Real-estate deals may involve sticky ethical relationships

Buying real estate is an increasingly complicated process. As the degree of difficulty reaches Olympic levels, more business relationships attach to every deal, which leads to more opportunities for the appearance of the less appealing aspects of normal human behavior.

Here are a few to watch for.

Lawyers.  I advise out-of-town property buyers to find a local real-estate lawyer as their first portal into a new community. Such a buyer needs an experienced lawyer’s knowledge and local expertise.

Problems can arise when a buyer’s lawyer has history or a business relationship with local lenders, brokers, appraisers, insurance companies, officials and, perhaps, the seller. The buyer needs advice that is not complicated by his lawyer’s past or present. The buyer, for example, may not be best served by a lawyer who recommends that his new client borrow from a local bank…on whose board he sits and whose stock he owns. Read more »

Making a living in the country: You’re here, now what?

People who live in the country are either “been-heres” or “come-heres.” Both choose to live here—and often it’s a hard choice.

The story of America’s countryside since the 1930s is for the born-heres to go to the city for jobs and a different life. Beginning in the l960s, the counter story has been for come-heres to leave the city for a different life out here.

While it’s cheaper to live in the country, newcomers find that lifestyle living takes money, and it’s hard to find the same job income in a rural economy. Here, then, are some ways that come-heres find cash.

Don’t look for it. The best way to fund a country lifestyle is don’t work for it. Moving to the country with sufficient income to live how you want voids the question of how to earn it. I highly recommend this approach.

Live off your mailbox. Some retirees patch together monthly pension checks to live pretty well in small towns and rural areas. Pension income, of course, is determined by the individual’s career, job and pay. Do not plan on Social Security acting as a Golden Parachute. Read more »

Conservation Easements: the Essence of Landowner’s Property Rights

The pathway to conservation easements is not always a straight line but, more often than not, is worth the trip. [Dean Saunders, ALC]

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. Read more »

Anyone For tea…..?

One of the many paths down which I have (happily) been lead astray recently, is doing some work as a Land Specialist for a company called Northern Acres; www.NorthernAcres.com. These guys are world class, in fact, I’d taken one of the principals out to breakfast on a couple of occasions over the past few years, just to pick his brains about the land business. Seeing as I’m from the UK originally, I’ve taken it upon myself to see if we can find some conduits for UK buyers to purchase mountain top property from us, over here in New Hampshire and Maine.This has been an interesting project so far, with lots of stimulating conversation about the Old Country and all the ways we can hook up with enthusiastic land buyers from across the pond. What I wanted to share with you guys is a great resource I came across and for those of you wanting to get a foothold with foreign investors, it ought to be very much appreciated. www.nubricks.com is a blog-based site designed to educate folks and promote foreign property investments to UK buyers. If you take a look at what it has to offer, you’ll find some great insights and connections with numerous companies who want to promote investment property in other countries, the United States being one of them. This country still remains a tremendous value to foreign investors, both because of the favorable exchange rates and because of the drop in values over here recently, plus we’re percieved as one of the places that are safer in terms of concerns about being ripped off by developers (yes, really).

Why not mosey on over to Nubricks and check ‘em out……

Richard Dale-Mesaros

Land Specialist

Richard@NorthernAcres.com

Real estate is all about negotiation: here’s help

A few individuals love negotiating over property. Others prefer it to back pain but not by much. Most consider it another one of the endless, necessary miseries of adulthood.

I’ve found that negotiating is easier when I can figure out which one of four buyer-seller bargaining relationships I’m in. The four are: 1) both sides are motivated to make a deal; 2) both sides are not highly motivated, but willing; 3) buyer is motivated, seller is not; and 4) seller is motivated, buyer is not.

Price changes motivation. A better offer will move an indifferent seller, just as a lowered price will help a kick-the-tires-type buyer.

I’ve found that non-price factors — terms, seller-financing, upfront financing costs, irremediable negatives, sweeteners and so on — can be as important as price. Lack of physical or legal access, for instance, will stop a land deal, no matter how cheap the price.

A seller stuck on a price can sometimes be jiggled off it by making a point lightly: “I’ll meet your price, if you meet my terms.” Read more »

Looking for land up in Michigan

“I’m thinking,” I said to my wife a month ago, “U. P.”

“You first,” Melissa said.

When you were voted second funniest in your high school class 45 years ago, you expect people to make runs at your title.

U.P. jokes are one burden that residents of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula — Yoopers — bear. But I figured that any place averaging fewer than 19 head per square mile was likely to be a good place to find land.

We drove north through Ontario, then west along the scrubby, rocky shore of Lake Huron. Not much goes on there. Melissa started clapping when we passed parked cars.

Restaurants were infrequent between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Read more »