my first ranch tripled in 7 years.

Where was it and what were the circumstances it appreciated so much in little time? Location is everything. From 2009 to 2018 where I hunt land didn't do too much. Most sat on the market around $2,500 to $3,000 an acre for years. One for 7 years same price. 160 acres. Never changed. Someone bought it and cleared half of it and built a big barn. Others all have houses on them now. Used to be cattle and hunting leases primarily.

Some can see value in what nobody else wants.

Good to know TxTrophy

As you know, thats not always the case.

How many acres was it, and where?

This won't be for investment purposes at all. I'll have it until I die, hunt it hard and have my grand kids out from time to time. There are a lot of drives to Colorado for visiting my daughters during ski season and summer trips as well. So, looking to cut the 12 hour drive to about 7 for all of us. My question was trying to get a feel for the amount of land I'd be happy with. Most of ya'll have less than 200 and seem to be happy with that. So, maybe own a small place and still be part of a huge lease is the answer.

This is what I did. Owned several nice size ranches in past years and made good money. When I decided I did not want to mess with keeping a property up any longer I decided to join a nice lease with lots of acreage and not much work involved. It has been awesome.
IMO there is no right or wrong answer - so much depends on where you are in life, etc.

There is no rule that says you have to give up your lease when you buy a property. Lots of people both own land and continue to lease.

There are no rules to any of this. With enough of the right land, I may not need both. Giving up what I lease would be a tough, tough decision. A couple of hundred acres wouldn't totally satisfy my hunting needs.

I have found after having my own place that I care much less about trying to get a big buck and care more about picking out one that is maybe already starting to go downhill. I put much more effort into the overall management of the animals and the land because it’s actually really my land and I can’t have the rug pulled out from under me at any moment which can happen with any lease.

X100, well said...

What exactly is the need? If you’re running clients or a lot of kids/family out there, you’re right it may not. But if you’re killing 1-2 deer a year, I think 200 acres in the right spot may surprise you.

I leased 67k acres with 7 other hunters for a number of years. I get what it’s like to be able to ride around on big acreage. But for a recreational getaway that you can do a bit of hunting on, you may be surprised what makes you happy

I think that is the difference. Some of us just like to hunt and some want to own a place. One is an investment to flip and one wants to buy a place to make their own and live or just enjoy Not much different than residential. If I was to buy, it would to be to make my own. Fishing and hunting primarily. Some.want to sell soon for a profit. I enjoy a lease and we all have our own cabins. I have hot water and septic in mine.

I want to own 200-300 acres. I don't know if I will ever be able to accomplish this goal in today's market, but that is my dream and I'm working towards that daily. 100-200 acres may be unrealistic soon, especially after you add in the cost of everything else.

Part of me says buy 20 - 50 acres and fix it up for dove hunting, buy a bad [censored] offshore boat and tare it up.

Other part of me wants more acreage.........

At this point in my life I am disgusted with myself when I think about all of the money that I've made and have nothing to show for it.

I don't have ground for my kids and grandkids.

northeastern Okla., just normal appreciation for area for that time period. I switched some crops around via removing coastal/native hay production but no improvements out side of that. We took market comps and appraisal and I ended up doing a 1:3 acre exchange for land on Western side of the state.

Its along ways from NOT being a realistic opportunity. One foot infront of the other, I bet you get it done.

I have not had the social experience on a lease. My family had a lease for 15 years, where my dad taught me, and it was always family only and a few friends here and there. When the owner died we had to get off and continued to hunt public and with friends that invite us. The prices for a lease, 10 yrs ago, was eye opening. We paid $650 a year plus utilities to hunt this 400 acres. In return we filled our freezers with deer and hog meat. There was great fishing in the tank and spring turkey was incredible. I will buy a remote place or get a lease when my boys get to age. For now, it's public.

It's a tuff game now. Lots of folks on here older than me/can tell better stories but all I can say is........I was in a deer blind with my Dad by 1981. Dad always had thousands of acres to hunt on several different ranches back then and he paid $300-$500/yr depending on the ranch and that was high roller stuff then. These were big ranches, thousands of acres each. This was in S Texas big buck country that is now going for $5-$32K/yr for a deer lease per gun.

I do realize that times change, but holy [censored] if my Dad or Grandpa could see what deer leases and our Country has become.........umn.

Makes me wonder what a deer lease will cost my young kids and my grandkids some day. Just another reason I want to buy a few hundred acres for my family before I die, because the way things are going with democrats and millions of people pouring into our Country uncontrolled someday we're going to wake up to nothing left for us and there will be nothing we can do about it outside of violence.

I'm afraid the violence will be here sooner than we'd prefer. Just.look at the kids, and there attitudes, let out (no bail) for beating two cops. They're animals and need to be put down quickly.

Yes Sir, I do agree. If this ain't stopped we're [censored].

We are in uncharted waters right now with no Captain.

It's all deliberate and I'm having a hard time swallowing that.

Every day matters but right now nobody GAF, too comfortable.

I’m 41 and I bought my first property in 2016 (355 acres in Eastland County) for $1775/acre. I was scared to death but new it was a sound investment and my wife and I live under our means in our daily life so I took some risk. I sold it in 2018 (didn’t make a ton of $$ but enough to fund some projects on my new place) when word spread they were planning to put a wind farm through that area and so I bought a 319 acre place in Throckmorton County that I liked better (live water, great topography, etc) for $1900/acre. Buying land has been one of the best decisions of my life. I’ve put a tremendous amount of blood, sweat, tears, and $$$ (ranch house, 2 lakes totaling 8 acres, etc) into the place but it is now probably worth around $7500/acre. My plan is to never sell it regardless of what the value ends up becoming.

The best advice I can give you is to get in the game as soon as possible. If that means 20 acres so be it. 50 acres even better. You will at least get to ride up the appreciation so that the sting doesn’t hurt as bad once you trade up to your ultimate goal. This day and age, there is no safer investment than land IMO.

I Read all the comments.

Not sure I would be able to do it with todays prices. Heck, I know I couldn’t. I paid, I believe, $43,560 for 133 acres a long, long, time ago. 70 miles from home in Hurst. Had a Texas Veterans, 30 year, Land Loan. I hate debt so paid it off early. My place is considered recreational property because it’s all trees and rocks. Can’t farm rocks and trees. I tried cows but spent too much on hay and cow problems. I sold the cows and horses and changed my livestock deal to wildlife management for property tax purposes. I spend money and get a lot of receipts for wildlife stuff. It’s paid off and the taxes aren’t bad. Fences are now my neighbors problems. Have a 2 bedroom poor white trash trailer house, a well and septic system, and some outbuildings of various types. Shipping containers are great.

Nice thing about Veterans Loans is that they have to be in only the Veterans name. Thus, like the childrens story of the 3 bears, I found some Sumbitch was sleeping in my bed and he was still there. Got a divorce. Since it was in my name only, she couldn’t touch it. Now remarried but the place is still in my name.

It’s been paid off a long time and I’m getting too old(81) to do a lot of the stuff I used to. Arthritis has set in. Gotta get off my butt and sell it but not just yet. According to realtors, it’s worth over a million bucks and taxes would take a huge amount. Also have to recover depreciation on tractors, etc. What would a kid from Muleshoe do with that much money anyway.

Grandson and his now wife lit out to there and lost their virginity. Been 2 honeymoons there. I don’t have to look far to find free labor or get some firewood cut.

I have found that property is cheaper away from the cities. And price matters. Convenience be damned.

When will I sell? Not yet. That’s all I know; not yet. I’m a long way from wealthy but am debt free.

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