Buck Hollow Sporting Goods - click or touch to visit their website Midwest Habitat Company

$30,000 an acre farm land.

Yep...all kinds of prime hunting farms were available even into the '90's for what we consider peanuts now. Top end stuff could be had for $450/acre, or less, in a lot of SE Iowa.
Yep...all kinds of prime hunting farms were available even into the '90's for what we consider peanuts now. Top end stuff could be had for $450/acre, or less, in a lot of SE Iowa.

I was just a teenager who could barely afford gas in the 90s. I sure wish those opportunities had been there 10 years later. I remember people buying farm ground with timber and the timber acres weren't even figured into the price because they were "worthless".
 
I was just a teenager who could barely afford gas in the 90s. I sure wish those opportunities had been there 10 years later. I remember people buying farm ground with timber and the timber acres weren't even figured into the price because they were "worthless".
I agree-by the time I thought about buying ground, my area was already pretty high and I was just starting in the true workforce (2004). I remember my grandpa talking about the piece he used to hunt, was offered it at $100/acre for 96 acres...he passed figuring "He would always have access"... he kicks himself everyday...
 
Low $5k per acre, <45 mins East of DSM, for that type of land?!?! Is it cursed or something? Non-tillible timbered ravine filled land is selling at no less than $10k per acre, much further out from DSM. What's the story?
Nope. It’s a really nice tract. It’s not going to be a killer hunting tract by any means but there is mature deer around.
The reason I got it or how I got it….. LUCKY ;). The other main reason…. I just see a dip in sales…. I’ll put it like this….. let’s say when Covid hit, things kinda paused or slowed down…. I maybe knew of 20 “good buys” across the whole state of iowa…. Out of a lot of farms. But there was a fair amount of good deals or solid buys. Then after 40% more $ injected in market, folks fleeing the city, covid winding down & inflation going crazy…. I maybe saw 1-2 good buys across whole state. So- 20 to 1-2 in a year. It got nuts. Well now, it’s starting to normalize again. I’d say NOW, I probably could find 4-6 good buys. It’s not like 20…. But it’s trending slightly back towards buyers side.

This pendulum never stops swinging & can change reasonably quickly. (6-8 months for example). As the year progresses- gonna find more like this.
There’s also parts of the state, IMO, that offer “better value” & better opportunities than others. I don’t personally feel like NW iowa for example offers deals or major opportunity for appreciation or VALUE ON THE PURCHASE PRICE. Other regions DO offer that. SE of Des Moines for example. Or a list of counties I could rattle off.
My opinion is the same on “hunting farms” where I feel certain regions have a lot better bang for the BUCK vs other areas.
If folks are not confined to a certain area- there will always be some level of good buys & opportunity
 
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