There were 2,025 properties listed as sold through the Lands of America Comparable Sales program in July 2018, totaling over $578 million of sold land and rural real estate across 44 states. This represents a 2 percent decrease in sales activity over June 2018.
The July 26 sale of 4,301 acres at Bird-Rosenbaum Ranch by Matthew Davis with Cushman & Wakefield was the month’s most expensive land deal, based on data recorded through the Lands of America Comparable Sales program. Located in Merced County, California, some 1,500 acres on the ranch are given over to almond orchards. Almonds are the county’s leading crop, which are in abundance throughout the state’s fertile Central Valley. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, almonds were the state’s second-highest valued crop commodity after grapes.
The largest land sale during the month was that of White Hills Ranch in southeastern New Mexico. Although totaling over 21,000 acres, almost 17,000 acres of this sprawling American Southwest cattle ranch comprise BLM- or State-lease land.
Texas, California and Florida saw the most land sales during the month; Modoc County, California, and the Texas counties of Henderson and Lamar saw the most sales activity based on data submitted through the Lands of America Comparable Sales program.
Read more: 10 Biggest Ranches for Sale in America
Out of almost 110,000 newly listed properties across the Land.com Network, Montana’s LF Ranch rises to the top as the most significant new property on the market. The ranch encompasses almost 42,400 deeded and leased acres, a sizable property even by Montana standards. Rising from lush prairie grasses through riparian zones up to the Rocky Mountain Front, LF Ranch shares an eight-mile boundary with Lewis & Clark National Forest. Meanwhile, the Rocky Mountain Front wraps around the ranch on the south and west, forming what is, in effect, a privately-owned preserve with all the attributes of a national park. LF Ranch hit the market on July 12, 2018, in a sale being brokered via Bozeman-based Swan Land Company.
Read more: Mike Swan: The Values of the Land
Counties with most new land for sale
Below are the five counties with the most new land listed for sale in July 2018:
- 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.
- Los Angeles County, California | As you’d expect of the country’s second-most populous city, land for sale in Los Angeles County largely comprises acreage for commercial and residential development.
- Maricopa County, Arizona | Comprising the booming Phoenix metropolitan area, Maricopa County is the fastest growing county in the country in terms of population growth.
- Fairbanks North Star Borough, Alaska | Fairbanks North Star Borough is located in the Interior region of Alaska and is the 64th biggest county (301 square miles) of 120 counties in the Land of the Midnight Sun.
- Riverside County, California | Riverside County is a large county in Southern California that stretches from the L.A. sprawl across Palm Springs into the desert around Joshua Tree National Park. The county was recently ranked third in population growth among large counties nationwide, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report.
Most searched counties
Below are the ten most searched counties on Lands of America in July 2018:
- Kerr County, Texas (+2)
- Bandera County, Texas (+2)
- Edwards County, Texas (-2)
- Burnet County, Texas (-2)
- Gillespie County, Texas
- Parker County, Texas
- Bosque County, Texas (+1)
- Henderson County, Texas (-1)
- Comal County, Texas
- Comal County, Texas (NEW)
Below are the ten most searched non-Texas counties on Lands of America in July 2018:
- Marion County, Florida
- Pushmataha County, Oklahoma
- Cochise County, Arizona
- Apache County, Arizona
- Klamath County, Oregon
- Las Animas County, Colorado
- Rio Arriba County, New Mexico
- Hawaii County, Hawaii
- Latimer County, Oklahoma
- Hampshire County, West Virginia
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.