The bargains of today are coming from the buyers of yesterday that over extended themselves. Sometimes they owe as much as the property is worth, they are giving away their down payment and payments to just get out from under the land payment.

Some of the people that have had the land for quite a few years are selling but I don't see those properties as bargains. They are not in a financial bind and can hold out for the price they want. The exceptions are in estates, greedy heirs want their money now and are willing to lower the price, but most of these properties are being scarfed up by their other heirs to the property.

Many moons ago you could lease property for the taxes. Now days it is totally out of control at least for me. I just will not pay unreasonable rates. I want to lease a place not pay to buy and not own.

First of all, the land is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

Secondly, is this a hunting website or a hypothetical clear cutting operation?

I'm no treehugger, but buying land to clear cut it and flip it seems like a greasy way to make a living. JMO

how would it be any different than buying a piece of farmland with a planted corn crop, harvesting and selling the corn, and then replanting?? trees are renewable, no?

trees take 30 years to renew, no rifleman does point out and proved to me that there are some needles to be found in this haystack of Texas....I contend the seller is an idiot but thats JMO....lol

"trees take 30 years to renew"

...yeah, and some of my stocks will probably take 30 years to comeback, too!

I totally agree... I would have had to cut, then sell.

JJH,

You have a valid point. I just want there to be some woods left for our kids to go hunting in.

The Rio Grande Valley was cleared and converted into farmland. A lot of the farmers couldn't make it down there and moved away. (My Family) My dad's high school enrolled it's last gringo about two decades ago. His hometown is nothing more than a bunch of pink and aquamarine houses with lowriders parked out front.

Now that my grandparents are gone, I will never go back. Pretty sad, really.

Do any landowners call for references to determine prices or honesty for hunters? I ask because my friend (who got me on the lease we are on) and his family have been hunting the same land in the hill country for nearly 50 years. Unfortunately, we were informed that in a year or two, the man that runs the land currently is going to retire which means the land will go to his wife's family (long story, part of their marriage agreement and she died about 9 years ago). Everything we have heard is that the family is going to stop leasing it since one of them wants to build a big house in the middle of the property.

My friend's family built a small cabin on the property in the early 60s and have taken good care of the land ever since. We are all very responsible (yeah, I know it's only our word, but it is true) and are now facing the reality of trying to find a new lease that we can all afford.

We've got a great deal now ($1000 per gun for 600 acres) and most of us can't afford much more than that.

How many guns are you guys hunting?

We have 6, but there are a couple that probably will hang it up. We're trying to find a place for 3 to 4 guns.

I am in no way suggestiong that the stock market is my preferred method of investment, fact is there is far greater value to the land via emotions, recreation ect...I am just saying that based on this topic, land is a monetary investment as well and that if a land owner CHOOSES to lease the property and get some return on his asset then he should get as much as he can, as you should if you were looking to buy a stock...

My saying that trees take 30 years to renew was in response to someone saying whats the difference in trees and any other crop.

Time for reality check. They ain't making any more land. Cities are expanding and lakes for water are gobbling up the best hunting grounds in East Texas. I grew up in the hill country, Gillespie Co, excellent deer hunting. Grandma, dad and uncle farmed/ranched 2,700 acres. Land had 4 hunting cabins and 30+ paying hunters. Over the years, grandma went to happy hunting ground and heirs sold 800 acres that my dad and uncle didn't buy. Then lately uncle went to happy hinting ground and his 850 acres went to 14 heirs, sons, present wife and grandkids. My dad divided his 850+ acres to us 4 kids. Now land in the hill country goes and appraised by county for $6,300 +/acre. Now we can lease the land for cattle at $5/acre and hunting for $10-$15/acre. That means we can break even in 350 years, not including takes. Now, many of us are retired or near and moving back or want cabin and land for us and our kids and grandkids to hunt on. We have a choice.... Sell and keep living in the city. Or since we are hunters also, have a blast at the cabin and enjoy the land. Have to keep the block of land in 1 unit for cattle leasing to cousin or taxes would kill us. One cousin has 75 acres for sale for $500,000. You think any of us can buy him out?????
Thanks for seeing it from the small land owners view. I love hunters and I are one.

6300 an acre for hill country must be close to something.....thats too much for that baron land. it can be found way cheaper than that. still we see people asking for 6k an acre and probly someone is getting it, live water helps, irrigation wells ect. but t5 acres in that part of the state for 500k he'll be sittin on that for a while, there are lots of better deals that that and I don't even know the specs. that said as for lease prices, it is cheaper to lease over the long haul, but no monetary returns on a lease payment

These are the same people my buddy who is a realtor there in the hill coutry sees trying to sell stuff to people who have never seen the country before. They could get that 2 years ago but not now. Their typical client was a wealthy person from a big city who never stepped foot in the country. It was never an investment (unless you can find someone else to pay more), just place to go for the weekend. He would shock the wives when he couldn't show a place b/c they were hunting till 10 am. Again, only the hill country is this bad when you look around the state. It is pretty there though.

And the argument, they won't make more, well, there will always be plenty for sale.

There is no land in TX left that you can buy, run cattle and have the land pay for its self. Just a thought.

u are right there is no land that you can buy to make money off of (unless you get a great deal which does happen) but you can either have the land to enjoy, raise cattle, and sell it at some time and then you would have made a good investment, or keep it and give it to your children.

land prices: about 2 or 3 yrs ago, my uncle bought 75 acres that he appraised at 2500 an acre (he is a realtor) but the guy only wanted 1000 an acre, so he bout it for 75000, it has a few deer, lots of hogs, bobcats koons, and yotes. He has a few cattle on it. he could easily put three guns on the place for a lease and from what ive seen other people get in the area, he could get about 5-600 a gun. so he could pay for it in his lifetime. its not hillcountry scenic land, but it does have one of the highest points in the county.

Trust me, those wealthy people are using the land as an investment...granted there is a recreational side but wealthy people for the most part don't do anything without thinking long term...everything is an investment, thats why they got wealthy...

6k an acre for hill country land is in my opinion just plain stupid...if thats cheap of that county..well ok...there is lost more counties out there to buy in, now 2500 an acres is still steep to me but I am not so stupid to say its high, seems to be a good low for the hill country, I am constantly looking for property and it seems the best buys are the FSBO's in local papers, not the fancy magazines distributed in the big cities. But another good example of high land in the hill country is llano county, but its a lot closer to austin and I35 than say Menard county, Menard county isn't cheap but you can start to find better buys there. I wonder if there is a direct relationship between lease prices and property values... I would guess so

I am guessing so as well.... may be why leases in east tx seem to be a lot cheaper than those out here in south/west texas (and I guess b/c timber companies own a large portion of east tx). I was unaware that those companies actually got dbl taxed on a lot of their land until Temple sold out in '07.

Gotta agree that they aren't making any more land. However, a whole bunch was made the first time around. There is no land shortage.