Ringo, I’m pretty familiar with raw land (forest land as well as land with development potential). Happy to talk if you want. A couple of things:
1. You don’t really need a forester unless you want to actively manage the timber or if you think the timber represents a meaningful amount of the value of the property. Don’t trust someone who tells you the timber is worth something. Verify. Foresters are cheap. I’m buying a couple hundred acres that are totally undevelopable due to lack of road frontage, so almost all of the value is tied up in the standing timber and the acreage itself is not worth all that much (and there is a nice gravel deposit, which, if it can be commercially developed, is probably worth about 2x what I’m paying for the entire property).
2. How much per acre? If it’s over a couple grand, timber isn’t going to be a meaningful part of the value of the property.
3. Where is it located? If it’s pretty rural, you can think about intelligent forestry management. If it’s suburban, just forget about it. You’ll be surrounded by a bunch of navel gazing nimby idiots who read in some magazine that logging is bad and have no idea how it actually works. Don’t even bother engaging someone who has an opinion on logging unless they can list a few loggin jobs they have personally visited. People who get their opinions on the subject from the Internet are sort of like gang members. Just avoid them unless you are absolutely forced to deal with their brand of idiocy.
4. Familiarize yourself with tax rules that will apply. If you’re borrowing to purchase the property, you will not be able to deduct the interest except against net investment earnings (you can’t deduct against ordinary income). Also cannot deduct property taxes on a current basis. Many states give you a significant break on property taxes if you agree to dedicate the land to a recreational use or a forest management plan (ie logging – but see above re navel gazers).
Just watched the trampling video. One guy paused and leaned over the counter, like he was hurt and couldn’t go on. Then he seemed to remember the sale and took off into the store to shop. Ridiculous.
Why, I love giving gifts to my friends’ kids. My nieces are older, so it’s been a while since I’ve bought them any toys, but, being the child that I am, I tend to buy either toys that I loved as a kid (like Lego and Matchbox cars and classic board games) or toys that look fun to me. I know kids love action figures, so I brought my best friend’s kids Lego action figures for Thanksgiving, and they loved them.
I have an ice maker but the fridge is 26 years old & doesn’t have a filter. I put in the whole house filter when I bought the house – it saves wear & tear on all appliances – hot water heater, d/w, w/d, etc.
I totally agree with ArPUMA. I love Christmas, too, and the holidays and holiday season overall – Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, you name it – being with friends, the food, the music, the lights and decorations, the booze, all good. I think a lot of that has to do with growing up a Christmas-deprived Jew.
🙂
Ringo, I’m pretty familiar with raw land (forest land as well as land with development potential). Happy to talk if you want. A couple of things:
1. You don’t really need a forester unless you want to actively manage the timber or if you think the timber represents a meaningful amount of the value of the property. Don’t trust someone who tells you the timber is worth something. Verify. Foresters are cheap. I’m buying a couple hundred acres that are totally undevelopable due to lack of road frontage, so almost all of the value is tied up in the standing timber and the acreage itself is not worth all that much (and there is a nice gravel deposit, which, if it can be commercially developed, is probably worth about 2x what I’m paying for the entire property).
2. How much per acre? If it’s over a couple grand, timber isn’t going to be a meaningful part of the value of the property.
3. Where is it located? If it’s pretty rural, you can think about intelligent forestry management. If it’s suburban, just forget about it. You’ll be surrounded by a bunch of navel gazing nimby idiots who read in some magazine that logging is bad and have no idea how it actually works. Don’t even bother engaging someone who has an opinion on logging unless they can list a few loggin jobs they have personally visited. People who get their opinions on the subject from the Internet are sort of like gang members. Just avoid them unless you are absolutely forced to deal with their brand of idiocy.
4. Familiarize yourself with tax rules that will apply. If you’re borrowing to purchase the property, you will not be able to deduct the interest except against net investment earnings (you can’t deduct against ordinary income). Also cannot deduct property taxes on a current basis. Many states give you a significant break on property taxes if you agree to dedicate the land to a recreational use or a forest management plan (ie logging – but see above re navel gazers).
LOL, ArPUMA.
Snappy, as I’ve said to Cobble many times, snorting is really very unbecoming. Let’s just hope you don’t do that in real life.
Just watched the trampling video. One guy paused and leaned over the counter, like he was hurt and couldn’t go on. Then he seemed to remember the sale and took off into the store to shop. Ridiculous.
Why, I love giving gifts to my friends’ kids. My nieces are older, so it’s been a while since I’ve bought them any toys, but, being the child that I am, I tend to buy either toys that I loved as a kid (like Lego and Matchbox cars and classic board games) or toys that look fun to me. I know kids love action figures, so I brought my best friend’s kids Lego action figures for Thanksgiving, and they loved them.
CatGar – Or a super-indulged pagan.
weird. all those people trampling each other didnt look like they were buying anything for their kids actually ahhahah
*rob*
I have an ice maker but the fridge is 26 years old & doesn’t have a filter. I put in the whole house filter when I bought the house – it saves wear & tear on all appliances – hot water heater, d/w, w/d, etc.
I totally agree with ArPUMA. I love Christmas, too, and the holidays and holiday season overall – Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, you name it – being with friends, the food, the music, the lights and decorations, the booze, all good. I think a lot of that has to do with growing up a Christmas-deprived Jew.