. I would add to the list gaining (or maintaining) agricultural exemptions to minimize taxes and water rights, a growing issue in more arid parts of the state.
These can be very complicated issues and are ones that are best investigated, revealed and resolved with the help of an experienced agent. Remember, Experience Matters
