All Forum Posts by: Shara Nickell

@Ying Ding

cash is king here and it's a flip market right now and a wicked fast close. Look to outlying areas Round Rock, Pflugerville, Leander, Liberty Hill. Strong employer market, rental areas for SFR for families and corp renatals good schools, lower property taxes. Also Southwest Austin possiblely, south there is Kyle, Buda, San Marcos. These are outlying metro area.

Good luck.  :-)

stop the bleeding on the holding costs, set the price below your competition, (always or you will inventory your house too long tying up your ROI). increase the commission to a better RE who has a full list of high end buyers as mentioned previously somebody who will make your property his first priority. this is the holiday season, worst time to sell and they should have forecast that in their planning, too bad. the flip side - its been an costly education but take it and move on. if he wants to sell now, he will need to make it hard to walk away from it. given the design criticisms on this post, his broker may look to a buyer in a higher market who might want this at a lower price so he can "personalize it his way". otherwise calculate what its going to cost to hold to Feb, see what that looks like- it may be worth it to deduct half of that loss from the price now and have a fire sale.

Hello @Alicia Villatoro,

I too am looking into St Joe, and I live in Austin, TX.  I am interested in learning if you have made your investment in the area and your experiences.

Thank you @Ashton Noland, I found your information very helpful as well.  I would be interested in any area information you would like to offer or any things to watch our for.

again, thank you both. :-)

@Matt Anderson  depending on the tree growth cycle you could be waiting a few yrs for your return and unless you rotate or split plant/harvest cycles you wont have annual passive income but rather cyclical.  The areas I am thinking of out there are very rocky with granite outcroppings.  it is quick active in on the hwy 29 to Llano and the areas in between from Burnet, Bertram, Buchanan dam area, Inks lake etc.  there are some RV parks in the areas but not enough I wouldnt think.  Storage good too.  This is recreational area touristy.  When was the last time you went out there?  developments are springing up on 29 from Gtown, Liberty Hill area moving west.

@Matt Anderson  have you visited the area?  the county ag offices would be helpful with regard to tree planting.  That area strikes me as not so good for that.  its becoming more popular and has since been seeing an uptick in traffic, development etc as people are moving further out even to Llano.   is the property for sale?

I will add 15 Acres isnt a lot for cattle especitally in Texas, maybe horses, but it needs to be fenced and water available.

More revenue generating opportunity would be the trailer or RV rental.  how far outside of town is it?

Shara

Hi Matt,

Christmas tree farming requires work and investment.  

I will say we have had ranch land for many years and have leased ranch (pastured) and farm land in the past, paying either monthly lease to run cattle, or annual lease.  if the land is already fenced, It requires nothing and the maintenance can be left to the tenant in the contract.  We managed all fencing repairs or damages needed for example.  We also negotiated to cut and bale the existing hay crop on a split with the landowner.  (they would have had to pay to cut and bale).  You should be eligible for the agricultural tax benefits for this as well.  if the land is not fenced and suitable for crop, you might see if any local farmers might want to till it and plant a crop for lease.

if the land is not fenced, another revenue stream might be (with initial costs), to lease ground for RV and Motor Homes or Mobile homes.  I would appoint a trusted person on sight to manage, who lives there in exchange for discounted rent.

Hello, 

I am in Austin and would love to be your boots on the ground. I am new to REI but study and belong to multiple groups here that I can reach out to for support. I would be happy to assist as I am interested in multi as well. I know the city well including outlying suburbs and cities within 50mi radius. I am late to the game and eager to learn and jump in.