Duck Hunting Land For Sale - How to find the right property.

DUCK HUNTING LAND FOR SALE – How to find the right property.

When you start looking to invest in duck hunting land for sale, what are some of the key property features you should focus on to create that prime waterfowl club? Ducks are creatures of habit AND habitat! American Land Company has put together the following tips & questions to ask when searching for your next waterfowl property.

1. Water. This key ingredient is critical in most areas for successful duck hunting. Ducks like water. And you need to either have the ability to provide them with that water, or have some permanent water source on your land: i.e. a river, stream, lake etc. Most duck clubs get their water via pumping, either through a well or from a re-lift, or camelback pump. If the land for sale that you’re considering doesn’t already have the means to get water, then you’ll need to budget for additional capital expenditures such as drilling a well & installing a submersible pump; or purchasing a pto driven pump and either a tractor or power unit to run it. Either scenario will most likely run well into the tens of thousands of dollars.

2. Food. This is another obvious, yet critical ingredient for great duck hunting clubs. Most waterfowl hot spots already have food, because they’re either a working farm (or have well established food plots) or they’re a wetland / marsh. If this is a working farm, then who’s going to farm it? If the answer is NOT you, then you’ll need to talk to several farmers and figure out a way to rent it so that the farmer can make some money, and you can have some food left for the ducks. Make sure you get a signed lease if you’re renting the farming out to someone! I can tell you from experience, ducks LOVE corn and rice. If the property is a wetland or marsh, then you can get with your local NRCS agent to help give you guidance on how to properly manage your wetland. They’re experts at this and they’re there to assist you.

3. Rest. This is a feature that is often times overlooked, yet is very critical to good duck hunting. All waterfowl need a time and place to rest. Take a cue from the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission’s and the Missouri Department of Conservation’s waterfowl management practices, they both stop hunting at around noon on the majority of their respective public hunting areas. Yet these public hunting lands continue to offer some of the best duck hunting in the United States year in and year out, despite the fact that they’re also some of the hardest hunted. Why? Because they have rest areas, they stop hunting at mid day and they provide cover. As hard as this is for a lot of land owners to actually implement, it’s a must if you want to have consistently good duck club.

4. Cover. Waterfowl like to “feel” safe, and cover allows them that “feeling”. Examples of good duck cover are: standing corn or any uncut crop, uncut grass, cattails, willows, trees and brush, levees for wind breaks, etc. Cover can be harsh and impenetrable, like thick woods or a cattail marsh, or benign, like a levee for a wind break. But the bottom line here is, if you give the ducks some type of cover, they’re much more likely to use your property.

5. Pressure. Does the area get hunted heavily? Either from other hunting properties or public hunting areas? Regardless, this can be a catch 22 if the area receives a lot of hunting pressure. On the one hand, if it does get hunted heavily, there’s a reason: there’s a lot birds that use that area. That means this area is “IN THE FLYWAY”. That’s good! But on the other hand, that also means that you’re going to be facing pressured birds, which makes for some challenging hunts. As for me, I would rather the area be full of hunting clubs, because I know the ducks will be there when fall arrives.

6. Size. This one is really up to you to decide, but obviously, the larger your property is, the harder, and more costly it will be to maintain. Think about who will be doing most of the leg work and how much help you can count on. I can assure you, properly maintaining and managing any hunting property, but especially a waterfowl hunting club, is A LOT OF BACK BREAKING WORK! So don’t bite off more than you can handle.

7. Capital Improvements. Are there levees already constructed? Are they in good shape? What about pipes and gates? Does the property come with equipment like tractors, pumps, boats, atv’s? How about blinds? These must all be considered when purchasing a potential duck hunting property. Remember, this is a labor intensive investment.

9. Utilities & Lodging. Does the property have electricity? What about water, either from a rural water supply or well? If it’s from a well you might consider getting it tested for water quality? Does the property have a place for lodging or to put a camper? How far are the nearest hotels? Again, these are important considerations. The last thing you’re going to want to do is drive an hour to a motel after working all day in the heat and water with the snakes and mosquitoes. If lodging isn’t present on the property, maybe there’s an old farm house nearby that you could rent? Or maybe there’s a farmer close by with water and electric that will let you hook up a camper?

One thing to be careful of is the “build it and they will come” theory. I’m not saying it’s not possible with ducks, because it is—I’ve done it. But, if you’re going to go that route then make sure the property in question is in a flyway and has some sort of access to water. Those 2 are a must!

Another possibility is to rent before you buy. See if you can lease the land in question for a season with the option of purchasing? If even you have to pay a premium price for the lease, that’s a lot cheaper than finding out you’ve invested in a ‘ duck hunting club ‘ that the ducks won’t come to! And don’t be afraid to ask around - local diners, farmer’s co-op’s, tractor dealerships, sporting goods stores – all of these places can be a wealth of local knowledge.

If you’ve gone through you’re check list and everything pans out okay, then it’s time to pull the trigger (pun intended). Developing and maintaining your own duck hunting property is a very satisfying endeavor. It’s also a lot of work, and it takes a lot of money. But then, as my Dad is so fond of saying……”we’re making memories”!

Cheap land for sale - is it a good investment?

Cheap Land for Sale! You see this phrase or ad often times when searching for real estate to buy. Heck we even offer lots for sale and that's one of our ad slogans! But is cheap land a good investment choice? The only correct answer is: maybe?!

Inexpensive real estate, just like inexpensive used cars, can sometimes fall under the mantra of "you get what you pay for". But like a used car, if you do your due diligence, you can vary likely find an incredible investment.

There are a few things you should do before investing in any real estate, cheap land, acreage, property etc. in the United States. The first thing is to make sure you're getting title via a General Warranty Deed. This is the highest and best form of title transfer! If you purchase property whereby you only receive a Special Warranty Deed, well you're most certainly "getting what you paid for"......which isn't much. Take a look at our Types of Deeds common to Arkansas guide. This gives you a brief description of the various deeds and various ways to take title.

The second thing you should always do is get title insurance. Wikipedia defines title insurance in the USA as an "indemnity insurance against financial loss from defects in title to real property and from the invalidity or unenforceability of mortgage liens. Title insurance is principally a product developed and sold in the United States as a result of the comparative deficiency of the US land records laws. It is meant to protect an owner's or a lender's financial interest in real property against loss due to title defects, liens or other matters. It will defend against a lawsuit attacking the title as it is insured, or reimburse the insured for the actual monetary loss incurred, up to the dollar amount of insurance provided by the policy." That's pretty well stated, but simply, it's just piece of mind knowing that someone else will help you fight for, and also pay for, protecting your property title should a problem ever arise.

Then you should simply check out the area. Contact local real estate companies and ask them what other similar properties are worth in their opinion. Or check out their listings to give you an idea what they believe they're worth. I would caution you against telling them the exact property or location you're talking about though! There are real estate agents out there that will take that knowledge and either buy it out from under you or go directly to the seller and get them to sign a listing agreement, so the agent can make a commission of the sale.

Often times cheap land for sale is really a good investment, especially if title is transferred through a General Warranty Deed and Title Insurance is available. You'll see this a lot in foreclosed properties, for example. And one thing that always makes real estate investors sleep easier at night, versus stock owners, is that they know when they wake up in the morning, some bad news about XYZ company didn't just cause the collapse of their investment: you can insert BP, Worldcom, Lehman Brothers etc. for XYZ company

Just remember, do your own "checking it out", or due diligence. If everything is on the up & up, go ahead and buy that cheap land. Remember, they're not making any more of it.

Social Networking

Social networking...it's the new buzz phrase for just about everything. Wikipedia defines it as THIS. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. I've also been steadfast in my resistance to joining this new 'craze'! But, no longer. I'm diving headfirst into it, for better or worse, because I know it's vital for my REAL ESTATE BUSINESS.

First thing I did was start this BLOG. I've never considered myself a writer, and quite frankly I don't think I'm very good at it. I've never been one to 'express myself' to others. But the 'experts' say it's a must. It's just one part of the networking puzzle. So grudgingly I'm BLOGGING.

Then came the Twitter account & 'Tweeting'. Tweeting?! Seriously?! Tweeting? So now I'm tweeting a few times a day. It's actually easy once you get the hang of it. But that damn verb......Tweeting! I'm too old to Tweet! And when I want to send a picture from my phone I send it to TWITPIC. I feel like a twit everytime I send a picture.

Next thing up was FACEBOOK. It's not the same with business accounts as the personal accounts everyone else in my family has, but it's a start. I guess I'll break down and get my own personal Facebook account too so I can 'immerse' myself in this facet of the 'craze'. Afterall, I would hate to miss out on anything.

Social networking.....some use it for keeping in contact with family and friends. Some use it for marketing their business (Guilty!). Some use it just because it's the new 'in thing' and they can't stand being left out. Regardless of what you're justification is for networking, it's a by-product of our world today. And if you're not on board, wave as the world leaves you in it's dust.

Real Estate Land Property Acreage for sale

Real Estate, Land, Property,
Commercial Property,
Acreage,
Foreclosure Property,
Property Auction,
For Sale,
Investment Property, etc. etc. These are all words tied to Real Estate & Land for sale. We use them all the time, but they are very different, both in type and price.

Typically, Commercial Property for sale will be the highest priced land or acreage in the your area. That's certainly true in our area. However, in some places around the country (and world), residential property may be more desireable, and therefore more expensive--such as ocean front property.

But the one thing that has always, and will always drive property values is simple supply and demand. The supply side is quite limited--they ain't making anymore land. The demand side can and does change, and therefore different areas/properties can become higher/lower priced.

So, when it comes time for you to pull the trigger on that real estate investment, try very hard to look at it from an objective point of view--THIS IS MUCH EASIER SAID THAN DONE WITH ANY LAND! You might not want, or can afford, the highest priced property. But odds are, you probably also don't want the lowest priced (although there are exceptions to both of those caveats). Good Luck.