Land Report June 2012 Newsletter

A lot to discuss in our June newsletter, in particular, the late-breaking news about the pending sale of the Hawaiian island of Lanai by David Murdock to Oracle CEO Larry Ellison. To give you an idea of the importance of this transaction, none other than Hawaii’s Governor, Neil Abercrombie, broke the news to the general public. No word on the final sale price. According to published reports, however, Murdock had been asking between $500 and $600 million for the 141-square-mile island.

For up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter. The Land Report is also on Pinterest.

Land Report May 2012 Newsletter

Many items to consider from our May newsletter, but let’s stick to page one material. The Land Report Top Ten has a brand-new look with Montana’s Broken O Ranch now crowning the list. The 124,000-acre Bates Sanders Swan listing features more than 20 miles of the Sun River, carries 3,500 mother cows, and produces about 25,000 tons of alfalfa hay and 700,000 bushels of small grain crops annually. At $132.5 million, it’s not a ranch. It’s a hedge fund, one built on a rock-solid agricultural asset.

Two properties have joined the Top Ten: Hawaii’s Dillingham Ranch, our new No. 5 at $65 million, which is listed by Zackary Wright with Christie’s; and Swain’s Neck on Nantucket Island, the new No. 7 at $59 million, courtesy of Gary Winn at Maury People Sotheby’s International Realty. There has been a $5 million reduction on No. 4 California’s Rancho Dos Pueblos, which Kerry Mormann & Associates now has listed for $79 million.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter. The Land Report is now on Pinterest.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Sold! Fortress Cliffs Ranch

MARCH 29, 2012 POST:
Texas Parks & Wildlife voted to sell 2,014 acres of the Fortress Cliffs Ranch adjoining Palo Duro Canyon State Park to Sooter Ranch of Perryton for $2.4 million. The acreage is under a conservation easement held by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department.

Read more HERE.

SEPTEMBER 17, 2008 POST:

Almost 3,000 pristine acres valued at more than $5 million along the rim of Palo Duro Canyon has been sold to The Trust for Public Land (TPL), a nonprofit land conservation organization. After purchasing the Texas Panhandle property, TPL immediately transferred it to Texas Parks & Wildlife, thus increasing the size of Palo Duro Canyon State Park by nearly 10 percent.

“The sale of this property represents the core of our company’s mission,” says John Watson, President & CEO of Orvis/Cushman & Wakefield in Colorado Springs, which brokered the sale.

Watson spent more than a year spearheading the deal: securing the listing, seeking out TPL and introducing them to Texas Parks & Wildlife, and then patiently shepherding the transaction through numerous appraisals and reviews. “There is a finite supply of investment-grade recreational properties, and Orvis/Cushman & Wakefield’s goal is to find the best stewards for the protection and appreciation of the land,” Watson added.

A spectacular sporting and recreational property, the 2,864-acre Fortress Cliffs Ranch was recently appraised at $5.22 million ($1,800+ per acre). By deeding it to the State of Texas, TPL increased the size of the adjacent 29,187-acre Palo Duro Canyon State Park by almost 10 percent. “The rare chance to protect six miles of cliffs overlooking the Grand Canyon of Texas, to keep that bluff looking the way the first Texans saw it — this is unparalleled,” said Carter Smith, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department executive director. “I know all Texans can appreciate the significance of this acquisition for our park system. It’s for everyone alive today, and for generations to come.”

The deal closed on August 28.

The Land Report Spring 2012

Enjoy the Spring issue of The Land Report!

Learn the stories of America’s Best Brokerages in our second annual survey. More than 70 are profiled from coast to coast. Read how Bernie Uechtritz pulled off 2011′s Deal of the Year by selling Camp Cooley Ranch in just 45 days. Find out why George Clooney has such strong ties to the land in the Academy Award-winning movie The Descendants.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter. Better yet, Land Report is now on Pinterest.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Oregon’s Columbia River Wetlands Restoration Project

Over 70 years ago, a dike was built to turn Columbia River wetlands into farms. But the tide is about to change with a restoration project that will return the land to the kind of wetlands that help young salmon rest and grow.

Purchased by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) and the Columbia Land Trust for $5.3 million, the 920-acre Columbia Stock Ranch is the biggest, single habitat acquisition in the Columbia estuary in 40 years. The BPA, in conjunction with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Native American tribes have been combing the Columbia basin for habitat projects to mitigate dam operations that have led to the placement of 13 runs of salmon and steelhead on endangered or threatened lists.

This year, the Columbia Land Trust, BPA and the U.S. Army Corps will develop their plan for restoring the ranch and will include opportunities for public comment on the project. Work will begin in 2013 and is expected to take at least five years to complete.

Evlon Childs, project manager for the U.S. Army Corps, says of the project: “The land was totally disconnected from the river. Now we are trying to reconnect it so nature can take care of itself.”

To read more, click here.

Land Report March 2012 Newsletter

The Spring issue of The Land Report has arrived!

Right now it’s en route to bookstores such as Barnes & Noble and subscribers’ offices around the world, but thanks to the miracles of modern technology you can read right now right HERE.

Learn the stories of America’s Best Brokerages in our second annual survey. More than 70 are profiled from coast to coast. Read how Bernie Uechtritz pulled off 2011′s Deal of the Year by selling Camp Cooley Ranch in just 45 days. Find out why George Clooney has such strong ties to the land in the Academy Award-winning movie The Descendants.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter. Better yet, Land Report is now on Pinterest.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Ask the Expert: Dean Saunders

Eye on the Market: Dean Saunders has chaired the Florida Real Estate Commission, is certified as an Accredited Land Consultant (ALC), and was awarded the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation in 2010. The Land Report asked one of the country’s leading land brokers for his take on current market conditions.

You’ve got a long history on the land. You’re a sixth-generation Floridian with deep roots in agriculture. What keeps you going?
I love what I do. I love the people I work with. I love getting outside and looking at land. Every day I wake up, I can’t wait to get going. It’s fun, and I get paid to do it.

When you were in the Florida Legislature, you helped craft key conservation legislation. Can that work as an investment angle?
Definitely. I’ve got one client, a rancher, whose primary investment has been land over the last 15 years, he’s tripled his acreage by skillful use of conservation easements.

What’s the strategy?
He buys a piece of land for farming, hay, sod, and cattle. Then he sells a conservation easement. With the proceeds, he buys another piece of property and starts the whole process over again.

Who are your foreign investors?
It wasn’t too long ago that we had a bunch of Venezuelans trying to get their money out ahead of Chavez. Today’s market is primarily influenced by Canadians, Brits, some Germans, as well as South Americans.

Are they all about farmland?
Seems like everyone is, right? I’m a member of the realtors land institute, and a lot of my buddies in the Midwest and the Delta have seen land prices triple these past few years. A big part of that is commodity pricing, but there’s also the market. Investors are also looking for a safe haven for their money. You can’t earn anything from banks. The stock market is so volatile. But if you buy the right piece of land at the right price, you can generate a 5 percent return from cash rents. Rising commodity prices mean farmers can pay higher cash rents. This increases the value of the land. So people are buying farmland as fast as they can find it.

Land Report January 2012 Newsletter

Here’s a great way to start your year: the January edition of The Land Report newsletter.

This issue is chock full of stories and links to essential resources, including the Winter 2011 issue of The Land Report and of course January’s Land Report Top Ten.

As you might imagine, December wrapped up with a slew of end-of-the-year closings, and several key ones are detailed in the January newsletter, including the sale of Montana’s Horse Ranch and the sealed-bid auction of the Robert Mondavi Estate in Napa.

For more up to the minute reports on listings, auctions, sales, and breaking news pertaining to land and landowners, be sure to follow The Magazine of the American Landowner on Facebook and Twitter.

P.S. Our award-winning quarterly magazine is available in a print version via subscription.

Land Report Top 10: Aspen Valley Ranch

Situated in the picturesque valley just outside of Aspen, the Aspen Valley Ranch is the last working ranch in the area that reflects the mountain heritage of the West.

At 813 acres, this prestigious family legacy ranch is a rare offering in Woody Creek, Colorado. With its unique traits of both a historic, working ranch and a luxurious recreational getaway, this property features senior water rights, irrigated pastures, and a new 10-stall horse barn. Additionally, its proximity to public lands, trails, wildlife, the Roaring Fork River, and a handful of Aspen ski areas provides ample recreational opportunities.

Aspen Valley Ranch is listed with Joshua & Co. For more information, contact Joshua Saslove at (970) 948-3876 or joshua@joshuaco.com.

Click here to see the full list of Land Report’s Top 10 priciest properties.

Land Report Top 10: Ranch Dos Pueblos

Located in Santa Barbara, California, Ranch Dos Pueblos is one of the largest remaining ranches along the Gaviota Coast – stretching from the Santa Ynez Mountains down to a sandy beach on the Pacific Ocean.

At 2,175 acres, the ranch includes a lovely private sandy beach compound, which offers breathtaking views of passing ships, soaring gulls, frolicking dolphins, and the occasional spouts of migrating whales. The property also features abundant agriculture with numerous native and specimen plantings, trees, and orchards.

Surrounded by large ranches and the Los Padres National Forest, Ranch Dos Pueblos offers an array of recreational opportunities, including hiking, camping, and fresh water recreation at nearby Lake Cachuma.

For sale for the first time in over 30 years, Ranch Dos Pueblos is listed with Kerry Mormann & Associates.

Click here to see the full list of Land Report’s Top Ten priciest properties.

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