How do I find hunting land for sale?
April 24, 2020 Land For Sale
Most hunters start by getting invited to go out with their dad or a friend to a property that is all set up and ready to go. This experience is all it takes to get started, but as most hunters grow, the experience of preparing the land and setting up the stands only adds to the satisfaction. Many hunters go through these steps to gain that satisfaction on a lease, but it can be demotivating to know that any year, all of your hard work could be lost. This is why it is so desirable to buy your hunting property. You can make all of the decisions on how it is managed and see the fruits of your labor for years to come. If you reach a point where you have decided you want to purchase some hunting land, the hardest part can be finding the hunting land that deserves all of your time and work for years. While this may be hard merely from a lack of properties that fit your criteria, make sure you're finding everything available by using the right resources. If you think buying hunting land will never be an option, remember, you don't need 100s or 1000s of acres. 5-10 acres of well-placed property can surprise you with trophy bucks and epic turkey hunting.
Online land brokers are becoming more and more popular. There are a bunch of sites that offer land for sale individually for hunting. This can be a great place to start as they have already made sure everything you see counts as hunting property. On almost all of these sites, you can filter the listings by size, price, and location. You can even set up an alert, where as soon as something that fits your criteria is listed, you know. The problem with these places to search is that they are typically on a national level so that you may lose some of the smaller properties or the more recent listings. Even though you aren't buying a home, Zillow can be a valuable resource. Many local realtors post their listings there, giving it a leg up over some of the other national listing sites. You can filter by size and price, and their map option is great to get a better idea of what's available in the particular area you want to hunt. If you're still left dissatisfied with what you're finding, there are more places to check.
Have you considered Facebook marketplace or Craigslist? These get overlooked by many people searching for large ticket items as they think it's more for finding a used grill or a bicycle. They can be an excellent resource for larger ticket items, including cars, houses, and hunting land. This is where you'll find the local listings that haven't made it to any of the big listing sites. A lot of times, people are selling off family land they inherited. They try to sell by owner first to maximize the money they bring in. You may get lucky and find a property that's new to the market and fits your requirements perfectly. Some people may be afraid of getting scammed using sites like this, but you have to approach the listings carefully. Ask a lot of questions before you set up a time to see the property. Never send any of these people money before viewing the property and doing your research. Make sure they are who they say they are, and the property is in their name. Also, you should still have your realtor involved in the communications.
So you've checked everywhere online and can't find the property you want to hunt next season. Time to move on to more direct methods of finding your dream property. Hop in your car and take a ride. Realtors still post for sale signs on properties, and you may drive past something that stands out. Drive down all of the roads in the area you would like to hunt. This can give you a better idea of what to look for when checking online listings, while also giving you a real-world view of what's out there. If you stroll across a property that seems forgotten and fits your bill, you can always reach out to the landowner. Everything is for sale for the right price. Use your county property appraiser's website to find landowner information. This is also an excellent resource for researching structures on the property, lot sizes, and estimated values.
Look at a lot of available properties. Don't look at just any property, but anything checks at least some of your boxes. Maybe it's the right location but a little too small. Do you want a lake on the property, but it has a stream? Don't settle on these properties, but looking will help you. You'll see things you like and don't like. Your realtor will know you're serious. And if you're lucky, you may find a property that checks all of your boxes when you didn't think it would.
The vital part of finding hunting land is to take your time. Be patient and understand that the perfect property will pop up. You now know where to look. You have to figure out what you're looking for. Depending on what you're looking for, you may end up waiting a while, but this can be helpful. A year from now, your budget may be higher than now, and options will start to open up.