[AT] OT Land prices was RE: B Allis

[ken knierim]

On Sun, 2005-06-12 at 08:32, Indiana Robinson wrote:

-- snip --
> 	Central Indiana and in particular Marion County (Indianapolis) and the 7 "donut" 
> counties around Marion County are rapidly becoming a bit like parts of California. The 
> level of development is just going absolutely insane... There are a lot of people with 
> money here now and while they still allow a few of us poor folks to remain they are 
> quickly trying to get us under control and will likely soon want to regulate our 
> breeding.   :-)   Land prices are approaching "absurd"... A 20 some acre field just north 
> of me on this road sold last year for $39,000 an acre. A multi millionaire friend now 
> owns a couple of fields that we used to farm across the road and is developing it into 
> hundreds and hundreds of homes. They can't get them up fast enough. They are popping up 
> during the night like toadstools... I get a chuckle out of this guy, he is worth maybe 10 
> to 15 million (we never talk money) and owns dozens of good sized farms over several 
> counties (he doesn't farm). He was telling me a while back about a parts Gravely he 
> bought (we both like Gravely's) and how much he debated about buying it because it was 
> $200 and he was afraid it was too high...   :-)   I have not had time to talk to him 
> lately but last I knew the pick-up truck he was driving looked worse than my old beater 
> truck. 
> 	A lot of these folks moving in almost don't ask price, if they see an old tractor they 
> want they just buy it regardless of price...


Here in the Phoenix area it's gone crazy as well. There were 2 parcels
of about 1.25 acres apiece across my street that went for $250K apiece
about 2 months ago (just for the DIRT!). And a developer just paid a
little over $100K an acre for 700+ acres out in Mesa in a state land
auction. Sooo... it makes tractor prices just as stupid. Most of the
iron I look at these days has to come in from out of state or I can't
afford it. Now I get a lot of folks driving by looking at my tractors.
Hopefully I won't have to start locking them up or anything! 

Ken 

Gilbert (central) Arizona