Top 25 Mega American Land Owners
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Land Investment property has year after year proven to be one of the best methods of Real Estate Investing. This “Top 25″ list has been compiled to contain some of the largest owners of American soil. They may or may not have a “media magnet” name in similarity to that of Donald Trump, etc, but there is one thing for sure, they own a heck of a lot of land here in the United States.
This list includes a rather diverse set of land owners ranging from famed media proprietor Ted Turner to King Ranch, whom produced the first registered quarter horse in America. Ted Turner tops the list as he he is the owner of mega pieces of land in all of 11 states. He should make it a goal to own land in all 50 states, only 39 to go Ted. Most of his land investment holdings reside in the states of Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, and South Dakota. Some of these properties are effectively striving to replenish our dwindling populations of buffalo, cutthroat trout, wolves, black-footed ferrets, as well as additional flora and fauna that once consumed the Plains area.
There are too many others on this list to mention, as well. This list also includes Amazon.com founder, Jeff Bezos, whom owns numerous West Texas ranches. Each and every single person on this list shares one common real estate investing trait, that you can’t and won’t go wrong by investing in land.
Top 25 Mega American Land Owners
- Ted Turner 2,000,000 acres
- Archie Aldis “Red” Emmerson 1,722,000 acres
- Irving Family 1,200,000 acres
- Singleton Family 1 million+ acres
- King Ranch Heirs 851,642 acres
- Pingree Heirs 850,000 acres
- Brad Kelley 789,851 acres
- Reed Family 770,000 acres
- Ford Family 740,000 acres
- Huber Family 600,000 acres
- Lykes Bros. Heirs 578,302 acres
- Dolph Briscoe Jr. 560,000 acres
- W.T. Waggoner Estate 520,000 acres
- D.M. O’Connor Heirs 500,000 acres
- Robert Earl Holding 400,000 acres
- J.R. Simplot 355,746 acres
- East Family 350,000 acres
- Anne Marion 345,000 acres
- Gerald Lyda 320,035 acres
- Collins Family 305,313 acres
- Fasken Family 300,000 acres
- The Bell Ranch 292,000 acres
- Jeff Bezos 290,000 acres
- Collier Family 280,000 acres
- Babbitt Ranches 270,000 acres
How much land do you own?
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Time To Listen To Ol’ Grandpa’s Advice
There he stood, proudly spilling all of his lived-a-full-life-and-knows-a-thing-or-two opinions about what I should do with my graduation money. “You need to invest in the land! That’s right, real estate is the way to go. People will always need a place to hang their hat and rest their rump”. Through my grandpa’s alliterative ramblings some truth poked its head out. My ol’ grandpa has been around the block and back over the many years that he has lived his rightful life.
While the real estate industry is getting a lot of flack at the current moment, the simple fact is that people will always need a place to “rest their rump” if you will. Sure, the market can suffer, but it will never be obsolete. Life’s little luxuries like cable and dining out are in way more danger, no matter how much my roommate is convinced that she will “diiiiiie” if she doesn’t find out Paris Hilton’s next BFF or what “puppy chic” fashion her pooch wears.
There is, however, a smart way to invest in real estate and a…well…not so smart way to invest. Websites such as ours provide ample instructions on this matter and provide resources to aid in your investing process. As glamorous as TLC makes flipping houses look, it takes a lot of strategy and careful planning. Little does our media infused society realize, that there are many options when investing in real estate if you are willing to read up on it.
Finding a fabulous real estate investing opportunity can be very exciting. The adrenaline starts pumping, and as the smile starts creeping across your face, onlookers might swear before a court of law that they saw dollar signs flash in your eyes. This is the time when it is most important to be careful. Calm that emotional beast and don’t forget to look at the facts. Have you looked at all the details? Did you do all your homework, looking at all possible options to proceed? Did you think of anything that could possibly go wrong? If this is a good opportunity, is it the best for you?
There are plenty of questions to ask yourself, but the most important thing is to use your own intellect. Don’t simply do what someone else told you to do or what Wikipedia says is the best way to proceed. Take some time, step out of the situation, and think about your situation and the investment before you. I am sure if you have gotten this far, you have the brainpower to make a wise decision. If you still don’t have faith in your own intellectual ability, eat some Smarties. I hear they work wonders.
Grandpa’s timeless advice, once again, proves worthy of careful consideration. If research is done, caution is taken, and intellect is applied, investing in real estate could be a very profitable endeavor for all involved.
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Real Estate Investing = Real Risk or Real Opportunity?
Today’s economy has altered the complexion of real estate investing. Gone is the supposition “property values only increase.” Thus, successful investing takes intelligence and luck - one you control, one controls you. So what in the world is there to do in what the media calls a “dead” real estate market? This is NOT entirely a dead market, you just got to know how to put the shock paddles to it and revive to achieve Real Estate Investing Success!
The answer depends entirely on:
- The Type of Real Estate
- Your Financial Situation (Cash/Loan), &
- The Time You Have Available to “Play”
Rental property gives you cash flow/income, but many risks as well, including; vacancy, damage, depreciation, location/competition, and availability. Rental of a single family home, apartment, or office differ in risk potential and reward. It takes both brains and luck to accurately forecast short/long term value, and to speculate based on the past is the wrong way to proceed.
Buying and selling homes has so many variables only a crystal ball can successfully predict. Today there is little likelihood of quick profit even with the high availability and bargains. Yes, there are incredible deals on undervalued homes if you’re looking for a place to live, for you have time on your side, but turning around for immediate profit is simply playing poker, and you best study your cards.
Investing in real property today is smart if you have ‘time’ on your side. The advantages are high property depreciation and low interest loans, but you need time and capital. Even home bargains costs money every month, so if you expect to buy low now, rent, and sell high later, you need to do your homework. Why? It takes little time for vacancy to eat up profit, neighborhoods change, and damage and delinquency can quickly mean major loss.
The economic downturn does shed a positive light on purchase of real estate due simply to that high depreciation and soaring selection. But the quick drop in real estate value is not likely to be followed by a quick rise anymore than a quick downturn in the stock market means quick recovery. Will the cost of real estate rise? Most certainly it will, but unknown is when.
Remember, numerous variables control the real estate market and thus determine your success or failure. Many you can assess and weigh with the ample resources available online and local. It is imperative you carefully collect and study the intelligence you need regarding investment direction and goals. Then, assess your financial situation to determine the resources you have to invest knowing the money will no longer be available. As well, look at the monthly burden an investment carries and determine if it is one you can maintain long-term, and set a timeframe for which you’re willing to accept the burden (the longer, the more likely for success).
Yes, based on today’s market, intelligently investing in real estate can be a wise choice if you prepare properly. Just remember three things; first — a loan is not a resource, it’s debt that must be managed; second - don’t guess, use solid intelligence, and; third — real estate is a time dependant investment using a clock with no hands.
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Let’s Get Down & “Dirt”y Together…
We’re all too familiar with the abundance of labels placed among current Real Estate Investing transactions–”flips,” “foreclosure sales,” “owner sales,” “owner finances,” “agent sales,” “fixer-uppers,” rent-to-owns,” “price-reduceds,” “etc.” You probably don’t me to continue on forever, but I’m sure that I could if needed. There is an abundance of possibilities. But they all have one major thing in common. They all deal with Buildings and these particular dwellings were built by people for a single purpose. Whether single-family, multi-family, condominiums, commercial, residential, medical, storage units, whatever. Buildings are above-ground structures.
Rather, consider a highly under-utilized and hugely lucrative method of real estate investment–the acquisition of land. Thus our reason for wanting to get down and “dirt”y with you. Purchasing land eliminates the majority of migrane-producing anguish such as searching for run down, vacant, or even eye-catching structures which can bring about silent pitfalls.
Land acquisition can involve individual lots to massive acreage and determination of a potential single structure, duplex, subdivision, commercial office, shopping center, industrial port, medical complex, airfield–because the sky is the limit!
The purchase of land typically requires much less research into prior landholders and finding of land is a simple matter of locating a interesting property, making contact with current owner(s), and producing an offer. Or the astute speculator can read a newspaper article and realize potential for a piece of land to become ‘part and parcel’ of a current idea being kicked around, perhaps not even in development stage.
In lieu of the usual cash purchase transactions, the possibilities of grant funding, owner financing, joint ventures, and other methods of creative financing to produce desired results.
There is, in many cases, no need to wait for long-term return on the investment. Timbering of land can be quite lucrative as well as development of the mineral aspects of the property.
Now is the time to consider this aspect of Real Estate Investment. Buildings may come and go, but land does not multiply, deteriorate, devaluate, require repair, nor become an eyesore. Only what we place upon it can change the face, the purpose or its value and worth to the investor..
Considering or Participating in Real Estate Investing? Look down. The GROUND is Where It’s At!
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A Beginner’s Guide to Real Estate Investing
Real estate investing involves purchasing, owning, managing, and renting/sale of real estate for profit. Real estate is very cash flow dependent and capital intensive. Without proper knowledge of this, investment can become risky. Most investment failures happen because of the investor going into negative cash flow for a period of time that cannot be sustained.
Individual properties are unique to themselves and not directly interchangeable, which presents a challenge when trying to evaluate prices and find investment opportunities. Because of this, finding properties to invest in may involve a substantial amount of work and competition among individual investors. Real estate investors use a number of different appraisal techniques to determine the value of properties before purchase. Sources of investment property include: market listings, real estate agents, private sales, wholesale, and public auctions.
Real estate assets are typically very expensive in comparison to other investment instruments such as stocks or bonds. It is very uncommon for an investor to pay the entire amount of the purchase price in cash. Usually, a large portion of the purchase price will be financed using some kind of financial instrument, like a mortgage loan, using the property itself as collateral. The amount financed by the investor’s own capital is called equity. Lenders usually have minimum equity requirements for investments they are financing, most often 20% of appraised value.
Equity build-up is the increase in the investor’s equity ratio as the portion of debt service payments devoted to principal over time. Equity build-up counts as a positive cash flow from the asset where the debt service payment is made out of income from the property, rather than from independent income sources. Capital appreciation is the increase in market value of the asset over time, realized as a cash flow when the property is sold. Capital appreciation can be very unpredictable unless it is part of a development and improvement strategy. Purchase of a property for which the majority of the projected cash flows are expected from capital appreciation rather than other sources is considered speculation rather than investment.
Some individuals and companies are engaged in the business of purchasing properties at foreclosure sales, this is known as foreclosure investment. According to the legal foreclosure stages when the process is completed, the lender may sell the property and keep the proceeds to satisfy its mortgage and any legal costs. The foreclosing bank has the right to continue to honor the client’s lease, but customary as a rule the bank wants the property vacant, in order to sell it more easily. Thus distressed assets are considered by some to be worthwhile investments because the bank or mortgage company is not motivated to sell the property for more than is pledged against it.
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Pull The Lever & Make a Wish
Is Real Estate Investing for you? Maybe So, maybe Not! In this day and time we all want to make money. I want to learn how to make money in real estate. I’m sure you know quite a few people that want to know all about making money with Real Estate Investing. Well folks it’s simple. Join one of those get rich quick money programs and sit back and watch the money roll in.
Ok, now that we have left that dream behind and come back down to REIality, let’s get down to it. It’s like any other investment you make. First, find something you can buy with the money you have. Look at what it would take to fix it up. Next depending on if you want to sell it or rent it how much you going to charge? If you sell it you got to take the brokers percentage into it and how much it would sell for. Subtract all the money you put into it and what you get from it and bingo you made a profit. Now if you want to rent it how much money can you charge a month? Remember you got to pay the mortgage and put back for repairs. So you have to charge enough for all of that and hopefully you’ll have a little spending money left.
Now I hope your dreams aren’t ruined, but folks this is a hard job. It takes determination and a 
mindset aligned with achieving Real Estate Investing Success. I know you see all these people on TV making tons of money while there on vacation, but lets get real for a moment. If you worked at McDonald’s do you think they would pay you while you played and never came to work? This is a job not a fantasy. This is the mindset that you need to retain. I’m not saying that you can never have any FUN in this business, but don’t ever think of Real Estate Investing as ALL play with NO work. It just does not realistically work that way.
Don’t go into Real Estate Investing with your blinders on, thinking you’ll be the next millionaire. Most fortunes are made from real estate, but as I mentioned, it WILL take Work! Your just making yourself look like an idiot and wasting peoples time if you don’t have the right mindset and approach. Read and study long before you ever think of buying your first house to invest in.
Think about the house you’re in now. How much do I pay for this house? How much did it take to build this house? How much money do I spend on repairs? Can I afford to lose my money if this doesn’t work out? What happens to the house I’m in? Will I lose my house going after a dream?
So with all your questions answered your ready to buy. Wrong! Are you sure you know what you’re doing? Ask around and see if any of your friends have done this or thinking about doing this? Bring them into the group let them help and split the difference. If you do make it the profits will be a little less but better than losing all your money.
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