Would you rather be sitting on land that you have to maintain and pay taxes on or would you rather be sitting on cash in the bank that basically pays no interest? --73.120.xx.xxx

Cash. --50.82.xxx.xxx

Unless you see that land becoming a shopping center or industrial complex someday in the next 3 years. --108.69.xxx.xxx

Cash. I’ve learned my lesson with land. --68.118.xxx.xx

depends where the land is. I had 5 acres I bought for 50k on south side of town where I knew development would eventually move. was owner financed & I paid balloon at 5 years with loan from 401k. at 6 years I sold for 350k to developer and used towards for down payments on 5 rentals & 35% down on our home with $ left over. that is how I got started. so open ended question no one can really answer. --107.77.xxx.xx

Assets should be working full time for you-- not idol. Crazy question 6 bye? --99.103.xxx.xxx

depends on time horizon myob.....for me was a long term hold & asset increasing in potential value which was realized on sale.....smart investing in land asset.... --107.77.xxx.xx

Hitting the jackpot by owning Park Place as opposed to say Connecticut ave row of 3 blue properties or 3 orange properties-- james place-- new york-- or tenn (B) properties. --99.103.xxx.xxx

So, it boils down to where you think the greatest opportunity to increase value in the future will be. --50.26.xx.xxx

Too general of a question. What's the land do? --50.107.xxx.x

Land is a liability that an investor because you can't deduct the purchase price. However buy land with a tear down shack, then you can depreciate 80 plus percent of the cost of the land over a 27.5 year period...Getting back 40% of your costs....Then when you are ordered to tear down the shack, you can claim a casualty loss. --47.155.xx.xxx

I’ll end up with a good return. --67.43.xxx.xxx

Cash, unless land is producing income currently or soon it is just a drain on cash and time --104.229.xxx.xxx

I own about 100 acres for personal reasons and that can't equate into investments on any level. --72.70.xxx.xxx

Owning land and renting it out as a ground lease can be a low hassle way of generating income for you & your heirs. Do a 99 year lease and your heirs will have to do nothing but collect checks. --67.186.xxx.xx

John Jacob Astor of New York was at his time said to be one of the richest people in the world. One of his sources of money was land. He said, it was reported, that you should research which way the growth of the city was going then get right in front of it. Then when the growth reaches your land, cash in. --97.85.x.xxx

I agree with NE, the question is far to general, way to many variables to simple ask “cash or land?”. --72.93.xxx.xx

Of course, I've got nothing against cash, either. --98.146.xxx.xxx

--24.62.xxx.xxx

That’s a loaded question. In college my husband and sister took inheritance money and bought land. Couldn’t sell so they built a spec house, lived in it and then sold it. Had that same money been available a few years later when skiing in Telluride to buy a small lot, it would have sold for a million maybe 10 years later. Our primary house on 10 plus acres hasn’t been appreciating but lots in our town are hard to come by so we subdivided 2 lots in our back field. When we go to sell, we can sell as 3 parcels together, individually, or build on the 2 lots and rent or sell. The subdividing process was interesting. We have been in this town a long time and hired local people that felt fairly confident we would get approved, but we needed state wetlands approval, then we suddenly needed approvals that there were no Indian burial grounds, old stone walls, endangered flowers which they found but due to location we were still approved. I have a friend that just bought land in a town he is investing in where he recently purchased a commercial building. Time will tell whether that pays off or not, but he has enough cash to play monopoly and take the losses. --73.17.xx.xxx

Land - 'they can't make any more of it.' A few things to consider. If the land is in a blighted area or a commercial area that has gone flat, or is too costly to develop (meaning adding utilities), I would pass. However, if we are talking about a developed lot (meaning it has utilities to attach to at a modest investment) and the land has road access (meaning it is not land locked), it is worth a second look. We have a lot in a modest commercial area and added a tall fence. We rent it to a tow company that uses it to store wrecks. It's a modest income, but enough to pay taxes and show a small return on investment. In the meantime, over time, the value of the lot has slowly cropped up. Around here, farmland is in demand if the lot is at least 40 acres. No utilities are required and farmers cash rent the acreage. The land slowly appreciates and the cash rent provides a modest return with little involvement from the land owner. Remember, location, location, location. Buy land that you can earn at least a modest return on and that will appreciate over time. This will beat returns from bank interest rates. --98.156.xxx.xxx

. --107.216.xxx.xxx

For business, some cash is needed but I prefer diversification of many assets, liquid and alternative assets. I'm not relying on US Banks and the US dollar alone. --5.62.xx.xxx

--73.102.xxx.xxx

Thanks all for your opinions! --108.28.xx.xxx

I rented my land to a doctor whose wife needed pasture for her Arabians. the rents paid the interest for 5 years. water was paid by her. It cost me $500 year in tax. so. to OP....if all depends......long term hold. --107.77.xxx.xx

I should have been more specific. I bought a propert over 2 years ago in a suburb that is fairly popular and usually doesn't sit long. It has a house, barn, barn style garage, storage shed and a run down chicken coop. The guy I purchased it from never maintained any of the buildings. It has utilities and I have wired the garage and repaired it for use. The shed is about 6 years old. Unfortunately the house is a taredown. I have been cleaning up the land for over 2 years. I have not sold it because I have so much time invested in cleaning up the land that I will loose my value on that time. I asked an accountant about counting off the expenses and depreciating but she said I wouldn't count that until I sold it Maybe I didn't explain correctly. I am actually storing things there now but not much. I was trying to determine if I should sale now. I originally bought the land for personal use and I really like it which is why I spent all of that time trying to clean it up. It is part wooded and part cleared but is rocky. --73.120.xx.xxx

Robert J, how can I depreciate this property with a taredown house on it? The property is not being rented or anything but I do have a few things stored there and I do maintain the property. --73.120.xx.xxx

I also learned this the hard way. I had a lot of equity in a lot of properties the last down turn. If I had concentrated on paying off one loan at a time I'd have been better off. Instead, I had paid them down sort of evenly ... in other words, every month extra money on every loan. Mistake I learned from. --72.70.xxx.xxx

Being born and having grown up on a farm in NorthernIreland.Im a kind of being partial to land,like Marie said,”They ain’t making any more of it”.That sums it up in a “nutshell”.............................charlie................................well,are they?........... --32.214.xxx.xx

I still have two nice lots in CapeCoral Florida and two more Commercial lots just outside BrockvilleOntario CanadaDo I hear any offers,the longer they sit, the more they’re worth.Like Marie said” they’re not makin any more of it”? ................charlie................................? ? ? ? ? Just another country boy............... --32.214.xxx.xx

6. X. 6. Just hold. You’ll know when to fold......................................Charlie................................... --32.214.xxx.xx

Thank you everyone. --73.120.xx.xxx

good locations Cjo’h....just sit on them like I did....no more land being created. Is all location and projecting the future...on side note for you: google FL history on property speculation... 1920s all the way through 2008....coming to a good time to sell to new yorkers again now... --72.180.xx.xxx

PMH,thanks........................... ......................,,,,,,charlie --32.214.xxx.xx

6. X. 6, or as Kenny said you’ll know when to walk away, you’ll know when to run?.........................,,,,charlie.................... --32.214.xxx.xx