Vacant land in kern county, Ca

[Tarek Israwi]

Hello,

I own some vacant land in Kern county, CA. I want to start getting into purchasing rentals out of CA. I have saved up some money. Should I get rid of the vacant land and add it to what I would use for the rental? Should I hold on to the vacant land or get rid of it?

[Gene Hacker]

Kern County is a big place.  Some land is highly desirable and easy to sell, other areas are less desirable and it could take a long time to sell or it will require a big discount to sell quickly. 

As far as if you should sell it to buy a rental goes, personally I prefer rentals because if structured right, they produce cash flow.  Unless the land is in a location where a billboard company would pay rent, land generally is a drain.  With property taxes being paid but no rent to cover expenses, it can get expensive to hold.