Central Texas land in the Hill Country has so many amazing aspects. The spring wildflowers that fill the countryside with an explosion of color, the clear rivers and lakes, the abundant wildlife, the BBQ…there are so many wonderful facets to Central Texas Land in the Hill Country that it’s no wonder this part of Texas has become a highly after place to own land. There are many people who ever pursue the dream however, because they assume that land prices would simply be too expensive for most people. Fortunately, that’s simply not the case.

Below are several planned communities that offer Central Texas land that makes Hill Country living a reality.

Vintage Oaks at the Vineyard

There are few places on earth more romantic area of the Hill Country. Located in prime Texas wine country, Vintage Oaks offers one to three acre lots that start at under $50,000.

Amenities include:

- Hiking trails

- Nature preserve

- Pools

- Fitness Centers

- Tennis Courts

Lifestyle highlights include:

- Quiet life away from city, but with easy-access to big cities

- Located in historic New Braunfels between San Antonia and Austin

- Close to multitude of activities on the Guadalupe River

- Near Schlitterbahn Water Park – one of the top-rated in the country

- Just miles away from beautiful Canyon Lake

- Surrounded by premier golf courses

- Multitude of shopping opportunities at Prime Outlets and Tanger Outlet Center in San Marcos

- Dry Comal Creek Vineyard is adjacent to Vintage Oaks

Havenwood at Hunters Crossing

Graceful Hill Country living in an ideal location with resort-style amenities is what makes Havenwood such an amazing location for potential homesites. Lots sizes range from one acre all the way up to 13 acres, with prices starting at $50,000 and going up to $200,000.

Amenities include:

- Lake views

- Boat ramp

- Hiking trails

- Pools

- Fitness centers

- Tennis courts

Lifestyle highlights include:

- Quiet country living with big city convenience

- Lots nestled on rolling hills among huge, majestic oaks

- Near Canyon Lake, Lake Travis and Guadalupe River

- Outlet malls only miles away

- Nearby dance hall, Gruene Hall, commonly features legendary Texas and national musicians

Mystic Shores at Canyon Lake

Upscale living in the Hill Country is now affordable, thanks to gorgeous Mystic Shores. Perched above the limestone bluffs that overlook the Guadalupe River, owning land in this area is a chance to secure a piece of Texas Hill Country beauty. Lot sizes range from one to three acres and go from $50,000 to $200,000.

Ameneties include:

- Fishing

- Hiking trails

- Nature preserve

- Pools

- Fitness centers

Lifestyle highlights include:

- Waterfront lots with incredible mountain views in a gated community

- Conveniently located in Spring Branch, TX, between Austin and San Antonio

- Unique shopping, dining and entertainment options nearby

Lake Ridge at Joe Pool Lake offers one-half to two-acre homesites that provide an idyllic setting similar to East Texas Land in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. When walking around these properties, it is difficult to believe that you’re only 20 miles away from downtown Dallas. This secret gem of a property has the benefits of a country retreat, with rolling hills, lake views and heavily wooded areas. However, unlike most properties with these rural luxuries, Lake Ridge at Joe Pool lake is within easy access to all the urban activities that make life in the Dallas area so enjoyable – and offers an easy commute into work.

One of the advantages to having a property that gives the sense of East Texas land in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex is the proximity to so many of the amazing activities that Dallas and Ft. Worth have to offer. For sports fans, there are few markets in the entire country that offer better teams in better venues than Big D. From the Dallas Mavericks and Dallas Stars, who make their home at American Airlines Center in downtown Dallas, to the Dallas Cowboys at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington and the Texas Rangers at the Ballpark in Arlington, professional sports are in great supply for residents of Lake Ridge at Joe Pool Lake.

Along with sports, residents of Lake Ridge at Joe Pool Lake will enjoy the other amazing entertainment, cultural and shopping opportunities available in both Dallas and Ft. Worth. The museum district in Downtown Ft. Worth boasts the nationally recognized Kimbell Art Museum, Amon Carter Museum, Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History and Modern Art Museum, among others. Dallas also has fine cultural opportunities, which include premiere museums and other experiences, such as the Myerson Symphony Center. Dining opportunities for every taste and budget await. Simply put, the only difficult decision you’ll have is deciding what to do first.

<a href="http://www.lakeridge.net/" target="_blank"><img title="Lake Ridge" src="http://www.whybuylandnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/largeads_lakeridge.jpg" alt="Lake Ridge" width="610" height="225" /></a>

Another advantage of this property that emanates East Texas land in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex is a city that has a multitude of employment opportunities, and a job market that has remained much stronger than most large cities around the country. Many people love the idea of purchasing East Texas land, but simply couldn’t make the commute into their city-based job. Lake Ridge at Joe Pool solves that problem, and gives property owners the best of both worlds – East Texas land in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex.

The current residents of Lake Ridge at Joe Pool enjoy their quiet community that feels a lot like East Texas land in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex, and you can too. Find out more by calling 800-563-8276 today, or visit our website for more information.

Getting the Most for Your Money

A real estate investor from NJ, who wants to buy land in the hard-hit market of Cape Coral, FL, has found lots for sale on or near the water at about a third to half below their peak prices of two years ago.

On a larger scale, Ray Alcorn, an investor in VA, is picking up parcels of land after two years on the sidelines. He has bought more than 100 acres throughout VA this year, much of it at reduced prices. “It’s just crazy out there right now,” said Mac Boyd, 65, a real estate broker in Arcola, IL, who has sold farms for more than three decades. “The land market has never been stronger.”

Emily Wilson, a realtor in Shelbyville, TN (south of Nashville) was asked to comment on land sales in her area. She stated “acreage is selling better than homes in our area. We sell a lot of horse farms and high dollar properties…but if I were depending on starter home sales for a living, I’d be crying hard times.

Instead, our company sales are up $1 million over this same time last year.” Fort Worth-based D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest home builder by unit volume, is selling off thousands of lots in outlying markets while holding on to land with development potential closer to major metropolitan areas.

The parcels closer in are located in markets that are expected to rebound more quickly. The sales figures cited indicate that Horton sold 2,000 lots in Southern California for $7.8 million, a 90+ percent markdown from the estimated $110 million purchase price. In a separate transaction, Horton also sold a 4-acre parcel near San Diego for $4.4 million, a 75 percent markdown from the 2005 purchase price.

Also worth noting in the article is the figure on new-home sales, which are now at a 17-year low. Land in the Heart of Dixie has been an excellent investment. That’s the conclusion one draws from a recent report titled Alabama Farm Real Estate: A Comparison of Returns and Values Since 1970, which was prepared by John Adrian and Walt Prevatt, professors and extension economists at Auburn University.

Here are the high points. In 1970, buyers were paying on average $200 per acre for Alabama farmland. In 2007, the average price per acre was $3,100, a 1,450% increase over the period or 40.3% per year.

This figure covers a substantial timeframe, but it does offer insight into the underlying market conditions inherent throughout much of the state. Farming and agriculture have long been key drivers buoying rural land values in Alabama.

Numerous additional factors have pushed up demand, including the recent stretch of historically low interest rates and the popularity of 1031 Exchanges. And then there are Alabamans themselves. These people love to hunt. They love to fish. They love to get out on the land and out on the water.

Residents of Birmingham, Mobile, Montgomery, and Huntsville are excellent examples of urban dollars propelling the market for rural and recreational land to even higher levels.

Where are the Best Land Values?

All of the best bargains were found in Louisiana and Texas with Dallas being the most undervalued big city, by 30%, according to CNNMoney.com.

But the PMI study takes a longer view, predicting where home prices will be in 24 months. The insurer's new risk assessment warns that there is almost a 100 percent chance that home prices in markets including Riverside, Calif., and Orlando and Fort Lauderdale, Fla., will be lower in two years.

Big declines are also likely in many other Florida, California and Nevada markets. “This down cycle in housing is very different from those in the past,” said PMI spokesman Nate Purpura. “Typically, employment tanks and foreclosures follow.

In this cycle, the foreclosures came first, then the unemployment, and now we're hitting a second wave of foreclosures brought on by the unemployment,” he said. “It's essentially a double-whammy in the housing market, and we're likely still somewhere in the midpoint.”

But unless the current crisis causes a radical reduction in the number of new households, we are going to keep on building. Much of America’s new housing is provided in the four fastest-growing metropolitan areas: Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Phoenix.

We would have truly found our way to the 1930s if construction in all of those places dropped essentially to zero. As long as we are building in those places, then construction costs in those areas provide a lower bound on where housing prices will land, since builders will still need to cover their costs.

This reasoning suggests that we should expect prices in Phoenix and Miami to land somewhere closer to construction costs in those areas, and we should expect prices in Dallas and Houston to stay relatively steady, since these places more or less skipped the recent boom.

A Flood of Information

Most people I know have heard reports in many different media outlets about the problems facing current homeowners. However, there are rarely any reports about the benefits of investing in real estate, especially when prices are dropping.

The media has cast a negative light on the real estate industry as a whole, while young clients need to be informed about the positive aspects of homeownership. For example, the first-time homebuyer tax credit is a great deal for young buyers, but few seem to know that it even exists.

Providing correct, current information about housing concerns is probably the most important tip I can give anyone trying to sell my generation on real estate. Furthermore, making such information readily available to a digitized generation would be a great step in the right direction.

Technologically Savvy

My generation has internalized the Internet. This internalization has a significant impact on the home-buying process: so far, my entire search has taken place on the web. In my search, I have used just about every website available to buyers. Here’s what I found most useful while perusing different real estate websites: property mapping, photos, and overall ease-of-use.

In searching for properties in Chicago, I do not know every single street name or where they are located. Sites that can show me the properties on a map made my search much easier. And I must admit that, although I may have missed out on some great properties, I rarely found myself giving more than a quick glance to listings without multiple photos. I want to get a sense of what the properties look like so I can decide whether or not to schedule a showing.

Finally, websites that list homes need to be simple and well thought out so that first-time buyers can easily and quickly search and find homes without having to jump through hoops to get to the best listings.

Patience IS a Virtue Be patient in explaining to first-time buyers the process of homeownership and the currently available incentives. More than half of the people I’ve spoken with are unwilling to consider purchasing a home because they’ve heard all about foreclosures and the slumping housing market.

This attitude requires REALTORS® to be extremely patient and understanding of these fears while teaching young, first-time buyers about the advantages of owning a home. Being honest and upfront with these clients can also help to gain their trust. Is the current market perfect for every buyer? Of course not.

However, for many, there are some truly great opportunities available to those willing to find them. The new generation of first-time homebuyers is creating a new segment in real estate, and a new type of REALTOR®. Still-falling home prices, an increasing inventory of properties, and government incentives for first-time homebuyers present a great opportunity for young professionals. And that signals opportunity for REALTORS®, especially those who can provide this new segment with the level of technology we have come to expect.

The only issue is counteracting the negative skew of the industry presented by major media outlets. Focusing your efforts on a case-by-case basis in order to alleviate the fears of buyers could prove incredibly profitable in the long term.

The economy continues to fluctuate so enormously that young professionals in their early to mid-twenties are apprehensive about the real estate market. What is at the core of the issue for young first-time homebuyers? A more relevant question might be what REALTORS® can do to help alleviate foreclosure fears.

Let's put ourselves in the shoes of Generation Y home buyer. I'm a 23-year-old in search of a home, I have a perspective that I have found to be relatively rare. I recognize that my generation has a great opportunity to take advantage of the tremendous surplus in real estate.

Although the credit issues facing the country may make it difficult for some to secure favorable loans, the incredible numbers of available homes, combined with falling prices, presents a near-ideal opportunity for first-time buyers to snatch up some real bargains.

Sounds great right? Unfortunately, through conversations with many friends and acquaintances in their early to mid-twenties, it doesn’t appear that many are interested in even discussing homeownership.

From what I’ve heard, this lack of excitement has a simple cause—most of my generation lacks quality information about the real estate market. Whenever the conversation arises with friends and acquaintances, I cannot help but wonder where many of my friends get their information. Very few seem to understand how the industry works or how to go about searching for a home.

This younger generation of buyers contains great potential for REALTORS®, and so I’ve come up with a few tips that I'll be discussing over the next few posts. I think these tips will be valuable, not only for understanding the fears of young buyers, but also for gaining their trust.

Regardless of the reason, people move because an opportunity presents itself that offers a chance to enhance one's life. So that's why it should come as no surprise that while most of the nation is in the midst of this economic downturn,  Texas continues to buck the trend in virtually every conceivable way. That's not to say everything is perfect in Texas, but the facts clearly show that compared to the rest of the country, the unemployment rate in Texas is much lower.

According to Google Public Data, in August of 2009, the national unemployment rate was 9.6%, while the unemployment rate in Texas was a full point-and-a-half  lower at 8.1%. While clearly that 8.1 number is high, the fact that it's so far below the national average explains why so many people are still moving for Texas. And it also explains why the housing market in the Lone Star State hasn't crashed like it has in many areas across the country.

The bottom line is that people are still moving here, which means people are still buying houses. Not only that, not many people are moving away. Why go somewhere that there is less opportunity and higher housing costs?

Baby Boomers will continue to drive a portion of their investment portfolio into real estate, specifically raw land, fueling the demand for land like never before. For example, a developer purchased a large tract of land in Western North Carolina and divided it into 1800 parcels ranging from 1 to 6 acres. The lots range in price from $40,000 to $100,000 (depending on the size of the parcel and it’s location in the subdivision). Within one year they sold 800 parcels!

The essence of their promotional campaign – buy the lot and grow your money as the property appreciates (like it is a stock). At some point the landowner will either build on the lot or sell it. They also offer an affordable monthly payment program to those who cannot pay in full.

There is no “deed restriction” for this community which means the buyer is not required at ANY time to build on the property. One of the other motivations for this generation to invest in land is that they are nervous about having all their funds in investments related to the stock market. Certainly we have seen a lot of volatility in the stock market in recent months.

More and more investors are taking a portion of their investment portfolio and purchasing land. Why? The premise is – historically land has never gone down in value.

Developers are sensing this trend and shifting their strategy. In the past, a developer purchased a large tract of land near a city and then subdivided it into lots to build houses. Now they are buying land in desirable rural locations throughout the country, dividing it into smaller parcels and marketing to Boomers.

As documented above, they are having great success. Even Wal-Mart is addressing the migration to rural areas.

FL and AZ are no longer the primary destinations for retirees. Retirees are looking all over the country to purchase rural land on which to retire, with Texas being one of the hottest destinations.

The core criterion for their purchase is that the parcel is within a reasonable driving distance of a Super Wal-Mart and medical care. Wal-Mart has sensed this trend and they are building many of their new stores at rural crossroads cities throughout the US – thus opening up areas of land originally thought too far from amenities and supplies.

Part of the process of finding the right kind of land for sale is finding the right location. Current trends indicate that Baby Boomers are choosing to buy land that is off the beaten path. Few are able to afford to buy or build Malibu beach houses or Manhattan penthouses. Instead, they are electing to go where property prices and property taxes are low.

But - and this is an important factor - they want many of the amenities that make retirement living relaxing and rewarding. So, for example, they look for land in or near a golf community, or lake land that affords them wonderful opportunities for fishing.

They often opt for land in areas that are going to be developed into private communities, replete with lakes, rivers, recreation centers, and nature trails. Most importantly, they don't want to be "snowbirds," living winters in one area and summers in another. Instead, they want mild temperatures that they can enjoy year-round.

According to a poll commissioned for the National Association of Realtors (NAR), 60% of Boomers want to retire to a rural area or small town. Also, one in four Americans born from 1946 to 1964 own more than one property, according to a survey of nearly 2,000 Boomers by Harris Interactive for NAR.

Boomers have “an almost insatiable desire for real estate,” David Lereah, the NAR’s chief economist said in a statement. They see real estate as “a way to build and protect a nest egg.” 



Why vacant land? “For a lot of people, it’s a dream to have a second home, but they really can’t afford it,” says Peter Francese, founder of American Demographics magazine, who was asked by the NAR to help interpret the survey, “So, they buy a lot.” The July 2008 issue of Business Week reports that “Baby Boomers are retiring at the rate of 10,000 every 24 hours …within 2 decades a record $17 trillion will change hands from corporate pension funds and 401(k) retirement plans into the hands of retirees.”

In some cases, they're receiving an inheritance or a stock grant and are choosing to invest in their future real-estate needs rather than the stock market. In other cases, they're altering their expectations about how long they'll work and the kind of returns they'll earn on their nest egg in order to pursue an emotional investment.

Nevertheless, people who receive an inheritance or other cash infusion are often deciding to put that money into retirement real estate instead of stocks. Others are pulling some of the non-retirement-plan money from their nest egg. Either way, says Suzanne Krasna, a financial planner in Walnut Creek, Calif., the bottom line is to figure out if your income can support the additional liability of this house after you've met other obligations -- such as building an emergency savings account, contributing to a child's educational savings and fully funding your retirement plan -- and after accounting for your current lifestyle.

No one knows how many younger buyers are out snapping up their retirement homes. But real-estate agents and financial planners around the country say they're increasingly assisting younger buyers spending $100,000 to $500,000 for a house to call home in retirement. Partially at play is a cultural shift planners say they see among younger savers who aren't content to just accumulate assets to use in retirement. Instead, this younger generation wants to put some of its nest egg to work today as an investment in family.

Gregg Yaeger, a vice president at Chicago's Northern Trust Corp., says he has dealt with several younger clients doing this in recent years, including a 37-year-old client currently buying a retirement house on a lake in Michigan. "He wants this place specifically to retire," Mr. Yaeger says, "but he also wants it now as a place to build a bank of memories with his kids."

The question many people face is how to afford the future today. After all, beyond the price of the house there is maintenance, insurance, taxes and other costs. Phillip Cook, a financial planner in Torrance, Calif., says he discourages his clients from pursuing this strategy because "most of the rationale is emotional, and financially I think that's a mistake. Do you really think you know where you want to live 25 or 35 years from now?"

Younger buyers, however, don't necessarily see these homes as investments. They recognize that real estate has intrinsic value and that their retirement dollars remain at work in some fashion, since, if they do live in this house at retirement, they can sell their current primary residence to supplement their retirement savings.

Most, though, are like Anuraj Bismal, 40, and his wife, Ann. The pair pulled money from their nest egg and bought 38 acres and a 100-year-old farmhouse in far northeastern Pennsylvania, about 2½ hours from their Montclair, N.J., home because, after each seeing parents die in recent years, they've come to the conclusion that "the moment is now," says Mr. Bismal, a financial executive with a major Wall Street firm. So, the Bismals spend most weekends at their Pennsylvania house, and Mr. Bismal expects they'll spend part of every year in retirement there. "I could care less if I make $1 on this place," he says. "For me, this is very basic: I want to live my life now."