Why Buy Land Now?

This desire to carve out your own place in the world has been driving the land market in South Texas for several years now because part of appeal is simply the fun that can be had with family and friends on your own land.

Brokers throughout the country are seeing a growing demand for farmland and other rural property from hunters, horseback riders, and other outdoors enthusiasts looking for private getaways.

“People aren’t buying recreational property just for their own use. They’re buying it because it has turned into a great long-term investment,” says J.J. Keeth, a co-owner of Mossy Oak Properties of Louisiana in Shreveport, La.

Dorothea Lowe, broker-owner of Sky Lodge Properties Inc. in Red Lodge, Mont., says most of her sales are recreational properties. Buyers are typically over 40 and come from a large metropolitan area on the East or West coast or from the South. Her buyers are skiers, hunters, anglers, and others who want to get away from the hassles of urban life. Lowe also has an office in northern Minnesota.

Keeth says his clients vary in age and background, ranging from young blue-collar workers from rural Louisiana to retirees from urban areas such as Dallas and New Orleans.

“Many retirees want a place where they can spend time with their grandchildren,” says Keeth, “but we are also seeing financially secure, younger families buying land so they can ride their four-wheelers or fish in the pond.”

The most recent survey conducted by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that America’s 30 million anglers spent more than $40 billion in 2006, including nearly $4 billion on land purchases and leases. Hunters spent $22.7 billion overall, with $4.5 billion on leases and purchases. Such spending likely will increase as enthusiastic hunters and anglers grow older and think more about where they’d like to live when they retire.

“Most of my clients who buy land plan to retire and build a home on it later,” notes Lowe.

Keeth and other land brokers believe we are now at the beginning of a recreational land rush.