News Desk

Maine Goes Public on 10 Million Acres

Posted on May 5, 2008 by Eric OKeefe

The last and largest contiguous block of forestland east of the Mississippi – more than 10 million acres – is up for grabs … at least as far as public policy goes. Maine’s Land Use Regulation Commission is now holding public…

Tagged with: Maine, public policy, Timber, timber companies
Posted in Eric OKeefe, Feature, News Desk, Northeast, Regional News

“Land is the Riskiest Form of Speculative Real Estate”

Posted on May 1, 2008 by Eric OKeefe

Every once is a while, someone gets it so wrong that they end up being right. This quote by Paul Puryear, a housing analyst at Raymond James & Associates, ran in today’s Wall Street Journal. It’s about CALPers and its tanking…

Tagged with: calpers, investing in land, risk
Posted in Eric OKeefe, Feature, Pacific

Max Baucus Out to Ax Timber Tax

Posted on April 28, 2008 by Eric OKeefe

Timber sales are typically taxed at the standard 15 percent capital gain rate. Yet timber companies typically pay the standard 35 percent corporate tax rate. This quirk in the tax law has led many timber companies including Plum Creek and Potlatch to restructure as…

Park City Tops Hot Markets Out West

Posted on April 27, 2008 by Land Report Editors

Open range, snow capped peaks, and beautiful views embody what many seek when searching for their first piece of property. One need look no further than the scenic American West when searching for this ideal piece of land. The Rocky Mountain area…

Did Anyone Else See This?

Posted on April 26, 2008 by Eric OKeefe

This Smart Money cover story touting rural land as an investment almost slipped by me. Fortunately, a Land Report reader brought it to my attention. Charitable giving, making a career change, a complete home makeover, collecting art, following a favorite…

Tagged with: investing in land, land prices, Smart Money
Posted in Eric OKeefe, Feature

The Clean Energy Scam

Posted on April 8, 2008 by Eric OKeefe

Amazing new diets, intriguing self-help books, a daily dose of St. John’s Wort – we are a country obsessed with quick fixes. Now, as Time points out in this cover story titled The Clean Energy Myth, we can add ethanol…

For Sale: Boot Jack Ranch

Posted on April 2, 2008 by Eric OKeefe

The most mystifying aspect to the $88 million Boot Jack Ranch, which is currently listed with a Sotheby’s affiliate in Telluride, is that it’s owned by a Silicon Valley commercial real estate developer. This property is a textbook example of…

Sometimes the News Hits Home

Posted on April 1, 2008 by Eric OKeefe

It’s one thing to surf the Web and browse the latest news from across the country and around the world. It’s an entirely different matter when the very first story you read involves people, and places, you know.

Posted in News Desk

Cattlemen, Conservationists, & Developers Duke It Out in Arizona

Posted on March 30, 2008 by Eric OKeefe

The fate of more than 9 million acres of public lands may soon rest in the hands of the citizens of Arizona in large part because of a stalled effort in the Arizona legislature.

Tagged with: Arizona, cattlemen, developers, Gov. Janet Napolitano, initiative, Sierra Club, trust land
Posted in Eric OKeefe, Feature, News Desk

Fortune Magazine Gets It Wrong

Posted on March 29, 2008 by Eric OKeefe

Fortune Small Business didn’t just miss the boat. They missed the dock with this article that was supposed to single out the top cities to start your own company.

Tagged with: Best Places to Live, Fortune Magazine, Relocation
Posted in Eric OKeefe, Feature, News Desk