A ranch can be a great place to chase your dreams, start your own business or just get away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Though before you start contacting Realtors, you should probably figure out what you are getting yourself into.
One thing that you must know is that owning a ranch takes a lot of work. This is not like owning a home with a big yard; from maintenance to the animals and crops that will be housed on your land, there are lots of things that will consume your time.
Before buying a ranch think about what goals you have for your ranch, do you want your ranch to be for recreation or agriculture? Each of these has different requirements that need to be considered.
If the ranch is to be used for recreation then it is important to find out what types of activities can be performed on the land, think about buying plots with access to recreational areas such as lakes, trails, and other amenities. Also, think about where guests will be staying and what you will offer them, will the resort be high-end or more budget-friendly? The final thing to consider is beautification. Making sure that your land remains pristine and that the fixtures are well-maintained is an important part of running a recreational ranch.
An agricultural, or working ranch has a different set of requirements depending on what you want to produce. Both crops and livestock will have conditions that must be met for them to be successful on the land that you choose. Consider how many animals your land can support and where they will graze, also consider the soil conditions of the land which will help determine how much work you will need to put in before crops can grow and thrive.
Another thing to think about is the total cost of buying the ranch. The initial cost comes from buying the land and setting up your home, then if you need any other fixtures built on the land. After that cost comes the price of starting up the ranch, starting with equipment. Carefully research and talk to people who own ranches to find out what equipment you will need and build your budget with that info. Next figure out how much buying your starting livestock and seeds will be, you may want to start small at first and then build up as you make money.
The other cost comes from the amount of time needed to run a ranch if you are wanting to run a large ranch that may become your full-time job. Taking care of maintenance needs along with either running a resort or managing livestock or crops means that there will always be something to do. When you are considering buying a ranch you should try and figure out who will be helping you. If you want to run a family ranch then talk with your family to find out what they want to do. And if you need any help outside of that you can always hire some ranch hands.
Ranching provides a way to break out of the cycle of working in a cubicle for hours. But it requires a lot of work and time to make a living as a rancher, so before you decide make sure you do your research and figure out if being a rancher is the life for you.
While there may not be a lot of ranches around the San Tan Valley, if you’re planning on buying one, it helps to understand all the details when buying a larger parcel of land. Contact me anytime for ranch purchases or larger tracts of land in and around the Mesa and Phoenix area.
Need to buy? Give me a call! I’d love to help you find the right home for your needs in the Mesa AZ real estate or San Tan Valley housing market.
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