Want to Become a Land Owner? Written by Reid Rosenthal on March 7, 2017 · 2 Comments Does the Land Speak to You? All land has energy. It will reach out and touch you, speak to you if you open yourself to its power. Land developed with homes has yet another dimension of personality. The concept of energy flowing from the land holds true, no matter the size, region or locale. Some readers will nod and smile at this concept, while others will wrinkle their brow. What is this energy? The current that flows from a piece of the earth the soul and senses is metaphysical-part mental, part physical, and part spiritual. For some, the sensations come more quickly or strongly, but I am convinced that all people have the innate capability to feel the mystical tug of the land. The key here is to open yourself and remove the shrouds of city and society that block your intuitive radar. You will recognize, with a thrilling certainty, a peculiar and then familiar vibration that emanates from your center and grows stronger, a magnet for the countless waves of sight, smell and sound that combine to form perspective. 28 Hundred Acres of Pristine Mountain Land It was 2003. A tiny black-and-white ad stuck in the classified grid at the back of a local newspaper in Wyoming jumped out at me: “Twenty-eight-hundred acres of pristine mountain land, creeks, secluded.” I was looking for a suitable 1031 exchange property to defer a large capital gain on a pending sale of a ranch in Montana. Owned by long-time partners for more than two decades, the Montana ranch had been enhanced pursuant to a twenty-year resource and agricultural improvement plan. Values had increased exponentially. Truly an exceptional agricultural and recreational ranch property, portions of it had been preserved by conservation easements. One of our favorite places, we were sorry to let it go, but all things have their time. My partners instructed me to find a property of equal or better value and beauty. I had a tough job ahead of me—just like anyone in a similar situation, and regardless of how large or small the acreage. My search parameters concentrated on certain areas, which, due to macroeconomic circumstances, demographic trends, and conformance to our acquisition checklist (Workbook Section 1, Schedule 1), demonstrated superior agricultural and recreational potential, along with realistic possibilities for the increase in value via market trends, agricultural and resource improvements, and preservation. It was no accident that I searched the obscure pages of the small-town paper in Wyoming. Southeastern Wyoming is home to the little-known but exceptionally beautiful Laramie Mountain Range. This undiscovered area lies just two hours north of Denver and the teeming Front Range of Colorado. I was sure that this location would become ever more popular for outdoor recreation and as an agricultural and cattle center near a major metropolitan area. The story unraveled in a most fascinating way. Interested in Becoming a Land Owner? Reid Lance Rosenthal purchased his first piece of land—a ranch property—at the age of eighteen. Three generations of a family steeped in land and cattle preceded him, and from these past generations he acquired a deep and abiding love of the land and its energy. This respect, and the reality of the skills necessary to properly select, plan, improve, enhance and preserve land, have grown and been honed by successes and failures over more than forty years in ranching, real estate, land use and management. Land for Love and Money tells both a story and practical advice on how to navigate nature, negotiations, and the tribulations you will face in being a land owner… As well as the stories, good and bad. 🙂 Get your copy here!