“Thanks to record-setting gains in several areas of the country, land as an asset class is enjoying unprecedented popularity. The rural land specialists featured in our spring issue are proven performers, the best in the business,” says Land Report Editor Eric O’Keefe. More than 100 brokerages were surveyed by the magazine’s editors in January and February; some 70 were selected for inclusion in this second annual survey of Best Brokerages.

The magazine’s editors singled out the sale of Camp Cooley Ranch as 2011’s Deal of the Year. “This $28.5 million transaction may not have the biggest deal of the year, but it was definitely one of the most complex transactions we’ve ever been privy to,” O’Keefe says. “The ranch was in bankruptcy court, it had been quarantined, and it was about to be foreclosed upon when Bernard Uechtritz convinced a bankruptcy judge to let him market it to some of the country’s top investors. Forty-five days later, 22 qualified bidders chased the price up to $28.5 million. Hall and Hall Auctions gaveled the Deal of the Year to a close.”

Camp Cooley Ranch

“When it comes to land as an asset class, this issue is a total eye-opener,” says Land Report Publisher Eddie Lee Rider Jr. “On every metric – number of transactions, dollar-value of transactions, amount of acres – 2011 was a banner year for America’s best brokerages. And for American landowners.”

Founded in 2007, The Land Report is a quarterly print publication whose readership includes investors, leading landowners, and outdoor enthusiasts. In addition to the print version, the Magazine of the American Landowner has a substantial online presence at Land Report.com and can be accessed on Facebook, Twitter , and Pinterest.

Originally Published in Open Fences Magazine

In his article from Open Fences Magazine, David Fisher of Creative Real Estate Strategies explains how a Deferred Sales Trust can help you sell your property and maximize your return.

When selling a property, there are 4 traditional ways to receive the proceeds.  They are to cash out, a 1031 exchange, owner financing and an installment sale.  Each may have its appropriate situation but all 4 options have potential pitfalls.  For example, when cashing out on a property, taxes must be paid almost immediately. …Taxes could remove anywhere from roughly 15% to 30-35% of the proceeds and reduce the opportunity to generate a nice return on the hard work and sacrifices made to create those proceeds.

…The Deferred Sales Trust (DST) is a great opportunity that can enhance all of the options a seller has to receive proceeds. The DST is a legal entity that allows the seller to defer capital gains and other taxation on the sale of highly appreciated real estate for as long as the seller would like. Basically, the DST is an installment sale contract with an intermediary with the additional feature of freeing up funds for the benefit of the client and all investments in the trust are client driven.

The entire article is full of excellent information about DST and how their unique characteristics can help you get more out of your sale.  To read the rest of the article, click here.

For additional information and to visit Creative Real Estate Strategies Website, Click here

Mason & Morse Ranch Company has just listed the beautiful Costilla Irrigated Farm and Ranch.  The farm is one of the largest irrigated farms offered in the San Luis Valley in Southern Colorado. A combination of farm ground and ranch land consisting of 14,035 +/- deeded acres, consisting primarily of excellent potato producing soils as well as good soils for crops including alfalfa, wheat, oats and other small grains. This is a well established farm located within easy access to shipping routes.

Location:

Costilla Irrigated Farm and Ranch is located in Southern Colorado, in the San Luis Valley. Situated on 5-miles of the Rio Grande River outside of Blanca, Colorado, the farm is 20-miles southeast of Alamosa, 235 miles south of Denver, and 89 miles north of Taos New Mexico. Alamosa has a population of +/- 9000 and has a hospital, multiple hotels, restaurants and shopping. Air service is provided by a regional airport with 3-runways over 7500 feet and daily flights on Great Lakes Airlines.

Acreage & Topography:

Total Deeded – 14,035 +/- acres
Crop Acres – 5075 +/- acres
Irrigated Pasture – 773 +/- acres

River Bottom:
Sub-Irrigated Pasture – 1248 +/- acres
Some Sub-Irrigated & Dry land Pasture – 1000 +/- acres
additionally +/- 5.5 miles of frontage on the Rio Grande River

Approximately 4182 +/- acres are under center pivots. 2200 acres will be planted in potatoes, with the remaining acres in alfalfa and small grains.
The topography is generally nearly level and undulating.

Improvements:

• Potato packing plant with 400,000 cwt storage
• 42,000 s.f. potato processing building
• 800,000 cwt potato storage
• Two offices, 360×50 metal shop
• 15 grain bins 80 ft. Fairbanks scale & fuel station
• Pesticide & fertilizer storage
• Shop/office/calving in 60×120 ft building
• Metal Quonset 32×40 ft, misc corrals & sheds
• Three residences for hired help
  1536 s.f. Ranch Manager home w/ detached garage

Summary:

Located at an average elevation of 7626 feet in an ideal climate with some of the most fertile soil in the area, the Costilla Irrigated Farm and Ranch is a good combination of farm and ranch operations. With the current management in place, this farm offers a 7% return, a great return in today’s economic environment.

For more information on this property, Click Here

With Surging Demand for Quality Farmland, One of the Largest Farms Ever to be Offered for Sale in eastern Colorado and western Kansas (17,741 Acres) has been Placed on the Market

Bart Miller / Mason & Morse Ranch Company

“Ranches Farms & Land Sales”

bart@ranchland.com

January 17, 2012

One of the largest farms ever to be offered in eastern Colorado and western Kansas has been placed on the market for sale.  The high quality farm consisting of nearly 18,000 acres of some of the best farmland in this Colorado and Kansas area was placed on the market by Mason Morse Ranch & Farm Company of Glenwood Springs, Colorado.  With farmland values on the upswing, rising commodity prices, low interest rates, inflation pressures and other world economic factors investors continue to seek out long term investments with desirable returns in the agricultural land market.  As these investors seek land investments and cash rich farmers desire to expand their operations, farmland available for sale is in very limited supply.  The record setting prices of the past two years have not swayed buyer interest as they continue to buy up the limited available properties for sale at a record pace.

Ben Hudye, 2010 Top Producer finalist and owner of Hudye Farms, US, Inc. explained his family has spent many years building this farm land holding up to its current size.  “It took us close to ten years to establish the right model and to accumulate this land.  The right buyer will have it all before this year’s crop is planted.  The farm is fully leased to young, aggressive growers; we will just slip out from behind the wheel and an investor can slip right in.  This property is a wonderful opportunity for the right buyer to either establish themselves in the farmland market, or to complement their existing holdings, all in one simple transaction.” said Hudye.

“We continue to see strong buyer demand and full price offers for high quality farmland across the plains. This historically stable agricultural asset class continues to increase in value for the buying public at a time when worldwide food consumption habits are shifting, demand worldwide for grain is high and rental values along with commodity prices remain strong. This is an exceptional opportunity to acquire a very large and productive farm”, said Bart Miller, Managing Broker of Mason & Morse Ranch Company.

The 17,741 acres of farmland is generally located around Burlington, Colorado in Kit Carson and Cheyenne Counties, Colorado with a few tracts just across the Colorado Kansas state line in Sherman and Wallace Counties near Goodland, Kansas with an additional 1,760 acres in Logan County, Kansas near Winona.  Primarily the majority of the farmland topography is nearly level and undulating in large parcel groups.  The largest of which is 12,000 acres within a 12 mile radius.  The second largest grouping is 3,000 acres within a 5 mile radius. Web Link: www.ranchland.com/coloradokansasfarmland

About Hudye Farms U.S., Inc.

The Hudye family owns more than 35,000 acres in the U.S. and Canada.  While they do not farm the U.S. land themselves, over many years they sought out young and aggressive American growers who needed additional cropland and developed cash/crop share partnerships with them. The Hudye family maintain a close relationship and friendship with their partners despite a geographical distance. While they are miles apart, the Hudye team makes on-farm visits to their partners and invite them to their Canadian location for educational field trips. More information about Hudye Farms U.S., Inc can be found on their website.  http://hudyesoils.com/the-hudye-group/hudye-farms-usinc.html

About Mason Morse Ranch Company

“Ranches Farms Land Sales” – www.ranchland.com, affiliate of United Country Real Estate, is a leading provider of ranch and farm marketing services across the western United States. Founded in 1998, in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado, the company specializes in the sale of premier ranches, farms and recreational land across the western United States.  Combined, Mason & Morse Ranch & Farm Company agents offer their clients more than 133 years of experience in western ranch, farmland and recreational real estate sales.  Their professionalism, experience, innovative marketing strategies and commitment to their client base has developed Mason & Morse Ranch & Farm Company into one of Americas’ leading premier land brokerage firms in the country. Recently recognized by The Land Report as one of America’s Top Brokerages. “Winter Edition – 2010 Year End Review Featuring America’s Top Brokerages.”

Mason & Morse Ranch Company – affiliate of United Country is separately owned and operated from Mason Morse Real Estate of Aspen, Colorado

Buffalo, WY, January 16, 2012 -

People are taking a serious look at quality Wyoming Ranches these days. Mike Fraley, broker associate with Fay Ranches closed just over $17M in sales on seven ranches the last eight months of 2011.

The momentum continues. “Despite this being the dead of winter, I am working with three 1031 exchange buyers, and it looks like we’ll close some deals before spring,” observed Fraley.

Fraley notes that a number of other ranch brokers in the area also had a record year in sales. “Many of the Wyoming properties are listed at a fair price, giving the landowner negotiating strength. Furthermore, the agricultural markets are strong, the tax structure is favorable, and people are looking for a smart place to park some cash.”  Most of the ranches in Fraley’s transactions are located in the eastern half of Wyoming and produce income from hay or cattle production and often hunting revenue. “Buyers want to invest in quality real estate that they can enjoy recreationally, that will appreciate in value, and that produces cash flow to pay the day-to-day bills.”  He believes the Wyoming ranch market reached its low point and property values are on a slow but steady rise.

Buyers in 2011 came from many directions. Fraley sold a couple of ranch properties to a ranching couple from California who have been looking exclusively in Wyoming due to the friendly tax structure and quality grazing. The story is similar for the ranch sold to a couple from Nebraska. A young man from Colorado wanted an income-producing investment that could also serve as a recreational retreat and getaway. Some of the purchases are being connected with a 1031 tax exchange. Two of the ranches were acquired by neighboring ranchers who saw a timely opportunity to expand agricultural operations.

Greg Fay, founding owner/broker of Bozeman-based Fay Ranches, observes that selling this many ranches in half a year required something else. “Mike knows farms and ranches. His knowledge of the Wyoming area and expertise in connecting the right ranch with the right owner makes a key difference.”

For over 20 years, Fay Ranches has been the premiere brokerage of ranch and sporting properties in the West.

Let’s ring in the new year with beautiful Wyoming and our Wyoming Featured Brokers: Fay Ranches, Inc., Clark & Associates Land Brokers, and Pfister Land Company!

Fay Ranches, Inc.

For nearly 20 years now Fay Ranches has been providing the highest quality brokerage and ranch management services in the American West. Fay Ranches has been blessed with a steady stream of successes that started back in 1992 when founder Greg Fay began his passionate quest to help conserve the river corridors and agricultural landscapes of this region by brokering sporting ranches to conservation minded individuals.

Fay’s Ranches foundation consists of four “pillars” that have guided our growth and success over the years and have gained life through the actions of our staff and brokers. This shared commitment is the basis for the relationships we build and the quality of the business we execute. It is upon this foundation that Fay Ranches has grown to become the top ranch and sporting real estate brokerage firm in the country, it truly is Who We Are.

• Timber Creek Ranch – Cody, WY
• Red Rocks Ranch – Parkman, WY
• Bird Cloud Ranch – Saratoga, WY

View All Fay Ranches Listings

Clark & Associates Land Brokers

Buying and selling farm & ranch properties requires special knowledge and skill including: livestock and farm production, land values, leases, real estate laws, water rights, management, and most importantly, an intimate knowledge of the area. Our marketing approach addresses all these details. And, after the sale, we’re there to help manage the property if you so desire.

Each partner in our firm started out from hard working ranch roots, “living the life” of ranchers, which has allowed each of them to develop a true insider’s point of view and knowledge of the land.

“Old West Values” because we have roots here, in a part of the country that’s known for authenticity and hard work. “New West Vision” because we’re always looking to the future, to ensure we’re in step with your needs and priorities. Expertise. Vision. Dedication. Results.

These are things that matter to you, and they’re the same principles that have helped Pfister Land Company, LLC become known as one of the premier real estate firms in the West.

• Currant Creek Ranch – Rock Springs, WY
• Jackpot Ranch- Sundance, WY
• Oil Creek Ranch – New Castle, WY

View All Pfister Land Company Listings

 Contact us today to find out how you can reserve your space!

 From the Editors of The Land Report.

For Sale: 40-Acre Central Texas Gem on the Brazos

Whispering winds, the gentle flow of the Brazos River, and the sounds of nature surround you while passing through the private gates onto this magnificent, 40-acre estate, prime horse country, located near Waco, Texas. 

Down the winding driveway flanked with rolling pastures, lays a spectacular 13,000 sq. ft. Tuscan-style manor secluded within the meticulously landscaped grounds. Enter through the exquisite custom designed steel doors into the spacious foyer with grand staircase, beautiful marble and oak floors, and faux-finished walls capturing just a glimpse of the expert craftsmanship and attention to detail throughout.

Continue to one of the most breathtaking rooms within the home; a 40′ x 50′ great room with soaring 24′ wood beamed ceilings, floor to ceiling stone fireplace, bar with granite counter tops, and custom antler chandelier.

Perfect for entertaining, the gourmet kitchen features granite countertops and Viking commercial grade appliances with adjacent formal dining and separate living area.

Escape to the main floor master suite with oversized Italian marble bath and separate work-out room.

Boasting spectacular views from almost every room, this home also includes an additional 4 bedrooms, 4 full baths, 3 half baths, guest quarters with kitchen, and amazing media room with Control 4 equipment.

Creating the perfect blend between luxury and nature, step outside to the backyard oasis featuring a beautiful infinity pool, gazebo with fire-pit and covered outdoor living area with full kitchen and bar. Below the house, relax in the cabana along the banks of the river with full kitchen and bar or walk down to the boat dock with river access to downtown Waco and Lake Waco.

If you are feeling more adventurous, through the deeply wooded areas are multiple trails to enjoy the beautiful scenery and wildlife. Additional amenities include geothermal heating and cooling, alarm system, panic room, 5 acre sprinkler system, and a 30′ x 40′ utility barn.  

Whether you desire relaxation or entertaining, this magnificent home encompasses luxury and convenience all in one.

Available furnished or unfurnished

Shown by Appointment Only

Offered at $4.3 million

For more information please call:

J.D. Behringer 

Office: (254) 772-4344

Cell: (254) 717-8750

Bill Ferguson 

Cell: (254) 709-2244

Cynthia Inman 

Office: (817) 624-6564

 Cell: (817) 366-3850

Ranch Connection

Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Offered for $59,900,000

With privacy that is virtually impossible to duplicate and located fifteen minutes from the popular winter/summer playground of Steamboat Springs. Rarely do you find a ranch property of this size with all the sought-after components. A total of 5,034 deeded acres in its own valley with 85% of the perimeter boundary on National Forest. Incredible water including 5 miles of Big Creek along with a half mile of the Elk River flows through the ranch providing challenging fishing for rainbow and brook trout. Terrain from dense stands of mixed forest to open grass covered parks with multiple elevation changes for some of the most beautiful alpine scenery in the state. Wildlife are abundant on the ranch including elk, mule deer, bear and a variety of raptors and birds. Completing this fabulous ranch is a modern western styled 11,000 sq. ft. lodge along with five houses, four utility buildings and 100 year-old barn. See additional photographs and information at rmabrokers.com.

Ron Morris and Billy Long
Ron Morris 970.535.0881 ron@rmabrokers.com
Billy Long 970.927.3850 billy@rmabrokers.com

Bob Smith admits that outsiders might consider his country, the rugged ranchland of east-central Oregon’s Columbia Plateau, a little dry.

“Yeah, I’ve heard that,” he said. “But we get six or seven inches of rain per year, and we ran as many as 2,000 head of cattle on our place. You’d figure two tons of hay per head would get you through winter. We’d get a ton and a half per acre. It was always there.”

When Smith started haying the meadows on his family’s ranch back in the 1940s, horses and pitchforks were still important tools. “We put it up in loose stacks back then,” he said. “That was way before bales.”

In autumn, when ranch work slowed, Smith hunted elk and mule deer. “We didn’t get too excited about the fishing because it was too easy to just walk down to the river, catch a few trout, and head back to the house,” he said.

Since the homesteading era, the ranch has known only three owners. In the five-bedroom ranch house, a stone marker reads, “W.E.S. Smith 1910.” Built of native stone, with walls three feet thick, the old house was a castle in its early days. After the original Smiths – no relation to the current owners – moved on, locals called the ranch the Drinkwater Place, after its second owner, Bob Drinkwater. Bob Smith’s father, the only doctor in Burns, Oregon, bought the core of the ranch in the early 1940s.

Bob Smith has always considered himself a rancher. To many others, however, he is best known for leadership skills: first, in the Oregon House of Representatives, where he served from 1960 to 1972, including stints as Speaker of the House in the 1969 and 1971 sessions; and, subsequently, as a U.S. Congressman from 1983 to 1995 and again from 1997 to 1999, when he served as chairman of the House Agriculture Committee.

“I grew up on that ranch,” he said. “Some of my best memories are of being a green hand and being broken in by the older boys.”

Today, Bob Smith’s sons, Chris and Matt, own the Smith Brothers Ranch, which includes two components: the Silvies River Ranch and the Buck and Bull Ranch. Their land consulting business, Smith West, is based in Medford in southwestern Oregon. “We’re basically just a couple of cowboys looking to shorten our commute,” Chris Smith said. “It’ a six- or seven-hour drive from Medford to the ranch, so after all these years, we decided we’d like to ranch a little closer to home.”

The Smith Brothers Ranch is being offered in two separate blocks: a 2,500-acre tract of excellent bottomland pasture that runs for nearly 10 miles along the Silvies River and an adjoining 1,600-acre block consisting of sagebrush and juniper uplands, and some timber.

The Smiths have long managed their ranch for cattle, but they understand that good ranching is good stewardship. With the financial assistance from the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program, they fenced off the river the entire length of the property to keep cattle from damaging the bank and riparian vegetation. In the uplands, they’ve cleared thirsty, deep-rooted juniper to protect springs and improve habitat for sage grouse.

How does Bob Smith feel about the ranch? “It was my life; I loved it; I still do.”

The Smith Brothers Ranch deserves a new owner who’ll feel the same.

$3.0 million & $1.5 million

(541) 944-8821

Oregon Land and Wildlife

Subscribe to The Land Report HERE.

Yes, absolutely, but with one condition, you must decide that your marketing has to match what the market is offering now and what it will offer over the next year, and, be confident that you will sell, IN TIME! I started talking about this a couple of weeks ago, but it is something that I think needs and deserves additional comment. 

First, let me point out that the number of INTERESTED buyers has only diminished slightly. What do I mean? I mean that the number of people, buyers, that are actively staying engaged and interested in acquiring property has only dropped by about 10% from 2007 levels according to our internal website and magazine demand statistics. In my opinion this is very, very good news. It means that people still have a desire to buy and I for one think that this is why it is critical that you keep your best listings in front of the market, it isn’t a matter of “if” but “when” people will act. So, if I am correct in my analysis that present buyer confidence is weak but overall interest stable, then I believe I have a good chance of getting a return on my marketing investment, over time. That is why it so important to establish your marketing budget for the long term.

Buyers are looking and keeping informed they just are not making the calls or contacting brokers and agents because of the headwinds and uncertainty in the market. This will change, just when and what will cause the change is the big question. We all know what the hurdles are in the market we just don’t know what will tear them down or what will come along that creates new ways of overcoming them. Buyers will act when given the opportunity, reason and need. I will always point out that overall it has never been a better time to buy, but the resistance today is greater than the opportunity, but, with all the buyer advantage that exists, I will assure you, when the key is found to unlock the door holding the buyers out, things are going to happen quickly.

For now the brokers and agents that are making money even in the current environment are those who first and foremost understand that they must stay in front of the market but in the correct proportion, they are giving themselves a chance to succeed by establishing communications and marketing programs that are equal to what the market is giving them today and the amount of time it taking to sell good listings. You must change your listing criteria to allow yourself to win. Educating the seller is important but sticking to your guns is even more important. Don’t discount your services and don’t take a sucker deal that does not allow you to invest and get the return you deserve.

Good luck and good selling.

Steve Haines

www.texasrealestatemagazine.com

sales@texasrealestatemagazine.com

Toll Free 866-469-7544

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