There were almost 1,700 properties listed as sold through the Lands of America Comparable Sales Program in December 2017, totaling a combined $634 million and 175,000 acres of sold land and rural real estate in 46 states. This represents a 6 percent decrease in sales activity over the previous month.
The December 18 sale of the 50-acre El Milagro estate in Denton County, Texas, was the month’s most expensive sale. Brokered by Burgher-Ray Ranch Sales, this upscale equestrian retreat was the featured property on the cover of this winter’s issue of Texas LAND magazine.
The December 15 sale of 12,505-acre Boyer Ranch in southern Colorado by Ranch Marketing Associates’ Ron Morris was the month’s largest recorded land sale. The Custer County ranch was sold for $8 million. This was also the second most expensive land deal in December.
Texas, Oklahoma and Missouri saw the most land sales during the month, while the counties recording the most individual sales were Klamath County, Oregon, and the Texas counties of Henderson and Burleson.
Some 47,000 new listings were added by sellers on the Land.com Network throughout the month, representing over $16 billion in new rural real estate for sale in some 2,650 counties throughout the country. Below are some notable new highlights.
Most expensive & largest new land listing
Famed oil tycoon and businessman T. Boone Pickens listed his longtime Texas Panhandle ranch for sale at the beginning of December. Occupying a 100-square-mile swath in Roberts County that includes about 25 miles of Canadian River frontage, Pickens assembled his Mesa Vista Ranch over the course of almost a half-century since his first acquisition of 2,900 acres along the south side of the river in 1971. Priced at $250 million, the ranch is among the most expensive and biggest properties on the market today.
Read more: 10 Most Expensive Ranches for Sale in America
Read more: 10 Biggest Ranches for Sale in America
Counties with most new land for sale
Below are the five counties with the most new land listed for sale in December 2017:
- Lee County, Florida — Southwest Florida’s Lee County is centered around the world-class beaches and attractions of the Fort Myers-Sanibel area.
- San Bernardino County, California — Spreading northeast from L.A., San Bernardino County comprises everything from residential and equestrian estates to the orchards and agricultural acreage that drive the massive California farm economy.
- Mohave County, Arizona — Mohave County occupies a massive swath of northwestern Arizona that includes a portion of Lake Mead National Recreation Area and the stunningly beautiful and rugged Grand Canyon-Parashant National Monument (neighbor to Grand Canyon National Park). Of course, Mohave’s other notable neighbor across the Nevada line is the nearby gleaming city of sin, Las Vegas.
- Charlotte County, Florida — Spreading from Florida Gulf Coast beaches to the urbanized areas north of Fort Myers and around Port Charlotte (by many accounts, one of the best places for retirees in the U.S.), Charlotte County lays claim to one of the largest purchases of conservation land in the state’s history, 67,619-acres Babcock Ranch Preserve.
- Maricopa County, Arizona — Comprising the booming Phoenix metropolitan area, Maricopa County is the fastest growing county in the country in terms of population growth.
Most searched counties
Below are the ten most searched counties on Lands of America in December 2017:
- Edwards County, Texas
- Burnet County, Texas
- Kerr County, Texas(+2)
- Gillespie County, Texas (-1)
- Bandera County, Texas (-1)
- Parker County, Texas (+3)
- Val Verde County, Texas (-1)
- Williamson County, Texas (+2)
- Henderson County, Texas (NEW)
- Kendall County, Texas (NEW)
Below are the ten most searched non-Texas counties on Lands of America in December 2017:
- Apache County, Arizona
- Marion County, Florida
- Le Flore County, Oklahoma
- Klamath County, Oregon
- Cochise County, Arizona
- Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
- Las Animas County, Colorado
- Yavapai County, Arizona
- Latimer County, Oklahoma
- Huerfano County, Colorado
Top-performing land brokers
Based on brokers participating in the Lands of America Comparable Sales Program, below are our Brokers of the Week for land sales completed during the month. Congratulations to these individuals!
- December 7 – Larson & McGowin Properties Sell 2,627-Acre Timberland Tract in Alabama
- December 14 – Mirr Ranch Group Sell 4,805-Acre Ranch in Southeastern Colorado’s Agricultural Belt
- December 21 – Ranch Marketing Associates Sell 12,505-Acre Ranch in Shadow of Colorado’s 14ers
- December 28 – Hunting Acreage Sold Amidst Landscape Sculpted by Wisconsin’s Last Ice Age
Land buyers can access our comprehensive database of historic sales information by purchasing a LandInsights account ($199/year), while platinum and basic sellers receive complimentary access through the Lands of America Property Control Center.