Land Report February 2012 Newsletter

More and more investors are turning to land. Not only is it a safe haven for their capital, but in many instances it can throw off steady revenue streams. The February edition of the Land Report newsletter showcases numerous properties with substantial income-generating potential.

Let’s start with Hudye Farm: almost 18,000 acres of dryland and irrigated farming along the Colorado-Kansas state line.

Add to this Montana’s Broken O Ranch, which features The Treasure State’s largest block of irrigated land as well as an impressive cow-calf operation and significant recreational income.

We also provide hyperlinks to eight other properties in The Land Report Top Ten, including several significant cattle operations with proven returns, including Hawaii’s Hana Ranch, Texas’s Rockpile Ranch, and Montana’s Dana Ranch.

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 Ten – March 2011

Here are America’s priciest properties for March. Dana Ranch, pictured here, is a landmark holding that has had just two owners in the last 95 years and is listed by Dave Johnson with Hall and Hall.

1. Rancho Dos Pueblos: $90 million
This impressive oceanfront parcel is on the market for the first time in three decades. Spanning 2,175 acres just west of Santa Barbara, California, it’s one of the largest remaining ranches along the breathtaking Gaviota Coast. The 2,000 northern acres are available separately for $19 million. Kerry Mormann & Associates has the listing.

2. Aspen Valley Ranch: $59 million
Billed as the largest ranch near Aspen in the Roaring Fork Valley, this ranch boasts senior water rights as well as over 800 acres and is located just 10 minutes from the Aspen airport. Joshua Saslove of Joshua & Co. has the listing.

3. Robert Taylor Ranch: $56 million
112 acres in Los Angeles’s tony Brentwood enclave. The expansive ranch house, which was designed by Robert Byrd, features 17 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms. Joyce Rey of Coldwell Banker Previews International has the listing.

4. Hana Ranch: $55 million
This 4,500-acre working ranch on eastern Maui surrounds the town of Hana. The property boasts two miles of Pacific oceanfront and rises 2,200 feet up the slopes of majestic Haleakala. Dan Omer of Island Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.

4. Rockpile Ranch: $55 million
At the Rockpile Ranch, the Old West and cutting-edge range management blend seamlessly. For only the third time in over a century, this 55,374-acre cattle ranch in the Davis Mountains of Far West Texas has come on the market. Since 1992, the Rockpile has been owned by McCoy Remme Ranches (No. 51 on the 2010 Land Report 100). James King of King Land and Water is the listing agent.

6. Flying Dog Ranch: $46 million
This Aspen landmark sits on 245 acres that include nearly a mile of Collins Creek and Woody Creek. In addition, the Flying Dog has a great neighbor: the White River National Forest, whose two million acres feature some of Colorado’s top fishing and hunting. Lynne Kirchner of Amoré Realty has the listing.

7. Dana Ranch: $45 million
Over the last 95 years, this landmark holding has had just two owners. The Dana Ranch has won numerous conservation awards. The ranch supports 3,000 animal units on 59,000 total acres (45,000 deeded plus 14,000 acres of captive State leased lands). The profitable cattle operation also boasts extraordinary wildlife and fishery resources. Listed by Dave Johnson with Hall and Hall.

8. Craig Ranch: $43 million
This 838-acre ranch sits 20 minutes from Aspen, offers stunning views of the Elk Range, and features one mile of frontage on both sides of Woody Creek. Co-marketed by Mason Morse Ranch Company and Mason Morse Real Estate’s Aspen office.

9. Villa Montana: $35 million
Piecing together 500 acres in California’s wine country is an achievement in itself, one that only a pro such as Joe Montana could pull off. Included on the Hall of Famer’s estate are an equestrian center, a full-sized basketball court, a working olive farm, and a 9,700-square-foot Tuscan-inspired residence. Avram Goldman of Pacific Union International has the listing.

10. Dallenbach Ranch: $29 million
130 deeded acres surrounded by BLM and Colorado Division of Wildlife with Frying Pan River Frontage, Dallenbach Ranch is close to Basalt and Aspen Colorado. The ranch boasts Gold Medal private fly fishing on the Frying Pan with exceptional Elk, Big Horn, Mule Deer and Black Bear hunting. Fay Ranches has the listing.

Land Report Top Ten – February 2011

From the Lone Star State to Hawaii and the Atlantic to the Pacific, here are America’s priciest properties, led by $90 million Rancho Dos Pueblos, pictured here, which is listed by Kerry Mormann.

1. Rancho Dos Pueblos: $90 million
This impressive oceanfront parcel is on the market for the first time in three decades. Spanning 2,175 acres just west of Santa Barbara, California, it’s one of the largest remaining ranches along the breathtaking Gaviota Coast. The 2,000 northern acres are available separately for $19 million. Kerry Mormann & Associates has the listing.

2. Aspen Valley Ranch: $59 million
Billed as the largest ranch near Aspen in the Roaring Fork Valley, this ranch boasts senior water rights as well as over 800 acres and is located just 10 minutes from the Aspen airport. Joshua Saslove of Joshua & Co. has the listing.

3. Robert Taylor Ranch: $56 million
112 acres in Los Angeles’s tony Brentwood enclave. The expansive ranch house, which was designed by Robert Byrd, features 17 bedrooms and 17 bathrooms. Joyce Rey of Coldwell Banker Previews International has the listing.

4. Hana Ranch: $55 million
This 4,500-acre working ranch on eastern Maui surrounds the town of Hana. The property boasts two miles of Pacific oceanfront and rises 2,200 feet up the slopes of majestic Haleakala. Dan Omer of Island Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.

4. Rockpile Ranch: $55 million
At the Rockpile Ranch, the Old West and cutting-edge range management blend seamlessly. For only the third time in over a century, this 55,374-acre cattle ranch in the Davis Mountains of Far West Texas has come on the market. Since 1992, the Rockpile has been owned by McCoy Remme Ranches (No. 51 on the 2010 Land Report 100). James King of King Land and Water is the listing agent.

6. Villa Montana: $49 million
Piecing together 500 acres in California’s wine country is an achievement in itself, one that only a pro such as Joe Montana could pull off. Included on the Hall of Famer’s estate are an equestrian center, a full-sized basketball court, a working olive farm, and a 9,700-square-foot Tuscan-inspired residence. Avram Goldman of Pacific Union International has the listing.

7. Flying Dog Ranch: $46 million
This Aspen landmark sits on 245 acres that include nearly a mile of Collins Creek and Woody Creek. In addition, the Flying Dog has a great neighbor: the White River National Forest, whose two million acres feature some of Colorado’s top fishing and hunting. Lynne Kirchner of Amoré Realty has the listing.

8. Dana Ranch: $45 million
Over the last 95 years, this landmark holding has had just two owners. The Dana Ranch has won numerous conservation awards. The ranch supports 3,000 animal units on 59,000 total acres (45,000 deeded plus 14,000 acres of captive State leased lands). The profitable cattle operation also boasts extraordinary wildlife and fishery resources. Listed by Dave Johnson with Hall and Hall.

8. Tyndal Point: $45 million
55 acres at the east end of Long Island feature 3,000 feet of shoreline views as well as several residences, a deepwater dock, and an orchard. Scott Strough of Strough Real Estate Associates shares the listing with Gary DePersia of The Corcoran Group.

10. Craig Ranch: $43 million
This 838-acre ranch sits 20 minutes from Aspen, offers stunning views of the Elk Range, and features one mile of frontage on both sides of Woody Creek. Co-marketed by Mason Morse Ranch Company and Mason Morse Real Estate’s Aspen office.

Sold! Oregon’s 42,500-Acre Ochoco Ranch

The heavily timbered Ochoco Ranch, located in Central Oregon just 30 minutes from the red hot market in and around Bend, sold last week to a buyer from Texas who first saw the property at the website of the listing broker, Mason & Morse. Originally listed in 2007 for $48.5 million ($1,143 per acre), the price was subsequently lowered to $42.5 million ($1,000 per acre).

“We listed the Ochoco in April 2007, so it took about 18 months for it to sell,” said Robb Van Pelt, Managing Broker for Mason & Morse Ranch Company. “Properties of this caliber are few and far between, so 18 [months] to two years is the norm. Sell it too quickly, and you know you underpriced it.”

Located in Crook County, Ochoco Ranch features 35 miles of spring fed creeks and 65 mapped springs. It sits adjacent to the Ochoco National Forest and the Lookout Mountain Roadless Management Area along its eastern border and abuts private ranches on the other sides. In addition to the deeded acreage, Ochoco Ranch controls the cutting rights on an adjoining 3,111+/- of private land under a timber for grass trade use agreement.

According to the Mason & Morse website, the property included 42,428 acres of timbered high country in one contiguous block. Distinctive elements include: no public access; a high percentage of forested lands; smooth, gently rolling terrain with deep soils allowing the ranch to be very usable and productive; very secure, easily controlled and inexpensive to operate.

Among the possible uses for the property were:

1) A private and secure retreat for family/business recreation purposes, possibly incorporating a conservation strategy for tax savings benefit.

2) A buy-and-hold strategy allowing the value of the land and timber to continue growing.

3) Splitting the property into 4 to 10 smaller ranch properties for resale.

4) Developing a small area into a clustered development with “common access” to keep the remainder a large, open, natural property protected by a conservation easement.

5) A resort overlay designation for a world class destination involving mountain recreation.