LandAndFarm.com Newsletter  |
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TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. We Want Your Land In Land And Farm Bulletin...
2. Wind Power on Your Farm
3. LandAmerica Bankruptcy
4. Vertical Farming
5. Hospitality Solutions
6. Recent Properties
...If you upgrade your listing to ENHANCED, then your listing will appear in the February issue of Land And Farm Bulletin as well as on our leading website. In Land And Farm Bulletin you get 60 words of text and your listing goes out to more than 5,000 print readers. Of course, if you only want the web advertising, then you don't need to do anything and you will continue to receive the great leads and exposure you've always had on LandAndFarm.com!
With wildly fluctuating energy prices and a tough economy many folks are looking for alternative sources of energy and income. Where could we find such a solution? Wind! Wind is a natural resource and it exists without having to be bought or obtained from other countries. Wind never runs out, never goes up in price due to inflation, and never pollutes the earth.
A wind farm is a group of turbines on a piece of land that use the wind to conduct electric power. According to the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA), the top 10 states for wind energy potential are: North Dakota, Texas, Kansas, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, Oklahoma, Minnesota and Iowa.
President-elect Barack Obama has already begun working on his "New Energy for America Plan." The President-elect's website states that in addition to hybrid cars and emissions reduction, this plan intends to "ensure 10 percent of our electricity comes from renewable sources by 2012, and 25 percent by 2025." According to the AWEA, the currently installed wind power fleet in the U.S. is estimated to generate just over 1% of the electricity supply in 2008.
So why is all of this relevant to you, the land owner or land buyer? It is predicted by the AWEA that a single wind turbine can provide $2,000-$4,000/year in farm income. With a chance to make a profit and help the environment, using some of your land to wind farming could be of great benefit to you. However there are a few things to keep in mind. Some farmers have found turbines to be aesthetically unpleasing, due to their appearance, sound level and light flicker.
Search in our land use category for properties with "alternative energy" for the potential to purchase a piece of land that could be helping our environment.
Title-insurance company, LandAmerica Financial Group, filed for bankruptcy last month. Its subsidiary, LandAmerica Exchange Services was a "qualified intermediary" for 1031 tax-deferred exchanges which are used when buying and selling property to defer capital gains taxes.
In a 1031 exchange, investors have a "qualified intermediary" hold the funds they received from recently sold property. They then reinvest that money in new property within 180 days in order to defer capital gains taxes.
Unfortunately, According to this letter LandAmerica invested the funds it was holding for customers in auction rate securities and has been unable to return those funds. Customers have been unable to access their funds and many may not make the 180 deadline to purchase another property.
The Wall Street Journal reported that former LandAmerica customers are "furious" due to the fact that LandAmerica continued to seek new business and take in new customers while knowing they were having financial problems. The 1031 Exchange Institute explained that LandAmerica's 1031 Exchange Services were investing their clients' 1031 proceeds in Auction Rate Securities that had been illiquid since February of 2008.
LandAmerica was part of the Federation of Exchange Accommodators (FEA) before they filed for bankruptcy. President and CEO of 1031 services provider American Equity Exchange, Max Hansen, who is also Co-Chair of the FEA State Regulation Committee, explained, "LandAmerica Exchange Services was removed from the FEA membership roles when the FEA determined that LandAmerica was not in a position to fund peoples' replacement property acquisitions, and therefore they were not in compliance with membership requirements of the FEA."
Many online discussion boards and forums have hosted angry conversations between people who felt misled and taken advantage of by LandAmerica. "Whether or not LandAmerica did anything criminal is a matter for the bankruptcy courts to decide," explained Hansen.
With the collapse of LandAmerica, many people have been left unclear about what will happen to the money they have invested in their 1031 exchange with LandAmerica. If they are unable to meet their exchange deadline of 180 days, they will have to pay capital gains tax, which was what they intended to defer by completing a 1031 exchange. "People will need to get legal counsel and file claims with the bankruptcy court and determine what other remedies they may have," explained Hansen. "There may be some things they can do in some instances to complete their exchanges. They should talk to a tax attorney, their accountant, or certified exchange specialists who can advise them about how to complete their exchanges."
Attention all farmers: you may be moving up in the world; up toward the sky that is. Thanks to Columbia professor Dickson Despommier and many of his colleagues, Vertical Farming might just be the up and coming way to grow your crops. (And frankly, here at LandAndFarm.com, we think the designs are way cool.)
Despommier came up with the idea of Vertical Farming in 1999 and has since drawn up models for transparent-walled 30-story vertical farms which could feed about 50,000 people each. Ambitious? Maybe. But with all the concern about the earth and environment, this idea is intriguing architects and farmers alike. According to verticalfarm.com, it is estimated by that by the year 2050, 80% of the population will live in cities and urban settings. With over 80% of the world's farming land in use to date, we are going to need to find new places to grow our crops.
Besides the possibility of bringing fresh produce to urban areas, Vertical Farming also has the potential to eliminate weather-related disasters to crops, reduce the use of pesticides, fertilizers, and waste, and create many new job opportunities. So, with all the good that can be done, why isn't every farmer in town jumping on the opportunity to build their own Vertical Farm? Time Magazine reported that to build one full-scale skyscraper farm, it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars. With today's economy, that cost is more than a minor setback, but keep a lookout in the future for green skyscrapers going up in cities near you!
It's the holiday season and many of you will be hosting a gathering or two to celebrate! But if your house is too small, where are you going to put all those friends of yours? At Land and Farm, our hospitality section is host to many beautiful homes that would be perfect for entertaining guests. Check out this "Immaculate Home on 3 Acres" in Lewisburg, West Virginia. With four bedrooms, a finished basement, a front porch and a back deck, the opportunities to host holiday parties are endless.
If you really can't get enough of hosting, why not start a bed and breakfast? This "Charming Historic Home" in Columbia, Tennessee is a historic bed and breakfast built in the 1800's. Its large, spacious rooms make it a perfect place to hold your holiday celebration.
For years, this "Proven High Income" home in Milford, New York, has served as a venue to hold many private parties. With this gem on the market, you don't want to hesitate!
Visit our "hospitality" section to search for more beautiful, spacious homes to boost your holiday festivities this year!
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Sample of Recent Properties
Approx 20 Acre Gentlemans Farm (horse farm) 20 acres.
Covington, Georgia
3 Acres Near Cordell Hull Lak (residential land) 3 acres.
Elmwood, Tennessee
Beautiful Farming-Hunting Land (commercial land) 347 acres.
Denmark, South Carolina
186 AC COLLINWOOD W/NEW PRICE (forest - natural) 186 acres.
Collinwood, Tennessee
Harsens Island Farm (horse farm) 5 acres.
Harsens Island, Michigan
4 Ac Horse Prop Missouri (undeveloped land) 4 acres.
Warsaw, Missouri
37+ AC W/ CABIN & MTN VIEWS IN KY (residential land) 37 acres.
BURKESVILLE, Kentucky
46 Acres W Small Cabin Ne Ohio (hunting property) 47 acres.
Ohio
145 Ac In N.E. Gainesville (forest - planted) 145 acres.
Gainesville, Florida
62.24 AC HOHENWALD (pasture) 62 acres.
Hohenwald, Tennessee
12.015 Acres At Great Price (hunting property) 12 acres.
Ellenboro, West Virginia
Prepared Building Lot (residential land) 2 acres.
Brodnax, Virginia
150 Acres Of Heavenly Views (horse farm) 150 acres.
New York
Fully Approved Subdivision (residential land) 57 acres.
Vineland, New Jersey
Home and 60 Acres Close To Town (horse farm) 60 acres.
Mountain Grove, Missouri
10 Ac In Elko NE Nevada (undeveloped land) 10 acres.
Montello, Nevada
Hobby Farm And Home (residential land) 8 acres.
Conyers, Georgia
Usfs Georgia Mountain Hunting (hunting property) 3 acres.
Suches, Georgia
107.2 Ac Dillon Co Pecan Grove (pasture) 107 acres.
Dillon, South Carolina
Double F Ranch (residential land) 1 acre.
Driggs, Idaho
Pond Eddy Ny 54.81 Acres (forest - natural) 55 acres.
Pond Eddy, New York
Farm And House For Sale (undeveloped land) 108 acres.
Lancaster, Ohio
Great Opportunity (hunting property) 3,646 acres.
Empire, Kentucky
Quality New Construction (residential land) 2 acres.
Meherrin , Virginia
9.61 Acre Hobby Farm (residential land) 10 acres.
Monroe, Georgia
Trustees Absolute Auction (residential land) 2 acres.
Fort White, Florida
Amazing Colorado Land (recreational property) 5 acres.
Alamosa, Colorado
Beach Land For Sale (waterfront) 110 acres.
mombasa, , Kenya
107 Acres Winding River Presv (forest - natural) 107 acres.
Florida
Absolute Auction Waterfront 12 Acre (commercial land) 12 acres.
Pocomoke, Maryland
Incredible Hunting Land (hunting property) 22 acres.
Salem, Missouri
Oceanfront House Selling (residential land)
Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina
38 Acre Hobby Farm (dairy farm) 38 acres.
Clayton, Wisconsin
North Dakota Farmland (row crops) 318 acres.
Knox, North Dakota
Beautiful Equestrian Estate (ranch) 23 acres.
Taylorsville, North Carolina
Beautiful Piece Of Land (recreational property) 179 acres.
Summersville, MO , Missouri
Hilltop Estate In Franklin Tn (residential land) 10 acres.
Franklin, Tennessee
Elegant Franklin Estate (residential land) 6 acres.
Franklin, Tennessee
Historic Replica On 5 Acres (residential land) 5 acres.
Franklin, Tennessee
Recording Complex Acres (hospitality) 9 acres.
Franklin, Tennessee
Enchanting Equestrian Estate (horse farm) 32 acres.
Franklin, Tennessee
Secluded Paradise In Franklin (residential land) 6 acres.
Franklin, Tennessee
Escalante Raw Land For Sale
Escalante, Utah
A Little Bit Of Heaven (residential land) 10 acres.
Franklin, Tennessee
A LITTLE BIT OF HEAVEN (hunting property) 73 acres.
INDIAN MOUND, Tennessee
Beautiful Rolling Acreage (horse farm) 200 acres.
Bell Buckle, Tennessee
Equest. Plantation In Franklin (horse farm) 13 acres.
Frankllin, Tennessee
2.5 Acres Slo County93453 (alternative energy) 3 acres.
California Valley, California
Great Creek Frontage (hunting property) 153 acres.
Lyles, Tennessee
Exec. Estate On Wooded Acreage (residential land) 9 acres.
Franklin, Tennessee
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