My parents own 130 acres in MS. Dad and I looked for hunting land to buy for awhile before he found this place. It was a little less $ than we’d considered but was in a neighborhood we really liked. He bought it, and about 2 years later I bought 85 acres of timbered land about 3 miles away. We’re used to hunting in woods and much prefer it, though I’ve come to appreciate the opportunities that open land provide (ability to have a dove field and plant trees, namely). I’ve been actively seeking opportunities to add to our holdings in either location. For the most part the land around me is owned by one family and they seem more interested in buying my land than selling me any of theirs.
I live about 2.5 hours away from these properties, while my parents are 30 mins away.
In this area, timberland goes for around $2000 per acre plus timber value. Pasture land can bring over $3k per acre.
A neighbor to Dad’s land (about 100 acres, with a small house) may be selling soon, and I’d like a critique. It’s nearly all pasture land, fenced and cross fenced. The neighbor passed away 2 yrs ago and had only used the land for hay production, which another neighbor cuts and buys. Aesthetically, this tract is about as pretty as it gets in this area. Rolling hills, ponds, timbered creek.
Assuming this land were available and I could afford it (after selling some or all of what I have) here are some ups and downs I see. Of course, neighboring land isn’t available often. Should I try to make a move on it? Ideally, I’d have land much closer to home, but it gets much more expensive, the closer it gets.
Pros:
-More contiguous property. We’d nearly double our contiguous ground, making it all a little more maintainable and usable.
-Some small ponds — fishing opportunities, which is a long term goal for the family.
-Access to utilities that we don’t currently have.
-Storage. There’s a barn on the place and Dad’s land currently has nothing.
-A house. Another goal for me/ my family has been a hunting camp/cabin we could spend weekends
Cons:
- A house. Is upkeep going to eat my lunch?
- I’d be trading timber land for higher cost pasture ground and then taking the pasture ground out of production. Over the next 10-15 years, my timberland will be an income producer (though modestly). If I owned the pasture land, I’d likely forsaking its income potential, by tailoring it more toward hunting. I’d not plant it in trees, but I wouldn’t continue selling hay from the majority of the acreage.
-We’d have much fewer “hunting spots.” The neighbor’s 100 ac would hunt a lot smaller than the 85 ac of timber I currently own. And dad’s land basically has 2 hunting spots, given the impenetrable nature of the young pines that comprise much of his acreage.
-upkeep in general. My timberland is easy to manage for an absentee like me. This open ground would require much more active management, and more costly management, unless I enrolled in some govt program.
Here are some photos. Dad’s land is in yellow, 90 ac of young pine, 40 ac of regenerating steep pasture. The neighbor’s is in red. The green road is a gravel county road, along which there are no utilities. There are utilities along the blue road.
And some close ups.
I live about 2.5 hours away from these properties, while my parents are 30 mins away.
In this area, timberland goes for around $2000 per acre plus timber value. Pasture land can bring over $3k per acre.
A neighbor to Dad’s land (about 100 acres, with a small house) may be selling soon, and I’d like a critique. It’s nearly all pasture land, fenced and cross fenced. The neighbor passed away 2 yrs ago and had only used the land for hay production, which another neighbor cuts and buys. Aesthetically, this tract is about as pretty as it gets in this area. Rolling hills, ponds, timbered creek.
Assuming this land were available and I could afford it (after selling some or all of what I have) here are some ups and downs I see. Of course, neighboring land isn’t available often. Should I try to make a move on it? Ideally, I’d have land much closer to home, but it gets much more expensive, the closer it gets.
Pros:
-More contiguous property. We’d nearly double our contiguous ground, making it all a little more maintainable and usable.
-Some small ponds — fishing opportunities, which is a long term goal for the family.
-Access to utilities that we don’t currently have.
-Storage. There’s a barn on the place and Dad’s land currently has nothing.
-A house. Another goal for me/ my family has been a hunting camp/cabin we could spend weekends
Cons:
- A house. Is upkeep going to eat my lunch?
- I’d be trading timber land for higher cost pasture ground and then taking the pasture ground out of production. Over the next 10-15 years, my timberland will be an income producer (though modestly). If I owned the pasture land, I’d likely forsaking its income potential, by tailoring it more toward hunting. I’d not plant it in trees, but I wouldn’t continue selling hay from the majority of the acreage.
-We’d have much fewer “hunting spots.” The neighbor’s 100 ac would hunt a lot smaller than the 85 ac of timber I currently own. And dad’s land basically has 2 hunting spots, given the impenetrable nature of the young pines that comprise much of his acreage.
-upkeep in general. My timberland is easy to manage for an absentee like me. This open ground would require much more active management, and more costly management, unless I enrolled in some govt program.
Here are some photos. Dad’s land is in yellow, 90 ac of young pine, 40 ac of regenerating steep pasture. The neighbor’s is in red. The green road is a gravel county road, along which there are no utilities. There are utilities along the blue road.
And some close ups.
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