Quote from Smart Money:
Hey, on a personal note, the wife and I went looking at neighborhoods in my neck of the woods, and found 1/2 acre lots in a golf course community for $200,000. This is about quadruple what they were just 3 years ago. We found a neighborhood we really liked that had lots for $30,000 only a few years ago and the lots were $150,000 to $200,000. I realized that what is happening in our areas is that the county commissions can't approve subdivisions fast enough, so there is a shortage of buildable lots in planned unit developments (PUDs) with the infrastructure already in place. In some cases, I saw that lots purchase only a year ago for $80,000 were going for $150,000. Since we're all traders here, you guys might want to look into this phenominon, and evaluate if "good land is disappearing" and buy lots approved for building. I am even considering trying to track down lot owners who live out of town by using the internet and ask them to pitch out a sell price they would be happy with. Here in this town, the cost of a "new" lot is running about 40 to 50% of the cost of the developed new house. In other words, the lot costs as much as the structure. Check into it. If your town hasn't reached that stage, you can make a pile of money. Especially if you leverage.
IMHO, based on what I saw, this real estate escalation is not slowing down. Its going to keep moving for at least another year.
Oh...why are we moving? To close our all variable consumer debt, and lock into one nice, big, fixed note that is totally tax deductible. Need more room to raise the kids too. We decided that with the lot prices being so high, that buying an existing house was a relative bargain, and that the escalating lot prices will push up the previously built houses.
SM
U forgot to mention which part of country? Where u see this price inflation?
Mr. Zen