Very Rural Rental Opportunity

[Matthew Irish-Jones]

HI All,

A family member has a 3 bedroom ranch in a very rural part of NYS.  It is close to skiing resorts, and has 130 acres attached to it that we could offer as hunting grounds.  From my estimates it is going to take 10-15K to get it in condition to be able to rent.

Am I spinning my wheels trying to get something this rural in rent-able condition?  Has anyone had any experience with renting hunting cabins/homes?

I would hate to have my family member put money into a place and get 0 return.  There only seems to be 1 or 2 other places for rent on craigslist within 10 miles.  As for the skiing, it is 20 mins from the high end cabins and the resort, so we are not really in the high demand area... although close.

Any advice would be appreciated!!!

[Colleen F.]

You have to do some research on what a hunting lodge would go for and how long the season would be where you have the house. The land adds to it and could help but the season may be too short. For skiing look at what a season rental would go for. If it is a big mountain you might not do well on ightly/ weekend but could attract a seasonal rental from a group. If this is in NY state and the land is wooded getting designated a tree farm has some advantages. Not sure what that entails but my understanding is the taxes are less. We have some land outside buffalo NY like this but no real house just a cabin. You could also see if there is rental value in the land or barns if you have them. This is the kind of property you need to look at and have a hybrid model for income from different sources.