LandThink

Are you aware in the midst of a slumping housing market that land in many places is appreciating in value? So why aren’t more investors pursuing land as a part of their investment strategy?

Since I write a weekly column on country real estate, I decided to visit the websites of Senators Barack Obama (www.barackobama.com) and John McCain (www.johnmccain.com) to learn what they thought about my special interest.

1. Prices of almost all types of rural real estate will rise steadily in the foreseeable future. Rates of appreciation will vary, according to where the property is and what type of property it is. Appreciation rates will beat inflation and have less volatility than stocks. Four or five percent annual appreciation is a reasonable—and modest—forecast.

Here’s the story in most American cities—existing-home sales are down, pending home sales down, new home sales down and average home prices down. Adjustable interest rates are up, delinquent mortgages up, foreclosures up.

Most of America’s land today is still rural. And 200 years ago, most Americans were family farmers on family…