Thoughts on Interest Rates and Land Sales

by Stephen Donnell, SR VP Lending, Plains Land Bank, Amarillo, TX Interest rates have been about as volatile as the commodity markets in recent months. Our long term interest rates have moved up and down over three-tenths of a percent since March. Some months, it appears the Fed’s increase in short term rates is pushing long term rates higher, only to see those rates fall back the next month. Very hard to predict. We have had a number of customers recently locking in some long term money to hedge against rising interest rates. That appears to be a sound strategy, especially …

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Never Buy Land Without an ALC

Never Buy Land Without an ALC…. 4 reasons from an article on Land.com written by Luke Worrell, ALC This article outlines 4 of the reasons you should never buy land without an ALC (Accredited Land Consultant)…..Trust….Skill….Knowledge…Connections. “When it comes to selling land, I am absolutely convinced that ALCs are the best in the business.  For starters, you can only become a designated ALC after you have proven yourself in the field.” Read the entire article here.

Developments in 2016 Texas Land Markets

Clift Land Brokers was well represented at the 27th Annual Outlook for Texas Land Markets in San Antonio in April. As usual, a lot of great information came out of this conference. One highlight was the presentation by Dr. Charles E. Gilliland,  PhD, Research Economist for Texas A & M University Real Estate Center on Texas Land Values. Click here for a copy of that presentation.  While 2017 1st quarter land values were up statewide 1.8% over 2016 4th quarter, and while other regions showed an increase, Region 1 – TX Panhandle and South Plains Region was down 3.4% over …

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