I Have Decided to Buy a Hunting Tract of My Own… Now what?

When an individual or group decides to buy a tract of land, there are numerous issues which need to be considered.  We are unable to address them all in this brief article, but will give a short list of a few things a potential buyer might want to consider.  Some of the issues are as follows:

• who can I get to help me?

1. qualified, knowledgeable land broker – Larry Smith-Vaniz Realty
2. real estate attorney
3. wildlife biologist
4. forester
5. banker or rural property lender

• location – general area, driving distance from home or work, neighborhood, land value/pricing in a given area
• size – how many acres will it take to satisfy my needs?
• land features – topography, improvements in place (buildings, lake, fencing,etc.) pasture, woods, food plots, deer stands, internal roadsystem, etc…
• proposed use – hunting (deer, duck, turkeys, etc), farming, timber, income potential
• history – game management programs in place, prior land use
• budget – how much can I spend or how much do I want to spend to buy land and to operate going forward?
• operating costs – advalorem taxes, utilities, insurance, food plots and water fowl water impoundments, maintenance (roads, fences, buildings, lakes, etc…)
• financing – where can I get the money to make the purchase?
• legal – title (can I get a clear title?), easements to others already in place, minerals, leases in place (hunting, crops, towers, etc.), environmental conditions.
• access – public road frontage vs access by easement
• peace of mind – the joy of doing my own thing for family and self
• contract documents – the contract terms, conditions and provisions, special exceptions, due diligence investigations, etc…
• USDA  programs available – Conservation Reserve Program (“CRP”), Wetland Reserve Program (“WRP”)
• conservation easements – Permanent restrictions on land in exchange for immediate tax deductions

The above list is certainly not all inclusive, but should be adequate to get a discussion started.  In future issues of Larry Smith-Vaniz Realty Land & Hunting Reports, we will take the noted items and more, and discuss them in detail in an effort to give you, the potential land buyer, details and pre-purchase matters to think about.

We welcome the opportunity to discuss your real estate wants, needs, issues and/or concerns with you.  The more we know about what you want, and your goals and objectives, the better we are able to help you find your “perfect property”.