LandAndFarm.com Newsletter  |
 |
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. Famous Farmers: Mel Gibson
2. Supporting Our Troops
3. Advice From and Expert: What's Selling Now
4. Book a trip online with LandAndFarm.com
5. Recent Properties
Mel Gibson has decided to give up the farm life and put Old Mill Farm, his huge Greenwich, Cont. estate, up for sale. Gibson put the 75-acre property up for sale over the summer, according to the Web site Luxist. In September, the asking price for the estate dropped from $39.5 million to $35 million, a difference of $4.5 million. According to the estates listing with Sotheby's International Realty, the 15-bedroom home was built in 1926 for financier George Lewis Ohrstrom, who was a horse lover. While the estate doesn't boast fields ready for crops, it does come with stables, a greenhouse, formal gardens, a maze and a mansion that is over 15,000 square feet. If you really want to live the simple life at Old Mill Farm, there is a log cabin on the property and a stream-fed pond.
Thanks to e-mail a father-and-son real estate team is keeping their business going despite a Marine reserve deployment. Jim Moon and his son Mark Moon have been building a real estate business (http://teammoonrealestate.com/) in New York's Finger Lakes region for decades. Jim has been selling property for 30 years and Mark joined him 10 years ago, but earlier this year the father-son team was broken up by Mark's Marines deployment. Jim said his son is currently in California awaiting deployment to Iraq. Despite his partner and son being away from the business, Jim said they're making it work. "Running a real estate business with half the team has its challenges," Jim said. "E-mail has helped a lot. I used to say that they lied to me when they said this was a full-time job. I never found much I could do from midnight to four in the morning. With e-mail you can easily work 24 hours a day."
In the aftermath of severe stock market downturns there is a noticeable upturn in sales of investment quality, recreational real estate. These properties are typically purchased by individual investors with successful real estate investment experience. They are looking for value and seeking long term capital gain. Most pay cash. Very few of these investors build homes on their properties so buying decisions are based on different criteria than those buying to build a seasonal residence.
So what is investment quality, recreational real estate? Larger water front properties with subdivision potential into one or two smaller lots are in demand. Utilities need to be at the lot line and year round road access must be in place. Sensible protective covenants will govern future development assuring long term value. Annual maintenance costs and property taxes are low enough to be affordable over a 5-10 year hold. Investment quality means the property will have at least one good building site and manageable topography. It will be located within a reasonable commute of an international airport or a important regional hub (3 hours drive maximum). The acquisition cost must be competitive.
In this recession it is much easier for buyers and sellers to connect. In the early 1990's there was no internet and in 2001 Google was a start up. Today more than 80% of buyers will use the internet to find the property they ultimately purchase. The quality and depth of online content makes a huge difference. Competition for buyers is fierce. Investors want details. Land offerings that provide a minimum of information tend to attract the lowest number of buyers. While good pictures are vital, investors are also seeking comparative price analysis and specific information about a property that clearly establishes it as 'investment quality'.
Winning on the internet is largely a numbers game. During their research buyers look at many properties and end up with a short list of potential investments. Based on the information available online and follow up discussions with the vendor a prospect will decide to visit a property, drop it from the short list or buy. Experience tells us that when the right information is available online some investment quality properties are purchased 'site unseen'.
Keep in mind the market is international. In the year following a presidential election there is always a spike in Americans buying foreign property. To win on the web, land developers need a solid marketing strategy that delivers qualified prospects in sufficient numbers to make things happen. Those that have the right elements in place are selling reasonably priced, investment quality properties right now.
Phil Robinson is Lead Strategist for LandMerchants.ca, a real estate marketing company that specializes in marketing recreational land and homesites on the web since 1996.
If you are interested in visiting one of the properties on our site, you can book the trip online. Just visit http://travel.LandAndFarm.com. Bon Voyage!
| | by LandAndFarm.com Staff
|
Sample of Recent Properties
.23 Ac In Homes Only Subdivision (residential land)
Bell, Florida
Never Lived In 3 BR Home (residential land)
Bell, Florida
Developer Dream Property
Horse Shoe, North Carolina
1b1b Luxury Condo Orlando Fl (residential land)
Orlando, Florida
20 Acre Horse Farm and Home (pasture) 20 acres.
Wellington, Kentucky
Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Condo (waterfront)
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
Estate Auction Southern Estate (residential land) 32 acres.
Jasper, Tennessee
Edwards Run (recreational property) 12 acres.
New Matamoras, Ohio
Investment Opportunity
Horse Shoe, North Carolina
Stoneburner Road (commercial land) 37 acres.
Crooksville, Ohio
House On 10 Acres (residential land) 10 acres.
Huntingdon, Tennessee
Private Lakes/ Cabin & Boat (fish - aquaculture) 9,880 acres.
Lac Perdu, Quebec, Canada
Swan Lake Farm & Hunting (row crops) 244 acres.
parkin, Arkansas
Prime Readytodevelop Land (commercial land) 10 acres.
Athens, Ohio
Beautiful Private 43 Ac Ml (residential land) 43 acres.
Albany, Ohio
Million Dollar View Lake Lure (residential land)
Lake Lure, NC, North Carolina
Butler Co Ky Leases (hunting property) 100 acres.
Kentucky
South Ga Land Appraisals
Albany, Georgia
141 Acres Webster County (recreational property) 141 acres.
Georgia
Crimson King Farm Land Auction (recreational property) 445 acres.
Zanesville, Ohio
The Genegantslet Horse Farm (residential land) 32 acres.
New York
Wooded 41 Acres (hunting property) 41 acres.
Zaleski, Ohio
Beautiful 6.45 Acre Ranch
Southwest Ranches, Florida
160 Acres -New Home & Barn (ranch) 160 acres.
Lebanon, Missouri
1005ac Lease Butler Co Ky (hunting property) 1,005 acres.
Kentucky
Perfect 30 Acre Farm near Nashville (residential land) 37 acres.
Charlotte, Tennessee
Owen County Retreat (recreational property) 199 acres.
Coal City, Indiana
Ohio Co Ky Leases (hunting property) 92 acres.
Kentucky
Farm Timberland Loans
Georgia
Attention Hunters 69.84 Acres (hunting property) 70 acres.
Guysville, Ohio
River Front Lot (waterfront) 2 acres.
Camden, Tennessee
Beautiful Home On 43 Acres (residential land) 43 acres.
Greensburg, Kentucky
Beautiful Talkeetna (forest - natural) 15 acres.
Talkeetna, Alaska
Farm Hunt Or Both (horse farm) 57 acres.
Alton, Missouri
96 Acre Costa Rica Hotel
, Costa Rica
Rare Find Gentlemans Estate (residential land) 200 acres.
Little Falls, New York
Great Broiler Farm (poultry farm) 10 acres.
Westville, Oklahoma
Private Setting In The Ozarks (undeveloped land) 7 acres.
Alton, Missouri
Deer Turkey Small Game (hunting property) 20 acres.
West Plains, Missouri
Great Development Land/Farm (commercial land) 450 acres.
Winchester, Kentucky
Ohio County Hunting Property (hunting property) 87 acres.
Kentucky
The Remote Farm (horse farm) 93 acres.
Campbellsville, Kentucky
43 Ac.hunting- BUILDING SITE-FIN.AVAIL (hunting property) 43 acres.
Kentucky
Fairburn Horse Farm (residential land) 21 acres.
Fairburn, Georgia
50 Rolling Ac. Near Casino (undeveloped land) 50 acres.
Williamsburg, Michigan
Canton 10acre Estate Home (residential land) 11 acres.
CANTON, Georgia
Family Subdvsn On Grassy Crk (residential land) 16 acres.
Oxford, North Carolina
Home For The Hunter (hunting property) 36 acres.
Columbia, Kentucky
4.27 Horse Land Grassy Crk Nc (residential land) 4 acres.
Oxford, North Carolina
Lake Lot Near Hand Cove (recreational property) 3 acres.
Elizabeth, Arkansas
|
|
|
Advertise here
