Huff Creek Properties

When it comes to owning and managing recreational property one thing is certain: every property owner has an opinion (rightfully so) on what’s the best method for improving their land.  Although these opinions sometimes rest at opposite ends of the spectrum, a common interest serves as a bond between all recreational landowners – the desire to improve their property.  The property might be a ragged clear-cut or the highest turn-key property on the market but one thing is certain – there is a good chance the owner wants to make it better.  Often times this motivation is influenced by many factors but one reason that will always make the list is the notion that making improvements to a recreational tract adds value from top to bottom.

Perhaps the best method for adding both tangible and intrinsic value to a recreational tract, implementing appropriate property upgrades can lead to big dividends for an owner at the closing table – especially with current market conditions.  Today’s recreational land buyer is seeking out properties that are bargain priced and already have the improvement(s) that are in align with their intended use.  These buyers recognize that many landowners made the decision to sell after enduring several years of economic struggles and the direct result is a large supply of improved recreational tracts currently available at a great price.  This trend suggests that current sellers, if they haven’t yet, need to implement improvements on their property if they want to be in the game.  Depending on the nature of the property and improvements this process can get costly, however, landowners have options available to them in terms of generating income to contribute towards designated improvements.

For many recreational property owners finding the funds to implement property upgrades, not to mention regular maintenance and upkeep, is an ongoing challenge.  Anyone who has owned land can attest to the old saying that “there’s always something that needs to be done.”  Often times planned improvements must be sacrificed in order to repair existing equipment and structures.  This scenario becomes much more common when recreational land is put up for sale with a mindset of: “why waste money improving a property when the plan is to sell?”  The reality of this misconception is that although an owner may save money in the short-term by sacrificing appropriate improvements, the long-term outcome is often the following:  the property remains on the market for a long period of time and when it sells the price is not what the owner originally hoped to get.  In order to overcome the costly process of keeping up with a recreational tract while trying to facilitate the property reaching its full potential owners should get creative in terms of implementing cash flow on a recreational tract.  Some creative strategies that could be use to generate cash flow include the following opportunities:

Harvest some timber.  Clear-cuts are not the most aesthetic property feature but they serve as great buffers from neighbors and roads and they are phenomenal in terms of wildlife habitat.  If you are completely against clear-cutting identify stands where thinning is appropriate.  In addition to generating income a thinned timber stands adds aesthetic value and improves the health of the timber stand.

Plant a dove field or a duck impoundment and lease out the hunting rights.  Wing shooters will pay to play and having a dove field or duck impoundment on your property will undoubtedly add substantial value to your property.  This improvement, which is not always a feasible option, will also improve the chance of a property being sold because of the limited number of properties on the market that offer this recreational pursuit.

Lease out the deer and turkey hunting rights.  Insert a clause that the tenants are required to plant and maintain food plots – it will pay off in the event circumstances call for selling the property.

Lease out your empty horse stables.  Equestrians are always looking for a place to board their horse – up the ante by permitting them to trail ride on the property.

Lease agricultural fields to a farmer.  This method will not only generate cash, it also adds value to your property from a hunter’s standpoint.

Research opportunities for grants at the state and federal levels for funds that might be available or place a conservation easement on your property that will offer annual payments that can be put towards maintenance, upkeep, and improvements.  Landowners can negotiate the terms of a conservation easement!

Seek compensation for damages that have been done to your property.  This option is a page straight out of T. Boone Pickens’ playbook.  Pickens profited from selling ranchland that he had improved from a wildlife habitat standpoint in Roberts County, Texas.  He successfully sued a company for $1.5 million that had damaged his property and failed to repair those damages.  Pickens action serves as a great example for landowners to follow in terms of standing up for property damages incurred from companies that have a legal right to run heavy equipment on your property.  Whether the damage stems from maintaining a utility easement, a logging company conducting a thinning, or a government agency that oversees wetlands, a landowner has a cause of action to ensure his property is not damaged by these activities.  Pickens motivation for bringing the lawsuit, which was to repair costly improvements he had implemented on the ranch, reinforces the idea that making wildlife habitat improvements to a recreational property adds value – “Today, I am driven by a desire to conserve and reclaim organized land for quail habitat, and to develop long-term wildlife management plans that can be used to improve land values through an expansion of recreational opportunities.”  (T. Boone Pickens, Mesa Vista Ranch, http://mesavistaranch.com/pdf/TBPbooklet3web.pdf, page 3).  It’s a safe bet that the $1.5 million awarded to Pickens was spent on additional ranch improvements.

This list is just a few of the more common methods for generating income on recreational land – additional opportunities are endless if you take the time to get creative.  Whether your objective is to make the improvements to your recreational property that you’ve always dreamed of or attracting a prospective buyer, there’s no reason to come out of pocket until you’ve looked closely at the assets on your land and the potential income they can produce.

-RH

Huff Creek Properties would like to announce the most recent price reduction on our Arrowhead Ridge listing.  This magnificent 264+/- acre property consists almost entirely of mature hardwoods and sits atop Chestnut Mountain just north of Travelers Rest in Greenville County, SC.  The original asking price of $2,508,000 has been reduced by $1,493,000 and is now $1,015,000 ($3,845/acre).

The property, which is one mile south of 18,000 acres of undeveloped mountain forest surrounding the North Saluda Reservoir, is an absolute haven for Eastern wild turkeys and spending a spring day turkey hunting on Arrowhead Ridge is a remarkable experience.  The 3/4 mile long ridge road is a magnet for mature Toms – over a 90% success rate on longbeards over the last three years of hunting!

If you are looking for a recreational tract close to Greenville, SC (less than 30 minutes) with great investment potential and world class turkey hunting call us at 864-232-9040 or visit www.huffcreekproperties.com!

Since its construction in 1940, Lake Greenwood has become a valuable asset of the local community as well as for the entire Upstate of South Carolina.  This 11,400 acre lake, which is the main water source for Greenwood and much of Greenwood County, also serves as a hub for a number of recreational pursuits which have fostered significant population and economic growth in this region.  History has revealed that both positive impacts and challenges result from increased levels of population and economic activity in a given area – and the Lake Greenwood community is no exception to this rule.

According to the Saluda-Reedy Watershed Consortium (SRWC), “a broad based coalition of universities, non-profit organizations, government agencies and private businesses which have conducted a wide range of research on Lake Greenwood and its watershed”[1], several obstacles concerning water quality must be overcome in order to ensure the future health of Lake Greenwood.  The 745,600 acre Saluda-Reedy Watershed (SRW) and Lake Greenwood have a long history of dealing with unwanted effluents.  For decades the Saluda River and the Reedy River carried away many types of wastes from growing industry and development in the Upstate.  The implementation of regulations on unwanted industrial effluents such as the Clean Water Act of 1972 made a major impact on the current water quality of the SRW and Lake Greenwood.  However, Lake Greenwood and the SRW currently face new health threats – the SRWC has identified sediment from upstream development, stormwater runoff, and phosphorus from wastewater discharges as the main causes that affect the cleanliness and levels of water in Lake Greenwood.

A study by the SRWC reports that 307 acres of Lake Greenwood has been lost to sedimentation in the upper part of the lake.  If this process continues there is the potential for negative impacts such as the loss of waterfront land, harmful pollutants, and decreased boat and recreational access.  Major algae bloom, which Lake Greenwood experienced in 1999, is another real threat …

“[w]hen an overload of phosphorus and nitrogen are introduced to the lake, algae growth can increase to an uncontrollable level.  As the algae dies and sinks to the bottom, the decay process consumes a substantial amount of dissolved oxygen.  A combination of low bottom-water oxygen levels and high surface water temperatures that often occur in the summer can leave many fish and other aquatic life with little or no suitable habitat.”[2]

Land use along the shore of Lake Greenwood is another critical aspect of the water quality.  Some lakeside development produces soil erosion, loss of shoreline vegetation, and toxic runoff which contribute to poor water quality.

This research makes a strong argument that the health of Lake Greenwood is in jeopardy.  Growth and development in upstate South Carolina have once again reached a level that is causing detrimental impacts to Lake Greenwood.  However, these findings also shed light on the implementation of proven methods that helped Lake Greenwood overcome water quality problems forty years ago.  Although government regulations and policies like the ones implemented in the past are part of the solution, they are not the only effective measures to help improve the water quality.  Conservation easements on properties within the Saluda-Reedy Watershed can have a major impact in the effort to improve Lake Greenwood’s water quality.  These properties consist of those with Saluda & Reedy River frontage as well as lake front parcels and the preservation of land within this watershed will have a direct effect on reducing the amount of pollution that enters Lake Greenwood.

In addition to qualifying for conservation easements, large acreage tracts with significant frontage on Lake Greenwood are unique pieces of real estate with regards to the current real estate market.  Unlike large timber and recreational tracts in this area, a strong demand for lake lots is in place resulting in stable values throughout the economic downturn.  This market indicator reveals that undeveloped lake frontage has good investment potential from a lake lot development perspective.  A savvy investor should recognize the enhanced investment potential of a large acreage tract with significant frontage on Lake Greenwood.  A property with these features offers significant tax benefits through a conservation easement on designated areas as well as mitigation opportunities for sustainable lake lot development.  In addition, the stark contrast of the current market for lake lots and large acreage recreational and timber tracts allows an investor to assess the value of a large acreage tract with significant lake frontage from two separate vantage points which is advantageous.

Lake Greenwood is a treasured resource of Upstate South Carolina and for the last seventy years this lake has contributed to the economic growth of the area while also facing water quality challenges.  This constant struggle is a familiar story for waterways and wetlands across the southeast and the decision to sacrifice clean water for financial returns and vice versa is never easy.  Fortunately, in some circumstances the two are not mutually exclusive.  Sustainable development, if implemented properly, can facilitate the co-existence of clean water and financial returns given certain market trends and property location.  These conditions currently apply to large acreage tracts with significant undeveloped lake frontage on Lake Greenwood resulting in a rare opportunity to assist in the protection of Lake Greenwood with a positive return on investment.

The first few days of the 2012 turkey season have been pretty good for Huff Creek! Good luck to all you turkey hunters out there the rest of the season. Give us a call at 864-232-9040 or go to our website at www.huffcreekproperties.com if you’re in the market for recreational property.

Huff Creek Properties recently published our first quarter newsletter for 2012. Visit us at www.huffcreekproperties.com and scroll down to the link “View Our Current Newsletter.”

Spring has arrived and for many outdoorsmen the approach of opening day of turkey season is already causing some sleepless nights.  This ancient tradition has lured hunters to the woods ever since the time of Native Americans, and, for many, the pursuit of the wild turkey is the ultimate outdoor experience.  When it comes to getting within forty yards of a trophy bird that has three-hundred and sixty degree vision and can spot the slightest movement from three hundred yards away there is no denying that a successful turkey hunt is quite a feat that requires patience, determination, and skill.  However, any experienced turkey hunter will tell you the sense of accomplishment and the tasty meal that comes with taking a turkey is only part of what has kept this tradition alive for the last 4,000 years.

What frequently makes turkey hunting so thrilling is experiencing a successful hunt while paired up with a fellow hunter.  Whether it’s calling in a newcomer’s first bird or joking over whose turn it is to shoot with your oldest hunting buddy, the instant camaraderie created by sharing in the sacred ritual of harvesting a wild turkey is a unique human interaction that remains intact year after year.  Lifelong friendships and family bonds are routinely established in just a few hours during each spring turkey season – often times with very few words spoken.  The culmination of these few hours typically results in ridiculous behavior not limited to high fives, bear hugs, flailing arms, fist pumps, hysterical laughing, full on sprinting, and last but not least uncontrollable trembling.  It’s very likely the root of the instant bond formed between two turkey hunters following a successful hunt is the vulnerable condition we are in that’s on display to our fellow hunter.

One common factor stands out among these life-long bonds that are gained through the pursuit of wild turkeys – a love of the land and its many treasures.  At Huff Creek Properties, we are passionate about the wonders of the interaction of land and nature and the effects this interaction has on us as individuals.  If you share this passion and want to experience turkey hunting adventures every spring give us a call – we eat, breathe, and sleep turkey hunting throughout Georgia and North & South Carolina and can lend a seasoned hand identifying your future turkey hunting paradise!

The answer to the question in this title is pretty straightforward – not only are large acreage recreational property values lower than they have been in almost ten years, an abundance of quality tracts are also currently on the market.  The first thought that this response most likely evokes from a prospective buyer is, given the current uncertainty with the economy, the smart play is to wait, let prices continue to drop, then pull the trigger on that dream property.  This scenario sounds simple enough – why would anyone want to buy right now?

Although the odds of finding that perfect property at a very reasonable price are high right now, this window of opportunity will not last forever.  Land prices will eventually bottom out and start the recovery process.  Even more important than the recovery of land prices to a potential buyer is the inevitable reduction of quality tracts on the market.  Once land prices stabilize, the first tracts to go are sure to be the best ones.  By waiting for land prices to continue falling, a buyer is risking an opportunity to purchase a quality tract at a great price that probably has not been on the market for a long time and most likely will not be on the market again anytime soon.

The purchase of a large acreage recreational tract is typically a substantial long-term investment which requires much deliberation.  The main objective for a majority of buyers is getting a great deal on a tract that meets all of their requirements.  Many buyers are currently hesitant to move forward in the purchasing process and this hesitancy is justified by the uncertainty of land prices recovering.  For those considering the purchase of a recreational property take a look at the following statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture during the Great Depression:

“Agricultural land values saw the largest percentage declines of the century in the early 1930′s, the beginning of the Great Depression. Agricultural land values dropped 37 percent over a period of 3 years and remained between $30 and $33 per acre throughout the 1930′s. Following the Great Depression, land values were revitalized and began a climb that continued until the early 1980′s.” (USDA)

Over the last three years the majority of large tracts of recreational property in upstate South Carolina have been losing value.  Overall, these properties are currently pushing a 30 percent loss in value since land prices started declining.  An increasing number of recreational properties currently on the market have experienced major price reductions that reflect this 30 percent loss in value.  A legitimate argument is the current recession has lasted longer than anyone anticipated and we are close to a recovery but it will be a slow one.  If this argument proves true a valid assessment of current land values is that although they have bottomed out, the time frame for recovering value will be significant.  As the slow recovery reveals itself the transactions on quality recreational tracts will increase in frequency as buyers gain more certainty that land values are increasing.  Therefore, the best time to get serious about purchasing a large acreage recreational tract is now.  The substantial inventory of nice recreational properties with values 30 percent below pre-recession values will not last long and continuing to wait could very well result in missing out on the chance to purchase that ideal tract at a great price.

- RH

As the whitetail’s drop their sheds and the ducks hold tight down south, we often find February as the lull between seasons. As we scratch our heads looking for something to pursue outdoors, we can rest assure, this month has plenty to offer. To start, the fast flying Bobwhite Quail 2nd Season in South Carolina runs from November 21 – March 1, giving us ample opportunity to find a few wild coveys to take a crack at. No private land? Don’t need it, as every WMA Game Zone in the state has a population of birds with the highest population being centered around the middle of Game Zone 6. Although these wild coveys can be hard to chase down without the aide of a man’s best friend, a morning stroll through the vast southern pine plantations can often stir a few birds to flight.
If your looking to stay closer to home and still get some shooting in, Crow Season might be right up your alley. Running through the end of February, all you often need for high levels of success, are a few loud crow calls, a set of good camouflage clothes and the ability to knock down the leading bird. This hunt can be a great way to introduce young kids to shotguns while also giving your dog a chance to stretch his legs. With a little patience and the ability to drown out the sometimes obnoxious waling of the crow call, these hunts usually provide some great memories afield.
Rather chase down something with fur and legs, give Raccoon’s a go. WMA’s all over the state offer great opportunities to chase down these elusive night eyes. Simply grab some powerful flashlights, head lamps, and a small caliber .22 and your on your way. Stick to the swampy bottom-lands with old tree cover and don’t be afraid to get in the thick of things, as these animals often hide in the darkest corners of the night. If you aren’t having any luck by yourself, look for a group of “Coon Hunters” in your town and tag along with them as they unleash their hounds into the night.
All this goes to say, don’t let the time between Deer and Turkey season keep you on the couch. Get outdoors and enjoy the bountiful opportunities we have been afforded by mother nature. And if you shooting isn’t your style, try Lakes Hartwell and Russel for some serious Striped Bass action!

At Huff Creek Properties, we anxiously await the holiday season each year.  Annual duck hunts with family and friends is a southern tradition that has roots dating back hundreds of years.  We celebrate this tradition with some long running hunts of our own that each have special meaning.  Some of our most cherished memories are witnessing a young family member watching in awe as decoying mallards and buzzing woodies break the early morning silence on an upstate South Carolina Thanksgiving family hunt, a cast & blast trip to the marshes of South Louisiana with two mentors and a hunting buddy for fourteen years in a row, and more recent an annual celebration the night before opening day with fellow Santee River Valley hunters.

While each tradition is unique, they are all connected by the camaraderie created by a shared passion of being outdoors and witnessing wildlife in their natural environment.  We are firm believers in the life long bonds that result from participating in annual holiday duck hunts and hope this season is the best yet.  Have a great holiday season and if you don’t have an annual duck shoot planned we encourage you do do so!

- RH