Buying bare dirt land - worth it?

Don't be afraid to offer much lower than they are asking. I saw a WRP parcel for sale in Iowa and it started at 2500/acre and it has now dropped to $1000,-all grass no trees......but the agent said they will take much less. For non hunters it is a burden to own.
Don't be afraid to offer much lower than they are asking. I saw a WRP parcel for sale in Iowa and it started at 2500/acre and it has now dropped to $1000,-all grass no trees......but the agent said they will take much less. For non hunters it is a burden to own.
I know where there's one now that can be bought for under $1000 on the IA/MO line. Tempting, but no.
 
I don't know about there but alot of conservation easements leave a few acres out for structures.If you can plant whatever you want you could have good enough cover in probably no more than 3 years to hold deer.When farm ground was selling for less than hunting land I figured I could make money by creating hunting land in a couple years.
 
Can you plant things without anyone finding out?

Not sure what you mean by things. A tree here or there, maybe. A grove of them? A food plot? No.


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The other thought is what is around it: are you surrounded by woods or are you out in the plains , is there roll to the land/hills and is there water like a stream or a pond or a spring? .... water is like gold! 3x the land is like gold! Terrain will help with breaking up the land as your habitat improves. A rollie piece of land that is bare is something that would be fun to work. A Flat land parcel would present some additional challenges if you were up for it.

How young are you and do you care... habitat takes time but its a labor of love. Are you passing the land on to kids or family? There are a lot of factors to consider. Being close is a huge bonus. That fact alone makes it very appealing. The blank slate is pretty cool and everything you gain will be your doing. Short of this property being out in the middle of some flat treeless plain I would tend to lean towards it over a chunk 3 hours away.

Mixed woods/ ag nearby. Has a stream, but other than that pretty flat.


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I would be 100% certain as to what you can and can't do with the land. Not some... "I think you can..." type of stuff. You need a written copy of the rules of the program...black and white. As long as that is 100% to your liking...then the rest comes into play. Closer to home is nice and more land is great, but it can takes trees a LONG time to grow into deer habitat. Planted trees could take 20 or 30 years... Also look at the big picture....the area in your square mile or so. I am not sure if the hunting rules being different between the states makes a difference to you or not...but it might.

Yeah I called the local office and talked to the conservation planner in that county.

Sounds like it’s probably a no-go. Since it was/ is in the wetland program pretty much any changes have to be geared towards wetland improvement. So the idea of turning it into 50/50 trees and grass is pretty much out the window.


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Sorry, but the WRP piece has too many drawbacks it seems. Go buy a piece of paradise in SW WI. Depending on your life situation, maybe make it your permanent residence?

Permanent residence is a no go. Younger guy and wife and I are both in great jobs and close to family.

But the 40-50 acre dream spot with a cabin is back to the dream.


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If I had a choice between an 80 at $4000/acre with half timber and half crop
-or-
320 acres WRP @ $1000/acre

I’d pick the 80 every time. No hesitation.
 
There’s a huge movement now to telecommute if possible more than ever and that’s only going to gain more steam. So, maybe not a permanent residence but maybe you can spend more time there than you think if your able to take advantage of telecommuting. Keep an open mind on the jobs as well - the days of putting 30 years in for the same company are long over. There are great jobs everywhere these days.
 
Also find out what is required of you as the owner to maintain the grassland. Do they require you to mow, burn or disk so many acres on a rotational basis annually? Don’t buy the land if there are requirements that you can’t do or don’t want to do. Otherwise it sound very interesting.
 
Not if you have big bucks on it. You will make it.
That's a good point. However, I have this problem where i'm also fairly fond of my children and the fact that i have a wife. So there's that to balance as well.

Today at noon we're heading to the farm. I can be there in 60 minutes or so even with picking up my buddy and dragging a trailer with his tractor down. Makes it far easier. Maybe if I had a job I could fully get away from easier it'd help too. But I'm not there just yet.
 
Yeah I called the local office and talked to the conservation planner in that county.

Sounds like it’s probably a no-go. Since it was/ is in the wetland program pretty much any changes have to be geared towards wetland improvement. So the idea of turning it into 50/50 trees and grass is pretty much out the window.


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That is why the price is so cheap... Sorry about it not working out...but at least you know now, before you jumped in and wasn't sure what you was getting into.
 
That is why the price is so cheap... Sorry about it not working out...but at least you know now, before you jumped in and wasn't sure what you was getting into.

Yep.

Apparently even after the WRP part expires and it’s just in the MN RIM program it still has to stay wetland oriented.

It’s a shame because they are also pushing for prairie and forest programs in the state, so I don’t see why I couldn’t just move it to those programs.

It’s not like I wanted to turn it into commercial ag land, just interested in a different type of conservation.

Oh well. Back to the waiting game for the right piece.


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Personally, I think it's a good thing it has to stay in wetland/prairie. We have lost way to much of it and it isn't coming back. With that being said sorry it didn't work out for you. Having property close to home is hard to put a value on.
 
My wife and I bought land five hours away from home and the fact that it was so cheap compared to land close by influenced us for sure. Close by land was so expensive it was not even dreamed about. Land five hours away was cheap and it turned out to be the place we wanted to retire to. It worked out perfectly by dumb luck but it worked. We were able to buy a lot of land because it was so cheap and as luck would have it, we want to live here anyway as compared to where we came from. Land near the old home would have been great when we were young and working but when we retired that land would not have been right for us any longer. Maybe land close by could have sold for big bucks and then buying in a less populated area would have been possible, that is an unknown. Buying five hours away from home a few miles from a vacation area where we happened to have some waterfront cottages worked out for us, financially and most other ways. How cheap was cheap? A single timber sale of what most called junk woods more than paid for the entire property. There are no strings attached to our property and when you live on it that is a big deal! I would do the same thing again if I were reliving my life. That is I would buy for retirement and no matter your age it is not that far out. I can relate to the idea of buying things in government programs to take advantage of said programs and we have been tempted; the older we get, the happier we are that we didn't get involved with the government. They are in our pockets enough as it is.
 
Personally, I think it's a good thing it has to stay in wetland/prairie. We have lost way to much of it and it isn't coming back. With that being said sorry it didn't work out for you. Having property close to home is hard to put a value on.

I mean I’m not against wetland or prairie, just not for the chunk of land I want to buy for deer hunting. Lol


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My wife and I bought land five hours away from home and the fact that it was so cheap compared to land close by influenced us for sure. Close by land was so expensive it was not even dreamed about. Land five hours away was cheap and it turned out to be the place we wanted to retire to. It worked out perfectly by dumb luck but it worked. We were able to buy a lot of land because it was so cheap and as luck would have it, we want to live here anyway as compared to where we came from. Land near the old home would have been great when we were young and working but when we retired that land would not have been right for us any longer. Maybe land close by could have sold for big bucks and then buying in a less populated area would have been possible, that is an unknown. Buying five hours away from home a few miles from a vacation area where we happened to have some waterfront cottages worked out for us, financially and most other ways. How cheap was cheap? A single timber sale of what most called junk woods more than paid for the entire property. There are no strings attached to our property and when you live on it that is a big deal! I would do the same thing again if I were reliving my life. That is I would buy for retirement and no matter your age it is not that far out. I can relate to the idea of buying things in government programs to take advantage of said programs and we have been tempted; the older we get, the happier we are that we didn't get involved with the government. They are in our pockets enough as it is.

Glad to hear it all worked out for you guys!


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Glad to hear it all worked out for you guys!


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Thanks Bgusty. Another reason for buying where you might retire versus close to home is it is a great way to amass a large acreage. If one wants to eventually have 5 or 600 acres in one piece it is sometimes difficult to find properties that large for sale. Starting with a hundred or two and buying the neighboring properties as they become available over many years is a good way to put a bunch of small pieces together to end up with a large one.
 
Thanks Bgusty. Another reason for buying where you might retire versus close to home is it is a great way to amass a large acreage. If one wants to eventually have 5 or 600 acres in one piece it is sometimes difficult to find properties that large for sale. Starting with a hundred or two and buying the neighboring properties as they become available over many years is a good way to put a bunch of small pieces together to end up with a large one.
I guess I better start looking for land in TN.
 
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