LandThink

Economists from Adam Smith to Karl Marx believed that human beings make rational economic decisions. Both believed that each individual pursued his self-interest, though they had different ideas about where these interests lay. They also acknowledged that both individuals and groups could err in understanding their optimal economic interest.

As a real estate broker in Georgia, I’ve sold land all over the state. And everywhere I go these days, I always seem to get asked the same question, “How’s the land market?” That is the hardest question to answer for a broker who sells investment property. Do you say the market is not doing well and prices are declining, which will probably result in losing a sell?

How will I fund a land investment? Those beginning the process of purchasing land usually have a general idea of how they plan to pay for the investment. However, I have seen many buyers change their method of funding because they became educated on an option that was previously unknown to them and offered them some distinct advantage.

Owning country property often raises unsettling questions about personal environmental morality, an idea that did not start with Jimmy Carter’s cardigan sweater and now wants you to squeeze your carbon foot into Greenerella’s glass slipper. The specter of environmental catastrophe — ice caps melting, polar bears stalking dice-rollers in Atlantic City casinos…