Buying land in today’s economy may be one of the wisest decisions you can make. Most people are afraid to play the stock market for many reasons, it seems like the US dollar is constantly losing its value on a daily basis. And leaving your money in the bank will not earn you much of anything these days. So where does that leave a person to invest their money?

Many have found that purchasing land is a wise investment. Not only does this give you an intangible asset, it also provides you with an investment that is known to constantly rise in value even during times word the economy is in poor. In fact when the economy is doing bad it might be the best time to purchase land, due to the fact that many people are nedding money to survive and therefore are selling their land at rates you normally couldn’t buy it at.

Where I have decided to purchase my land is a place in Colorado known as the San Luis Valley. The San Luis Valley is only a gorgeous place to live and there’s so many land investment opportunities to be had. Buying land in the valley is something someone should educate theirself on before doing so. The reason being the San Luis Valley has so many diverse areas and to make the correct investment in land requires one to know about these area’s.

Costilla County is one of Colorado’s poorest counties in the state. In spite of that fact it is also one of the most beautiful areas you can buy land in. You have towns such as Fort Garland, San Luis, Blanca and a handful os smaller towns. Costilla County borders Alamosa County which is the largest county in the valley as far shopping and jobs are concerned.

If buying land in Costilla County then you should know the land varies considerably depanding on location. With Blanca being entirely flat for the most part and its vegetation being Chico bush instead of grass. Parts far south of Blanca being desert with little vegetation. So if you are used to a lot of trees and green grass then the valley will be a change for you.

You normally will not see much trees or grass of any kind unless you’re against the mountains or on the mountains. This leaves areas such as the town of San Luis and Fort Garland as the areas that border the mountains. Of course the greener you get usually the more expensive the land becomes.

In Blanca you can often find 5 acre parcels of land for under $4000. Many of these partials can be owner financed with little or no money down. But you must realize although the land may be cheap, most of it is so far out that you would need solar power for it and it’s going to need a well and install a septic tank. Still even with these expenses included you can end up with 5 acres of land with well and septic for around $20,000 when everything is said and done. Again electricity is often not available on many of these lots are sale. So either you must pay the local power company to run power to your property which is around four dollars a foot plus other expenses or are you must look to solar power. Solar power is fairly expensive if you want to maintain your city lifestyles, if you’re willing to go green and cut back on the power consumption then perhaps solar is a route that you can consider.

Areas such as Fort Garland which border the mountains often have more expensive lots and offer gated subdivisions. Roads in these subdivisions are often maintained by the county and homeowner associations. There are subdivisions such as Forbes Park which is considered one of the more prestigious communities in the valley.

When shopping for land online make sure you confirm where the property is located what utilities are available and if water rights come with the land. You should not buy property without knowing the answers to these questions. We know it’s impossible for every body to see the land in person than they are interested in buying, it would be a good idea to hire someone to go take pictures of land for you. The reason for this is often land sales online do not typically show pictures of the property, instead they show pictures of the area. You’re not buying the area, you’re buying a particular piece of land and need to know what it looks like. Don’t let picutres of beautiful mountains and lakes with wildlife running freely persuade you into buying a piece of property without seeing.

Many people have purchased property out in the valley to finally visit it one day and almost go into shock because it looked nothing like the pictures they seen online. I will agree if the price of property is cheap enough it’s hard to go wrong if you get it at a steal, but if you’re buying it to live on it, then it has to be something you will be happy with.

Colorado Land - NEW PRICE - 1.434 Acres - FINANCING US $300.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 12:08:24 PDT Add to watch list

5 AC BLANCA COLORADO,RIO GRANDE RANCHES ,MTN VIEWS US $142.50 (7 Bids) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 18:18:16 PDT Add to watch list

5 Acres, Sangre De Cristo Mountains, Colorado US $5,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 18:19:04 PDT Add to watch list

CNN Money Magazine picked various Colorado cities as being in the top 10 “Great American” places to live.  The criteria for this is based on financial standards, quality of life, low crime rate, a variety of entertainment and culture, education, health statistics, climate and area population. 

Colorado made the ranks in all areas, offering quality education for kids, a wide array of colleges to choose from, fast job growth, with a low 4.4% unemployment rate and minimal crime rate. 

Recreation and entertainment

Opportunity for these are never far away; with museums, the Pueblo zoo, the Great Sand Dunes, Rocky Mountain National Park, ski resorts, biking, hiking, and a variety of restaurants including American cuisine, Mexican, and Italian, Greek, French, pubs and steakhouses just to name a few.  For more details check out http://www.colorado.com.

As far as the climate in Colorado is concerned, generally you can look forward to around 300 days of sunshine every year, with mild temperatures much of the time. 
 
Colorado Education
Colorado boasts a wide selection of educational choices ranging from the public school system, private schools and home schooling.

The state’s public schools are funded through a combination of state revenues and local property taxes. In the past the property taxes made up the majority of funding, but due to its recent decrease, the alliance, “Believe in a Better Colorado” (http://www.believeinabettercolorado.org) has been formed in an effort to raise awareness about the schools needs and dreams for future growth. 

Colorado is very accepting of home schooling, whether of the traditional style, eclectic or unschooling style. 

Details on all of the above can be found at http://www.cde.state.co.us

Residential Property Taxes

Currently, Colorado residential property taxes are around 8%, and are reassessed every odd-numbered year. The revenue generated from property taxes stays within county in which it is paid.  It goes towards schools, roads, police, fire and other local services.  For more information refer to http://dola.colorado.gov
Economy

With manufacturers in food, printing, publishing, machinery, transportation and communications, a strong economy base is present in Colorado.  It also offers opportunity in the farm industry, concentrating mainly in livestock, corn, hay and wheat.

With the breathtaking scenery and many attractions at your fingertips, Colorado is at the top of the list for family fun, entertainment, investment and a place to call home all wrapped up in one beautiful, bountiful state.

2.23 ACRES VACANT NEAR LAKE HAVASU CITY AZ ( CASH) US $2,400.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-09-2010 17:52:57 PDT Add to watch list

4.5 ACRE WHITE MOUNTAIN, AZ, $150/month, 4%, FINANCE US $25.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Thursday Sep-09-2010 17:53:22 PDT Add to watch list

Assuming you have the right bargaining expertise, you can buy pieces of property for a cheap price then sell them later, at a higher price. You may even develop the property and then grow your asset’s worth perhaps a hundredfold. You might have read about self-made billionaires whom managed to get rich as a result of real estate investments. This approach is among the ways they create those enormous amounts of income.

In the past, the actual worth of real estate has almost always gone through an upward movement. This particular is generally due to the simple fact in which there is most certainly a limited quantity of land. If you even been around real estate investors then you have heard the saying “They ain’t making any more land”. Together with the expanding global population placing land as an non-renewable asset in growing demand, the odds of losing your own funds with your investment decision are usually very slim if you do your groundwork and invest low.

Keep in mind to consider pre-platted lots situated in developed or even developing planned residential areas as well as subdivisions. A great deal more builders will certainly develop within those areas. Together with each individual new home which is constructed, land availability becomes reduced and the worth should to increase.

Donald Trump, for instance, created his enormous wealth simply by what is referred to as land banking – the practice of purchasing and possessing property for future sale and / or development.

Much like any kind of investment business plan, you should prepare yourself for all those aspects of property investing.It takes not merely five to fifteen thousand of investment to begin with, but additionally flawless planning scheme for the new investor.

Market analysis, going to city zoning meetings, and on-going conversation together with potential sellers is really a requirement. Buying property is a lot more than thoughtlessly spending money for something which might possibly not maintain value. Making the best choices will certainly determine whether your endeavor is going to be lucrative or simply a financial blunder.

Some areas of Colorado have a lot more land available at very affordable prices, just remember there is a reason often for the lower prices. The job market and shopping are among the top factors for higher land prices. For instance the San Luis Valley has very few jobs and nearly all the shopping is in Alamosa. This should not discourage you, many people want to get away from it all. In todays ecomny many people are being forced to sell their million dollar homes in California are looking for places where they can move to with what little equity they get from their home sale. Imagine getting 35 acres of land for $20,000, it is very possible to do in the Valley.

Looking for some areas in the valley to invest in, then here most of the prinicle towns located in San Luis Valley:
Alamosa, Antonito, Capulin, Center, Creede, Crestone, Del Norte, Fort Garland, Hooper, La Jara, Manassa, Monte Vista, Mosca, Saguache, San Acacio, San Luis, Sanford, South Fork, Villa Grove

For those who have funds as well as the gumption, staking your own name to a plot of property could possibly be the greatest decision you’ll ever make.

Colorado Land - NEW PRICE - 1.434 Acres - FINANCING US $300.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 12:08:24 PDT Add to watch list

5 AC BLANCA COLORADO,RIO GRANDE RANCHES ,MTN VIEWS US $142.50 (7 Bids) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 18:18:16 PDT Add to watch list

5 Acres, Sangre De Cristo Mountains, Colorado US $5,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 18:19:04 PDT Add to watch list

COLORADO MESA TOP LAND 5 or 10 ACRE MOUNTAIN VIEW TRACT US $100.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Sep-11-2010 9:15:59 PDT Add to watch list

Here’s a small excerpt from the Colorado Home School Statute..

“It is the primary right and obligation of the parent to choose the proper education and training for children under his care and supervision. It is recognized that home-based education is a legitimate alternative to classroom attendance for the instruction of children and that any regulation of non-public home-based educational programs should be sufficiently flexible to accommodate a variety of circumstances. The General Assembly further declares that non-public home-based educational programs shall be subject only to minimum state controls which are currently applicable to other forms of non-public education.”

“Parents must give notice 14 days before starting home schooling and annually thereafter. The parents have the choice to file the notice in any school district in the state. A parent who intends to establish a nonpublic home-based educational program is not required to establish nor to provide written notification of this program to a school district within the state until the parent’s child is seven years of age, nor is the parent required to continue the program or provide the notification after the child is sixteen years of age.

For complete details check out the Colorado Education State Website for the requirements and laws pertaining to Homeschooling. You can also check out the Homeschool Reporting site to better understand the reporting requirements.

Interested in moving to Colorado, you’ll be amazed at some of the prices land is currently selling for, so check out our Colorado property listings.

If you have not been snow skiing in the past, you might like to enroll in Colorado skiing training. Nearly all ski resorts around provides some type of skiing instruction, have they be the hour, the day, or the weekend, where you can learn the basics from qualified instructors. These people will teach you about the different parts of your skis, how to accelerate, decelerate, stop, turn, and so forth. They are going to in addition educate you on regarding mountain basic safety as well as how to proceed in the event you become lost or wounded.

Subsequently, it is advisable to understand what to be dressed in on your Colorado skiing trip. Above all else, you really should possess warm overcoat or even a shell that’s going to be water-proof as well as insulated. The majority of vacationers in addition opt to wear a fleece coat or wool jacket underneath, since it becomes extremely frigid way up there located at really high altitudes along with surrounding snowfall. Furthermore, you need to put on insulated, water-proof skiing pants along with a heavy winter hat. Gloves certainly are a requirement along with a good scarf, neck warmer or even entire face mask utilizing insulation. Ensure you take your thermals too! It certainly is better to be safe rather than end up being sorry, particularly if you are hypersensitive towards cold. Finally, you need to purchase ski eye protection or even a mask plus a headwear. You may really feel strange using head gear to ski, however it will almost certainly assure you will be safer. You’ll be able to locate fairly easily just about all of these things from a athletics or even mountain retailer on the internet or even offline prior to your own wintertime skiing getaway.

If you need somesuggestions for ski resorts in Colorado, look no further! Here are the most poplar lodges and resorts… Arapahoe Basin, Arapahoe East Ski Area, Aspen Highlands, Aspen Mountain, Beaver Creek, Berthoud Pass, Breckenridge, Buttermilk, Copper Mountain, Crested Butte, Cuchara, Durango Mountain Resort (formerly Purgatory), Echo Mountain Park, Eldora, Geneva Basin, Hesperus Ski Area, Hidden Valley/Ski Estes Park, Howelsen, Kendall Mountain, Keystone, Loveland, Monarch Mountain, Powderhorn Resort, Silverton Mountain, Ski Cooper, Snowmass, SolVista, Steamboat, Sunlight Ski Area, Telluride, Vail, Winter Park/Mary Jane, Wolf Creek

Remember prepare before you go and you will save a lot of money on ski gear.

In fact many residents of Colorado’s never visited the valley which is so surprising considering that it’s such a gorgeous place for a tremendous vacation. The Valley’s population is very sparse and under 25 thousand people live in the entire valley. One reason for the sparse population may be that the winters in the valley can be very cold, the temperatures at night can dip below 40°F. Although not typical some winter years may not go above 0° during the day time.

When people first hear about the temperatures, they find it hard to believe people can actually live in areas they get this cold. What they’re taking for granted is that the valley has very little humidity. Unlike the coastal areas of the US where 40° might seem chilly, 40° in the valley might feel like 60+ degrees to people from the more humidl areas.

The valley is made up about 2,000,000 acres of land, and much of this land is privately owned. In fact the much of the San Luis Valley was originally part of the Spanish land grants. So it’s possible to actually own land on top of mountains with the most beautiful views you’ve ever seen due to these land-grant. Today the US government typically grabs up land and prevents people from living on and around mountains. Luckily the Valley still offers people the chance to experience mountin land ownership not available most anywhere else.

There is so much in the valley to enjoy such as hiking, biking, mountain climbing, Jeep trails, four whelling, Geo caching and much more. So if you love the outdoors the San Luis Valley could be the perfect place for you. If you ever wanted to only get away, mountain home or looking to move to somewhere like if it’s so hectic.

Another rare quality of the valley is the people there, they’re kind, friendly and willing to lend a helping hand if necessary. It’s uncommon in today’s world, when broke down on the side of the road to have some one pull up and offer to help you. Well thats the kind of people you’ll find in the Great San Luis Valley. The residents of teh Valley are very humble and generous, they might not have much, but they will offer you what little they have.

Many feel the valley is a perfect place to raise children in, it’s safe, has some great schools, allows for homeschooling and offers an environment unlike any where else available in the US. If your kids love sports then there’s many soccer teams, baseball teams, football teams and other activities for them to join in.

If you are a senior looking to retire then the valley is a perfect place for you to. Many people from the larger cities have sold their homes and use their surplus income from the sale of their home to purchase land and a house for a fraction of the price they could have gotten a similar home for in their area. With taxes being much lower than most big cities, it is easier to buy a bigger and nicer house for less.

So you can see the valley offers a little something for everyone, young and old.

Colorado Land - NEW PRICE - 1.434 Acres - FINANCING US $300.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 12:08:24 PDT Add to watch list

5 AC BLANCA COLORADO,RIO GRANDE RANCHES ,MTN VIEWS US $142.50 (7 Bids) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 18:18:16 PDT Add to watch list

5 Acres, Sangre De Cristo Mountains, Colorado US $5,000.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Friday Sep-10-2010 18:19:04 PDT Add to watch list