A Place in the Country BY BILL ZIE RCH E R
Bill Ziercher is the founder of Select Properties Real Estate. He has been active in building, buying, selling, and managing rural real estate and income property for over 25 years. For a free consultation on marketing your rural property, you can contact Bill at 314.412.3966. and for copies of previous “A Place in the Country” Articles you can email him at ziercher59@ gmail.com.
MY SPECIAL MESSAGE TO OWNERS OF RURAL PROPERTY
For everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven.
O
G E TAWAYS
ne of my favorite Bible verses from Ecclesiastes 3:1 and also lyrics to one of my top 100-ever list of rock songs, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” the Byrds’ 1965 hit. And for those of you who own a country place or farm, this might just be the season to sell. For any number of good reasons: age, moving away, simplifying life, settling a family trust, and more. But whether you or your family have been thinking of selling your rural property in the next month, this year, in three years or haven’t really thought much about selling, this column provides things for you to consider.
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RIGHT NOW, IT IS A SELLER ’S MARKET. This past year has seen an increase in demand for rural properties, even more dramatic than for residential. What has fueled the demand are Covid-related lifestyle changes that have also driven through the roof sales of RVs, boats and outdoor equipment. Retirement and challenges of urban life have moved up the timeline for some who have been thinking about a place in the country. And finally, low interest rates and a strong market have also helped.
What makes this market even more dramatic is the imbalance of inventory. For perspective, there just are not nearly as many rural parcels as there are suburban homes. Fortunately for rural property owners, like Will Rodgers said about buying land, “They ain’t making any more of the stuff.” And in land, bumps in appreciation stick. With "work from anywhere" options, available tele-medicine and improving broadband for rural residents, I don't anticipate any long-term reversal in demand.
SPRING IS HERE . When things are just coming out is a great time to knock down some grown-up brush, clean up a tractor road or mow the back field that might be overgrown. Better now, so when grasses and plants take off, the fields and edges look a lot better later than a freshly brush hogged field. Nice, mowed trails through a property almost always show better. Spring is also a great time to take pictures of your property if you are going to be listing later in the year.
IT IS NEVER TOO EARLY. Did you ever hear about the best way to eat an elephant? One part at a time. It is common to see a lifetime of accumulation of too many things, especially those that you don’t use like you once did. You or your family can make it a lot easier on yourselves to start now by finding a home for those things that you will not be taking with you when you eventually sell. This takes time, and it is almost always better to get a jump and clean out the pole barn, clear the yard, or fix up the house so when it comes time to sell the property there is not that pressure to get everything done at once. If the property has a nice house, it could be a good idea to have a pre-sale inspection of it. Planning ahead to sell a property never hurts; most sellers wait too long. The property starts getting away from them, grown kids who moved away and are not available to help keep it up, or just changes in life. My net message is that even if you are just starting to think about selling, there might not be a better time to get ready than now.
