Have Hunting Land for Sale in Ohio? 9 Tips to Boost Your ROI!

Buying commercial real estate is one thing – it requires maintenance and upkeep. However, buying hunting land for sale in Ohio is an entirely different situation. Not only does it require maintenance and upkeep for human standards, but if the buyer wants to use it for its intended purpose (you know, hunting), it needs to be prepared and maintained for deer.

Creating an ideal habitat for deer means you must overcome quite a few factors and take advantage of what you can control. Before selling your hunting land, consider temporarily taking it off the market and upgrading it to increase your return on investment (ROI). There are many ways to increase the value of your Ohio hunting land for sale; however, these nine areas of focus are sure to help:

1.) Build Up the Necessities

If you want deer (or turkeys or other wild game animals) to call your place home, then you need to provide them with the necessities: food, cover, and water. The good news is that these three things are well within your control.

Let’s start with the food. Instead of running out and spending a lot of money on feeders, why not establish natural vegetation before selling your hunting land for sale in Ohio? Below are several tips to help you along:

• Add fertilizer to your property.
• Approximately 10% of your property should consist of openings – this helps with the growth of plants and vegetation.
• Carefully use controlled burns to diversify the vegetation on your property.
• Consider disturbing the soil through tillage to stimulate the growth of grass.

Next, work on improving the cover on your hunting land for sale. This makes deer feel safe and secure. Believe it or not, many of the same strategies you use to improve vegetation can also help; deer often use plots containing corn and other vegetation for cover.

Finally, ensure you have plenty of water available – you can do this with a creek, pond, tank, or watering hole.

2.) Establish Your Hunting Land

After you have worked to build up the necessities on your land for deer, consider a few additional factors, as follows:

• Deer can sense hunting pressure. For this reason, you may want to consider limiting the number of people hunting at once. Create and put up signs to take that responsibility off the shoulders of the buyer purchasing your land.
• Establish at least one safety zone on your hunting land with thick cover where deer can feel safe. Hunting land managers often keep this “sanctuary” towards the center of the property. The area is typically designated for the animals to eat, sleep, or rest. This will be a good place for deer to feel secure and like the property is a place they can relax… even long after the land is sold. Make it clear that it’s off-limits to hunting, scouting, and even hiking so the land buyer can take advantage of your warnings.
• Always be sure to collect data on the deer residing on your property (if you currently have any deer on-site). This can include the number of deer, their age, and other data to help you to keep track of their routines. This is valuable data that you can provide to the person who decides to buy hunting land from you.

3.) Purchase & Implement Trail Cameras

Put simply, good photos in commercial real estate listings help the property sell. The same goes for hunting land listings. Prospective hunting land buyers want to see the quality and amount of deer on your land. If you don’t already have trail cameras on your hunting land for sale, buy a handful of cameras and set them up in prime locations. Save snapshots of key moments; the more photos you can show, the better. In fact, if you’re not planning on selling your hunting land anytime soon, we recommend that you start taking snapshots at various times throughout the year, even across many years. These photos will be helpful when you’re ready to sell.

4.) Ensure Easy Access

It’s important to ensure easy access to the entrance of your property with a vehicle, ATV, golf cart, horseback, or on foot. Hunting land that is fully and easily accessible to a public road will produce a higher return than land with limited access or no access (e.g., a landlocked parcel). Many hunting land listings show properties with dirt road access. While dirt roads are much easier and cheaper to establish, they’re a disaster when it rains. If your hunting land listing shows a rock, stone, or paved road, and perhaps a bridge, culverts, or ditching if necessary, it will garner more attention and allow you to sell hunting land for a higher price. Regardless of the type of access you create, be sure to heighten the center of the road. Making the center higher than the edges ensures proper drainage. The same technique should be implemented in trails and firelines.

5.) Set Up Fire Lines

Establishing fire lines in your hunting land for sale can be labor-intensive and costly. You may want to hire a specialist or forestry commission to set up fire lines. Fire lines are usually created with a bulldozer and controlled burns. Once the lines are set up, you can choose to maintain them yourself. If fire lines are established properly, sometimes all it takes is annual plowing and mowing to ensure your hunting land is prepared for a wildfire or fire season.

6.) Clear Out Trails

Ensure the trail system throughout your hunting land property is clean and easy to pass through under a wide range of conditions. It’s also important that you maintain the cleared-out trails.

7.) Set Your Boundaries

Establish your hunting land property line by installing proper boundary fencing. But first, ensure you rely on the most updated and accurate land survey description to determine your property line. If you don’t have a recent boundary survey on your land, it may be a good decision to invest in one, especially if you’re investing in new fencing. Most people inquiring about your hunting land for sale will ask if you have a recent survey. Knowing the exact lines of the hunting land for sale will give prospective buyers peace of mind. If the property has an existing boundary fence, inspect the entire line and repair/replace any damaged/missing sections of the fence. This type of fencing will show prospective hunting land buyers the exact property line while setting the expectation that neighbors will respect the boundary. Boundary fencing will also give the impression to the public that the property is frequented or managed; thus, reducing the likelihood of trespassers, squatters, or dumping. Installing a lock and “No Trespassing” sign at the entrance will provide an extra sense of security for prospective hunting land buyers.

8.) Enhance the “Curb Appeal”

Similar to the importance of curb appeal when selling residential real estate, it’s also important that hunting land buyers find your property appealing at first sight. Effective curb appeal builds confidence and helps owners sell their property faster and for more money. The last four items above can certainly help improve the curb appeal (or “road appeal”) of your hunting land for sale.

9.) Utilize Ohio Hunting Land & Wildlife Resources

There’s a great resource available if you have a hunting property for sale in Ohio. Visit wildlife.ohiodnr.com to find a wealth of resources from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. There you will find helpful information on regulations, allowable equipment, tick prevention tips (which may come in handy while you’re preparing your land), and much more.

 

Need Help Listing Your Hunting Land for Sale in Ohio?

In Ohio, hunting land is a commodity. At The Robert Weiler Company, we have been Ohio’s trusted commercial real estate experts since 1938. Give our land brokers a call at 614-221-4286; let’s discuss how we can help you maximize the ROI of your hunting land for sale in Ohio.