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Monthly Archives: April 2012

Wayne Gretsky & Land Investing

By: Mark Podolsky | April 30, 2012

Wayne Gretzky, arguably the greatest athlete that has ever dominated sports, has an amazing quote I think about all the time. He said, “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.” 

When we apply this thinking towards land investing we start to consider investments outside of the box. No longer are we interested in property that is located in populated areas, but now we are interested in where the growth is going to be a year, 5 years or 10 years from now.  I just acquired property outside of Las Vegas 15 min. from Kingman,  Arizona.   I love the fact that the property is located near the Grand Canyon,  Flagstaff  and Hoover Dam.   

 Clearly, I’m investing where the growth is going to be not where it is!   The key of course with any investment is buying at the right price. That is the difference between speculating and investing. There are no guarantees of course, but Wayne Gretzky was also famous for saying,  “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take!”

 So, when you are looking at making a land investment think like the Great One and hopefully you will score a an amazing land investment simply by following the simple principal of buying where the growth is going to be not where it is now!

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What the Heck is a Conservation Easement?

By: Mark Podolsky | April 26, 2012

 

Conservation easements are powerful, effective tools available to landowners for the permanent conservation of private lands in the United States. The use of conservation easement options has successfully protected millions of acres of wildlife habitat and open space, keeping land in private hands and generating significant public benefits.

 

The primary purpose of a conservation easement is to give a landowner the right to protect his land from certain types of development or land use. This opportunity appeals to property owners who hold undeveloped land that is agricultural and/or has timberland, wildlife habitats, natural open space, and those with natural resources. Simply, a conservation easement is a restriction on the use of property similar to a deed restriction. It is recorded in public records and generally is in perpetuity. The government receives assurance that this valuable land will be protected from future development. 

 

When you purchase land, you also purchase a bundle of rights. These rights include, among others, the right to develop, and the right to minerals and water. Collectively this bundle of rights is called “fee title.”

 

As a landowner, you also have the ability to sell some of these rights while maintaining ownership to the land. This is generally known as selling a “less-than-fee” interest. A conservation easement is a form of “less-than fee” interest and is a voluntary agreement that allows a landowner to limit the type or amount of development on their property while retaining private ownership of the land.

 

While many conservation easements are donated, others are also sold. If your land qualifies as a conservation easement, it is worth your time to research how this can benefit you and your family for generations to come.


Rich Dad Poor Dad Philosophy With Land

By: Mark Podolsky | April 23, 2012

Take two minutes 44 seconds out of your busy day and learn why I think Land is a great investment for the newbie real estate investor looking to build their net worth.   Remember you can always contact me for a free 15 minute consultation to discuss if the land business may be right for you.  

[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6psKPqIFUw” title=”Rich%20Dad%20Poor%20Dad%20Real%20Estate%20Philosophy” rel=”0″]

No Country For Old Men- A Land Investor’s Perspective

By: Mark Podolsky | April 21, 2012

I just watched for the 3rd time the Oscar award-winning movie No Country For Old Men.   The first time I watched the movie I have to be honest I didn’t really “get it.”   it was beautifully done and the cinematography of the raw desolate West Texas land was amazing.  The story had violence, unpredictability  and a crazy ending. Nevertheless, after watching it  I didn’t immediately think this is going to win best picture of the year! However,  watching it again I could appreciate the message. The key theme throughout the movie was we can never predict when the grim reaper is going to get us! Plus,  the things that we worry about in life are usually not the things we should worry about.  

The movie kind of just sits with you. After watching, I had that gnawing feeling that even though I don’t feel like today is the day I’m going to die, it could be the day I’m going to die and I’m not really that prepared for it!    Unfortunately,  we don’t get to control or choose when or how we are going to die. I think we can all agree that in 99% of the suicide cases it’s a tragic case of someone taking a temporary problem and coming up with a permanent solution. Now there are some circumstances when one has a terminal, debilitating disease that choosing how to die actually makes a lot of sense. In fact, my Wife and I have a living will so that we cannot be kept artificially alive just so our children don’t have to make that tough decision for us.   So the question is, if this is a blog about buying and selling land  why am i discussing the morbid and often ignored subject of death?

As a landowner,  I want to leave  something permanent for my family for generations to come. If i leave them money,  they will spend it. If i leave them “stuff”, it will either complicate their life trying to maintain that stuff or the stuff will eventually become obsolete or simply wear out.   The only thing in my life that is going to last  is the raw land that I have acquired.   My land has beautiful views, fresh air and symbolizes to my family a core value– we are here for but a short time so take risks, be extraordinary and own something that will last forever!  Don’t sell this land my children, use it, improve it, enjoy it, but don’t sell it!  It will out live you and your children and their children and it is the one possession that you can be proud to own!  I really hope my kids listen to me!  

Are you making this mistake?

By: Mark Podolsky | April 20, 2012

 

One of the biggest mistakes I see online investors making everyday is not doing enough research on the property they are investing in!  One of the biggest mistakes they make is going out and not seeing the property for themselves. It’s a big critical mistake. Don’t misunderstand, there’s nothing wrong with buying property online site unseen. I have done it.  However, I go on Google Earth and I look at it virtually!  Still, I don’t close the deal until someone physically goes and checks on that property for me.

So how do I do it? There’s a great site out there called wegolook.com. WeGoLook.com starts at only $49.00!

Send someone else to go look at your property if you are unable to do it yourself.  Or, you can always take ask a local realtor.  Give the realtor a call and say, “Hey, I am buying this property – have you seen it?” If not, ask them to go take a look for you and you’ll gladly pay them for their time about $50-$100 to take a few pictures for you, assess the terrain, make sure there aren’t any topographical issues with the property, poor access or in a dangerous area.  

If no one can go look at it, make sure there’s a guarantee. I always offer a 90-day addition due-diligence on my property so that people can go, plan a trip, make sure that they really love the property they are buying.

Nobody wants to be disappointed in a land purchase, and as a seller, you never want that either!

Why I Never Buy Land with Restrictions

By: Mark Podolsky | April 19, 2012

Hardly a day goes by when I don’t receive either an e-mail or a telephone call asking me, “Are there any restrictions on this property?” And then they always ask, “Is there a time limit to build?”   Most if not all rural land buyers don’t want an outside entity telling them how to build, what to build and when to build. If you are a legacy investor, just knowing you have a place to go in the country to get away from it all is good enough for you until you are ready to build your 2nd home or relocate on your rural parcel for retirement.

I once made the mistake of acquiring property that had real high property owners Association fees with ponds of restrictions. You had to build a stick home, it had to be a certain size and you had to build within 2 years. Needless to say, even though I became enamored with the subdivision and its beauty, I was naïve to think my land investors would be interested in this type of property.

 When you review my land listings there will be one recurring theme — none of my parcels have restrictions or a time limit to build!   They may be in different areas, have different zoning requirements and have different topographical elements.   However,  they won’t have any onerous restrictions and certainly there will not be a time limit to build!  

Greening The Desert

By: Mark Podolsky | April 10, 2012

It used to be that going off the grid could be an arduous adventure

taken on by only the most seasoned of survivalists whom had
extensive knowledge of alternative energy, farming, hunting,
construction and living off the land.

With technology today it’s getting easier and more affordable to go
off the grid and live on your property or improve your property to
increase it’s investment value.

Click here to see how easy it can be to green the desert–
[youtube_sc url=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sohI6vnWZmk” title=”Greening%20The%20Desert” rel=”0″]

Click here to see how simple it can be to go with a nuclear
generator!

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The Land Geek’s tech tips of the month:

The Internet has made the world much smaller for us. Indeed, apps
like Google Maps, Google Earth and Google Street View give us the
ability to view various places from different parts of the earth.
Google Sightseeing is a web blog that is dedicated to sharing
unique and interesting places from all over the world as seen from
these Google tools. To paraphrase the site’s catch phrase, why
bother seeing the world for real when in fact you can just view it
from the comfort of your own computer? Click Here–
www.googlesightseeing.com

I just read an article on CNN.com about how sitting at our desks
all day long is literally killing us! As a result, we need to
periodically get up and move. Here to help with this is Nano
Workout.

Nano Workout is a free to use website that offers various mini
workout techniques that you can easily fit into your routine tasks.
Each exercise includes a descriptive picture to explain the posture
of the exercise; you are also given the situation and focus areas
of the exercise along with a proper description. You can simply
check out the site’s homepage for exercises or look for them
categorically by selecting the situation. Check it out here–
www.nanoworkout.com!

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