Top Ethanol Producer Files For Bankruptcy
November 7, 2008
One of the leading stories of 2008 has been skyrocketing commodity prices and the corresponding surge in land values throughout the Midwest, Great Plains, Southwest, and other mineral-rich areas of the country. Although the bubble has by no means burst, there are definitely signs of a slowdown, particularly given the recent bankruptcy filing by one of the nation’s largest ethanol producers, VeraSun Energy Corp. Read more
JOE Reports 3Q Loss
November 6, 2008
Florida’s largest private landowner, The St. Joe Company, reported a third quarter net loss of $19.2 million (21 cents a share) on Tuesday. JOE’s President and CEO Britt Greene cited the global financial crisis and the dowturn in the Florida. Now for the good news. Read more
Land Report Library: First Shooting Light
November 5, 2008
I don’t know about you, but the books I single out as worthy of going in the Land Report Library aren’t the ones I take out to the country. They are the ones that send me there when I don’t have time to get away. First Shooting Light belongs at the top of this list. Read more
Property Tax Appeals on the Rise
November 4, 2008
Last week we took note of the great disparity in property tax rates from state to state with New Jersey levying an astounding $2,642 per citizen on the high end and Alabama charging its citizens an average of $477 by comparison. Now Investor’s Business Daily has taken that discussion a step further and singled out the rise in the number of property owners appealing their tax assessements. Read more
15 to 30 Percent ROI on Arkansas Land?
November 3, 2008
Hunting land isn’t just for birds, especially in the South. From the Mississippi Delta to the rice fields along the Gulf Coast, land with waterfowl has long been a great investment. Some investors buy and sell these tracts purely for speculation, and others for Mallards and Gadwalls. The really savvy do both.
Steamboat Springs Preservation Ranch Takes the Gold
October 31, 2008
It always amazes me when someone takes the time to go above and beyond the call of duty to improve an already one-of-a-kind piece of property. The idea is to take some great place and make it even more over the top. That is definitely the case at Marabou, a Colorado ranch preservation community just outside Steamboat Springs that was recently honored at the Pacific Coast Builders Conference. Read more
Lessons of the Barnett Shale
October 30, 2008
Although I don’t agree with the conclusion of this excellent article in Sunday’s Dallas Morning News - that the biggest mineral play in the U.S. has gone bust - there is a lot of good hands-on reporting by Elizabeth Souder and Marice Richtert to consider. Read it closely. The underlying theme of the piece - how thousands of landowners profited or spurned quick profits on their properties - is one that will be shared by millions of Americans for decades to come. Here’s why. Read more
U.S. Marshals Seize 695-Acre Texas Hill Country Ranch
October 29, 2008
A few years ago I started noticing all the classifieds that were advertising vehicles for sale. They had been seized by one branch or another of the federal government. Most of the time drugs were involved. Then, thanks to the mortgage meltdown, county sheriffs got busy selling foreclosed homes on the courthouse steps. But close to 700 acres in the Texas Hill Country on the block courtesy of the U.S. Marshals? Here’s the scoop. Read more
America’s Largest Landowner Bucks Down Market
October 28, 2008
On Monday, Plum Creek Timber Company (NYSE:PCL) reported a 17 percent increase in third quarter earnings to $69 million on revenues of $414 million compared to year-ago earnings of $59 million on revenues of $407 million. At 40 cents a share, the results matched the average analyst estimate, but given the downturn in the U.S. economy as a whole and the housing market in particular, it was an impressive performance for the Seattle-based timber REIT, which owns more than 8 million acres of timberlands in 18 states. Read more
Lowest Property Taxes in U.S.? Alabama
October 27, 2008
Alabamans pay on average just $477 per person in property and real taxes. That’s one of the many conclusions of this 64-page background paper from the Washington-based Tax Foundation that was released earlier this month. But you already knew that because you read this post at LandReport.com on Alabama’s low tax rates several months ago. Guess which state finished at the bottom of the list?
