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Obtain the most land, anywhere in the U.S., at the cheapest price

Posted Jun 12 2019, 20:45

Hello BP!

I am researching the best way to get land - a LOT of land. I can easily google for 50-200 acre plots of undeveloped land all over the U.S. for under $100k, but I'm thinking there's another level of scale I'm not seeing, such as government grants, auctions, etc.

Could I buy 2 million acres for $0.10/acre, for example? ($200k) I don't care where the land is or how undeveloped.


What are some good resources to begin investigating if I want to obtain large plots of land, possibly unconventionally, for the cheapest possible on a per-acre basis? I've found countless auction sites but it's a bit messy, and I am wondering if there are government sources of information that I'm missing.

Looking especially for knowledge and experience from developers. ;-]

Thanks in advance!!

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Jay Hinrichs#1 All Forums Contributor
  • Real Estate Broker
  • Lake Oswego OR Summerlin, NV
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Jay Hinrichs#1 All Forums Contributor
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Replied Jun 12 2019, 21:00

I think the 1800s land grants are about over by now.

you can get cheap land in the intermountain west and high deserts..  large tracks can be common.. not 1 to 2 mil acres though.. too much govmit land interspersed with private holdings.. recommend you buy forest service or BLM  maps those will show their ownerships.. these ownerships are generally checkerboarded in sections.. a section being 640 acres.

Cheapest land will have BLM  next to it..   you can secure grazing rights though from the govmit. and there are mining claims.. Alaska would be a place to look as well.

anything basically EAST of the Ole miss those type of landholdings are only with large timber or mining concerns. 

don't think 10 cents per acre anymore works.. I think 50 to 100 dollars per acre can be found though .

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Jacques Herve
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Jacques Herve
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Replied Jun 12 2019, 21:06

What about carrying costs like property taxes and such? Also, what's the value if no water rights attached? Just askin'...

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Jay Hinrichs#1 All Forums Contributor
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Jay Hinrichs#1 All Forums Contributor
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Replied Jun 12 2019, 21:09
Originally posted by @Jacques Herve:

What about carrying costs like property taxes and such? Also, what's the value if no water rights attached? Just askin'...

 property tax's are next to nothing on this type of land.  water rights are very specific and depending on what they are can be worth far more than the dirt.. they can be sold downstream

I bought 700 acre timber tract in Oregon in the late 90s that had water rights to the Yamhill river.. well we did not need water rights we were not farming and you don't water timber in Oregon :).

I was able to sell those rights to a Nursey company 20 miles down stream for a low six figure cash sum.. nice hit for us.. 

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Jacques Herve
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Jacques Herve
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Replied Jun 12 2019, 21:24

I'm impressed.

:)

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Jim K.#3 Investor Mindset Contributor
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Jim K.#3 Investor Mindset Contributor
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Replied Jun 13 2019, 01:34

@Charlie Van Norman

I'm almost afraid to ask, but what do you want to do with 2 million acres of completely unusable non-contiguous land? Buy it up and wait for global warming to make you rich?

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Replied Jun 13 2019, 04:39

@Jim K.hahahaha I hadn't thought of that particular strategy ...

There are many things one could do with land. Maybe I would build a small city, a vacation spot, a theme park, or a private sanctuary. I'm not about to buy it tomorrow - rather, over the next 50 years I would like to experiment and develop many things on different plots. Today I'm most interested in gaining perspective on the space.

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Replied Jun 13 2019, 06:24

@Jay Hinrichs Thanks, excellent resources, and interesting river anecdote! Water rights is huge, I'll definitely factor this into my thinking. I guess $50/acre isn't too bad. ;-]

May I ask when you started buying land like this and learning about these sources? I see it says Broker by your name, do you help others buy and sell large acreage?

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Jay Hinrichs#1 All Forums Contributor
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Jay Hinrichs#1 All Forums Contributor
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Replied Jun 13 2019, 06:31
Originally posted by @Charlie Van Norman:

@Jay Hinrichs Thanks, excellent resources, and interesting river anecdote! Water rights is huge, I'll definitely factor this into my thinking. I guess $50/acre isn't too bad. ;-]

May I ask when you started buying land like this and learning about these sources? I see it says Broker by your name, do you help others buy and sell large acreage?

In my early days that's what I did I brokered LAND in N. CA  and then morphed into timber in the Pacific northwest I no longer work at the street level for fees.. out west there are plenty of really good land brokers.. you just need ones that specialize in ranch and range land. 

I know more than the average person how the land work and ownership etc.. I had to in my timber days.