Four Reasons to Invest in Wyoming Ranches

Home to some of the most exceptional land in the West, Wyoming has been attracting folks for generations. It is an ideal spot for setting up a recreational retreat or agricultural operation. There is truly something for everyone. And it’s this diversity that makes it a perfect state for investment.

In this post, we will highlight four reasons what you should invest in Wyoming ranches.

Miles and Miles of Pristine Land

If you are planning to work the land or use the ranch as a weekend getaway, you will find some of the most beautiful lands in the state right at your doorstep. As a sparsely populated state, Wyoming features miles and miles of untouched land to explore. In fact, if you find a ranch near the mountains or the water, you might not have to go far to find world-class hunting and fly-fishing.

The state is home to large herds of elk, as well as antelope, mule deer, and bighorn sheep. Many properties are ideally located to take advantage of the migratory patterns so you could have some truly world-class hunting on your property. Other activities that can be enjoyed regularly include horse riding, hiking, and mountain biking.

Diverse Opportunities

With a long and storied history of ranching, you have many opportunities to create revenue streams from ranch properties. Raising cattle is an excellent way to generate income, but providing land for grazing is also a great way to secure regular profits without having to put in a tremendous amount of work.

Other commodities that have significant demand include hay, wheat, and wool. Even if you are not planning to be on-site throughout the year, you can hire a ranch management team to help to ensure that the property keeps working for you.

Tourism is big business in Wyoming. If you are located near one of the fantastic National Parks, such as Yellowstone and Grand Teton, you can attract high-paying guests by offering top-quality lodging. You can also leverage any landowner tags to encourage premium-paying guests.

A Rich Land

A large proportion of the state’s income comes from mineral extraction-such as coal, oil, and natural gas. When looking at prospective properties, make sure that you check the current state of the mineral rights for the property. Having control of mineral rights can potentially add a great deal of value to the property.

You are never far from large bodies of water in Wyoming, which makes it perfect for fishing and agricultural operations. If you hold the water rights to bodies of water that pass through your property, then you have scope to make improvements to the property such as irrigation. You can also participate in programs to create well-stocked fisheries. Both of these options can add significant value to your property.

Low Tax Rates

If you are planning to move out to Wyoming, you’ll be pleased to know that you are moving to a state with one of the lowest tax rates in the whole of the United States. Currently, there is no income tax levy, and there are numerous tax benefits available to landowners who participate in conservation programs.

Four Reasons to Invest in New Mexico Ranches

New Mexico has a long history of ranching, and it still plays a vital role in daily life throughout the state. Agriculture has been driving the economy since the Mogollon people first planted beans and corn over 2,500 years ago. Today, New Mexico is a desirable location for investors due to its prime real estate and potential for substantial returns on investment.

If you are considering a move out West, then you should take a look at these four reasons to invest in New Mexico ranches.

Diverse Opportunities for Income Generation

Choosing to invest in New Mexico ranches presents many opportunities for income generation. Even if you are not planning to be a live-in owner, there are still many ways in which you can make significant returns on investment. Agriculture has always been a major driving force in the state’s economy, with cattle, pecans, and corn being some of the most sought-after commodities.

New Mexico has a very lucrative oil and mineral extraction industry, so you would be wise to look for properties that currently hold their own mineral rights. Even if the property hasn’t been surveyed, the prospect of desirable minerals being somewhere on the property will add significant value to the property.

A Rich Land

New Mexico is well-known for its open spaces and otherworldly landscapes. If you have never been to New Mexico, then your first look at some of the majestic National Parks and monuments will leave you in no doubt as to why the state has been nicknamed the Land of Enchantment.

There are infinite opportunities for exploration either on foot or horseback, making the state the perfect escape from the slog of city life. But the state doesn’t just offer stunning landscapes—it is also home to some of the most excellent hunting in the country. Elk travel through parts of the state in huge numbers, while pronghorn, mule deer, and wild turkey are never too far away from your doorstep.

Conservation Opportunities

Many proactive conservation programs are running throughout the state. These programs are fundamental to ensuring that the mistakes of the past are not repeated. Large tracts of the land in New Mexico have been traditionally over-farmed, but thanks to bodies such as the New Mexico Land Conservancy, a lot of the land is thriving again.

As a landowner, you can help to protect the land and keep it productive for future generations. Conservation programs help to keep the ecosystems thriving and the soil fertile. There are also tax benefits and other financial incentives if you provide easements or take an active role in conservation programs.

Low Rates of Tax

New Mexico offers a high standard of living without the need to pay through the nose in taxes. The state has one of the lowest levels of income and property tax in the whole of the United States. This obviously has many advantages for prospective buyers.

Four Ranch Marketing Tools to Attract Prospective Buyers

So, you want to put your property on the market but aren’t sure how to attract prospective buyers? No matter whether you go through an agency or do a private listing, you will need to let people know that your property is on the market. But that knowledge alone is unlikely to encourage prospective buyers to visit your ranch.

Selling ranch land is a long process, but there are several things you can do to get ahead of the curve. Having a solid awareness of ranch marketing tools will help you create an intriguing value proposition for buyers and get the property sold much more quickly.

Photography

It is crucial that you spend time making sure that your property looks its best before you put it on the market. You should take care of any outstanding maintenance or improvement issues such as fences, buildings, and irrigation channels. Once your ranch looks its best, you need to bring in a professional photographer. Sorry—shots taken with smartphones and blurry photography just won’t cut it if you want to attract buyers.

Professional photography can be utilized in many ways, such as online and in brochures. These photos will be the first look that prospective buyers get at your ranch. And you know what they say about first impressions.

Advertising

Once you have your ranch looking its best and the photography is done, you will need to advertise. Many brokers will take care of this for you, as they will be able to leverage their knowledge of the local markets to put your adverts in front of the right people.

Professional photos and details about the ranch’s unique features will all be used to hook potential buyers into expressing interest. Websites, trade magazines, and directories are all places where successful ad campaigns can be launched. It is also possible to use dynamic advertisements in search engines such as Google. Your broker will be able to advise you on the best approach for the type of ranch you have.

SEO

We mentioned dynamic advertisements on search engines above, and this is an effective way to reach buyers. Search engine optimization (SEO) involves creating ads based on specific keywords. For example, if you create a ranch using the keywords “cattle ranch in Wyoming,” every time someone searches for those keywords or variations of it, your advertisement will be placed in front of them.

This approach takes patience and testing to get the right search terms, but when you do, the traffic to your website or listing will increase exponentially.

Social Media

Another effective marketing tool in the information age is social networking sites like Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Twitter, and YouTube. All of these platforms allow you to place ads and details about your property in front of a highly targeted audience.

Social media marketing works in a similar way to SEO, where you create ads based on certain demographics and interests.

What Next?

If this all sounds a bit overwhelming, then it is well worth discussing it with an experienced ranch broker who will be able to guide you through the available options, as well as running marketing campaigns for you.

An Investor’s Guide to Top Land for Sale in Montana

Real estate is always a sound investment for anyone looking to build up their investment portfolios. Montana is an excellent state in which to invest in land, as it offers outstanding income generation opportunities and solid returns on investment.

To get you started, we have put together this short investor’s guide to the top land for sale in Montana.

What Do You Want the Land For?

Before you head out to look at sites, you should have a clear idea of what you want the land for. Are you planning to use the land as a family home, or would you like to operate a working ranch? Your answer to this will determine the best places to search for available properties. On the other hand, if you are planning to spend very little time on the land, you will need to consider how you can make the land work for you when you are not there.

In the following sections, we will take a look at the best areas for different kinds of ranches.

Agricultural

The cattle industry is big business in Montana, so it would make sense to get involved in this industry on some level. Even if you are not planning to run cattle yourself, leasing land for grazing can bring in a reliable income.

If you are planning to run an agricultural operation, then there are many ways to go. Crops such as wheat, hay, beans, and potatoes are in high demand. Therefore, you will need to have a clear idea of what areas are best for your chosen crops. For example, wheat is grown throughout the state, but if you are based in the northwest area of Montana, then it would make sense to plant robust crops such as potatoes and beets due to the changing temperatures throughout the year.

Hunting

Many people are attracted to the western states for their recreational activities and the abundance of big game. Montana is no exception to this, with large mountainous areas and diverse landscapes attracting many different species of big game such as elk, mule deer, bears, and mountain lions, as well as large upland birds.

The southeast corner of Montana provides the perfect combination of terrain and habitats to enjoy world-class trophy hunting from the comfort of your doorstep. Access to excellent hunting conditions also presents many exciting business opportunities. Providing top-quality lodging and access to your property or easy access to nearby hunting areas would attract discerning clientele who would be more than happy to pay premium prices.

Perfect Family Locations

One of the reasons some people invest in land in Montana is because they are looking to create a legacy ranch for future generations of the family to enjoy. But it is also quite common for families to move out west for a fresh start. So, if you are seeking to bring your family with you, you will want easy access to a nearby town. Therefore, a remote mountain location might not be the best choice.

A great choice might be ranches in the vicinity of Billings, as the city is a good size and has excellent transport links. This would enable you to have the best of both worlds—you could enjoy seclusion on your property but also keep your kids entertained on the weekend with a trip to the city. As a bonus, you are a short drive away from Yellowstone, so your kids will never be bored.

Four Top Elements of the Ideal Waterfowl Property

If you are an avid waterfowl hunter, then your dream will be to own a property on one of the major flyways. However, some properties are better suited to waterfowl than others. Therefore, prospective buyers should be clear on the optimum conditions to attract a wide variety of birds during the migration seasons.

There are four areas that can make or break a waterfowl property. So, whether you are an experienced hand or a novice, these four top elements of the ideal waterfowl property will point you in the right direction.

Location

If you are a keen waterfowl hunter, then you will want to find a spot that lies within one of the major flyways. The two main flyways in the West are the Central and Pacific Flyways, which see vast numbers of migratory birds throughout the year.

The best areas will offer the birds safety and seclusion, so you will want to avoid setting up a property near a large township. Also, if you are planning to create some points, then you will want to build them away from any roads or buildings.

Water

The phrase “like a duck to water” highlights that waterfowl tend to congregate in areas where there are abundant water sources. Ranches and farms close to large bodies of water such as rivers and lakes will be ideally placed to attract various species of ducks and geese. For example, the Great Salt Lake in Utah offers the perfect mix of water and habitat, which always draws in birds during their migrations.

The best properties will maximize their water sources and try to create calm oases for migrating birds. Improvements such as the creation of ponds not only create refuges for the birds but also adds value to the property.

Habitat

Water is very important if you are aiming to go waterfowl hunting, but you are likely to attract more birds if there is a diverse habitat. In fact, you are likely to attract more wildlife in general! Waterfowl will also be looking for shelter and food alongside rivers, streams, or ponds. Ideally, waterfowl properties will have large riparian areas such as wetlands and marshes.

Central Kansas is home to one of the most extensive inland marshes in the states, and the tributaries of the Missouri River make ideal places to find waterfowl properties with the optimal habitat. As the owner of the property, it will be your responsibility to ensure that you maintain healthy ecosystems by participating in conservation programs and making well-thought-out improvements.

Food Sources

One of the major attractions for waterfowl is abundant food sources. If they can’t get what they need, they will move on to a different area. Therefore, you should plan your crop planting accordingly. Waterfowl, especially ducks, will be happy if they have easy access to corn, wheat, and rice.

The best properties will have a good mixture of grasses and other vegetation. This will keep the waterfowl coming back season after season.

Three Factors Which Determine the Value of Kansas Ranch Real Estate

Kansas has been an agricultural powerhouse since the pioneering days and ranching still plays a vital role in daily life throughout the state. The state is consistently in the top 10 producers of agricultural products, so investing in the land offers the serious potential for returns on investment. However, it isn’t just agricultural yields which determine the value of real estate within the state. Therefore, we have decided to break some of these factors down for you.

If you are thinking about purchasing land in the West, then you should take a look at these four factors which determine the value of Kansas ranch real estate.

 

Agriculture

As we mentioned above, Kansas has a rich history in agricultural production, which continues to this day. It is a big business within the state, and any prospective buyers would be advised to set aside some parcels of land for crops or grazing, even if they don’t plan to spend a lot of time on site.

Beef, sorghum, and wheat are the big cash generators, with dairy products also gaining a lot of traction in recent years. Kansas is one of the top 3 states in terms of cattle receipts, while it has been a leader in wheat receipts for generations.

The amount of land a ranch has for agricultural operations will have a major impact on its overall valuation.

Supply And Demand

In a state where agriculture is king, it should come as no surprise that the forces of supply and demand play a significant role in determining real estate prices. In areas which typically have higher yields, the valuations are going to be much higher than in areas which have more modest yields.

However, savvy investors will know that yields are subject to the elements, and receipts are affected by economic factors. Therefore, it makes sense to diversify operations on your property or also keep your fingers on the pulse regarding new developments or techniques in agricultural production.

Recreational And Conservation Opportunities

One way to diversify your operations is to take a look at the land. Properties which have a mixture of grasses and habitats are ideally suited to conservation programs as well as for recreational activities. The value of a property will likely increase if you have access to large bodies of water and diverse terrains. For example, large tracts of riparian zones attract lots of wildlife, which helps keep the land productive.

Kansas State has several successful conservation programs which are helping to protect and nourish the land for future generations. For landowners, this presents many opportunities which can all impact the overall value of the real estate. If you dedicate part of the property for conservation, then you will gain several financial incentives and tax benefits. But, the fact that the land is attracting big game, trophy fish, and waterfowl make the property very desirable to sportsmen, who will be happy to pay premiums for the chance to go hunting or fly-fishing.