The Scoop
The Press Room
We Are New and Growing
 Question: Are many investors looking for recreational property in Wisconsin?
Braun: Absolutely. I’m hearing from so many people about the need for forest-recreational property. Clients tell me, “I’ve been hunting on this same property for 20 years, and now we’ve lost the property because either a member of the family wants to hunt the property or the landowner is selling the property. Regardless of the reason, I no longer have a place to hunt.” I decided to become a Mossy Oak Properties’ realtor because I want to help people find a piece of property they can call their own and not have to worry about the land being sold or leased out from under them. Most people are looking for places they can own where they can hunt for the rest of their lives and ensure their children will be able to hunt during their lifetimes. They also know that the value of forest-recreational property will increase dramatically. The demand for and cost of forest-recreation property in Wisconsin is sky-rocketing.
Question: Give me an example of how fast the value of forest-recreation property is increasing?
Braun: Five years ago, you could buy forest-recreation property for about $1,000 an acre. Today, that same property will sell for $3,000 or more per acre. Some of the property that once sold for $1,500 an acre 5-years ago is now selling for $4,000 per acre. If you can find remote property, you still may be able to purchase it for less than $3,000 an acre, depending on where it’s located, and how the neighboring land has been used. Right now, we’re in the process of putting land and buyer profiles together. Then we can define the type of land a potential investor wants and the type of land a landowner is selling. This way, we can better match our investors to property that becomes available for sale. Many investors who can’t buy large tracts of land buy 10, 20 or 40 acres of land in areas where their neighbors manage for deer and turkey populations on their lands. By putting a small tract under the same type of management system as their neighbors, the investor can expect to have the same type of deer and turkey on their lands as their neighbors. Collective wildlife management in an area by small landowners results in more and better-quality animals for all the landowners.
Question: Where’s the most-expensive property you’re selling located?
Braun: The land closest to Milwaukee and Madison will be the most expensive because that’s where you have the largest number of people looking for forest-recreational land. In this region, acreage may be selling for $5,000 or more per acre.
Question: What size tracts do most investors in your area want?
Braun: They’re primarily searching for 40- to 100-acre tracts of land. In Wisconsin, locating a tract larger than 100 acres is very difficult. In the past, Wisconsin was primarily a farming area, and most farmers started out with 80 acres. Then as land and investment money became available, farmers bought their neighbors’ farms when they went on the market, until they acquired maybe 100 to 200 acres. But much of this land was used for dairy production. Today, dairy farming seems to be on the downturn. So, as the dairy farms go out of business, more landowners are selling their farms or changing to row-crop farming, which is why forest-recreational property is opening up now and becoming available in Wisconsin.
For more information on property in Wisconsin, you can write Joel Braun at Mossy Oak Properties of Wisconsin at W4695 State Highway 23/73, Princeton, WI 54968, or call (920) 481-0012, or email Jbraun@mossyoakproperties.com.
Tomorrow: Water Is the Key
|