• Home
  • Property Search
    • Standard Search
    • Property Search Request
    • Homes By City/Community
      • Napa County
        • American Canyon
        • Angwin
        • Calistoga
        • Napa
        • St Helena
        • Yountville
      • Sonoma County
        • Geyserville
        • Glen Ellen
        • Healdsburg
        • Kenwood
        • Rohnert Park
        • Santa Rosa
        • Sonoma
        • Windsor
      • Solano County
        • Benicia
        • Fairfield
        • Fairfield – Rancho Solano
        • Fairfield – Green Valley
        • Fairfield – Cordelia
        • Fairfield – Paradise Valley
        • Rio Vista
        • Suisun City
        • Vacaville
        • Vallejo
        • Vallejo – Hiddenbrooke
      • Marin County
        • Novato
        • San Rafael
    • Luxury Homes and Estates by County
      • Napa Valley
      • Sonoma County
      • Solano County
      • Marin County
    • Residential Land by County
      • Marin County
      • Napa Valley
      • Solano County
      • Sonoma County
    • MultiFamily by County
      • Napa Valley MultiFamily
      • Sonoma County MultiFamily
      • Solano County MultiFamily
      • Marin County MultiFamily
    • Golf Course Communities
  • Buyers
    • Home Buyer Services
    • Land Buyer Services
  • Sellers
    • Home Seller Services
    • Land Seller Services
    • Probate/Trust RE Services
    • Free Property Valuation Reports
    • Property Information Form
  • Investors
    • Investor Services – Buying and Selling
    • Property Management
    • Business Plan Services
  • About Us
    • Our Company
    • Cozy Charming Crazy Real Estate
    • Our Current Listings
    • Past Transactions
    • Join The Cordon Real Estate Team
    • Silver Screen Selections
    • Online Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • Real Estate Blog

Cordon Real Estate

Serving Buyers & Sellers Of Unique Homes & Land

Five Strategies To Generate Vacant Land Income

June 7, 2020 by JohnSouerbry

Five Strategies For Generating Vacant Land Income Cordon Real EstateHere are five simple strategies owners can implement to generate vacant land income. While vacant land isn’t usually used to generate revenue, it certainly generates costs – such as property taxes, weed abatement, fire protection, security fencing and other expenses. If the land is well-located, an investor could certainly sell it, but what if they want to keep it? Perhaps the land has been in the family for generations and there are strong emotional ties to it. Maybe the land is on a community growth path that is likely to substantially increase the land’s value as a long term real estate investment. Perhaps the investor has other uses for the land. Whatever the reason for keeping it, generating income in the short term can be beneficial.

Here are five strategies to generate vacant land income without a huge additional investment.

  1. Seasonal Lease. Many organizations and businesses lease land on a recurring seasonal basis for activities such as pumpkin farms, Christmas tree farms, summer camps, day camps, retreats, corporate meetings, and other outdoor activities. With the right zoning, permits, insurance, and minor structural accommodations, it may be possible to lease vacant land in a manner similar to a vacation condo.
  2. Agricultural Lease. If the land has the right zoning, soil, sunlight, and other factors conducive to growing small root crops (not trees), investors may find farmers willing to work the land for a number of years without greatly altering the surface or adding structures that might be expensive to remove later.
  3. Lease for Retail/Office. If the investor has no plans for the long term use of the land, they can derive income from it with a land lease entered into with someone desiring the location for retail, office or other purposes. Most tenants will want a lease equal to or greater than the economic life of the structure they intend to build, typically 30 to 40 years.  By leasing the land as-is, investors can derive rental income from the land without having to share the costs of any improvements.
  4. Golf Courses. Many private golf course developers and municipal golf courses obtain the underlying land for their course on a long term lease. These leases are usually conditioned on use of the property as a golf course, thus ensuring the course operator can’t re-purpose the land during the lease period. Golf courses are relatively easy to convert to other use since so much of the space has been cleared.
  5. Government Facilities. State, county and city governments often lease land to reduce their capital expenditures, typically for government offices, maintenance facilities, and schools. For example, many of the public schools in Palo Alto, California are set on land leased from the Stanford Trust (same organization that owns Stanford University).

These are just a few examples of how we can generate vacant land income. Drop me a line if you have any questions regarding buying or selling California lots and land.

Site Search

Search Articles By Category

Let's Get Started!

Quick links to our services:
   Find My Perfect Home!
   Sell My Property
   Fill My Vacancy
   Manage My Rental Property

Contact Us

Silver Screen Selections mainStay-at-home have you bored? Check out our Silver Screen Selections – movie and TV recommendations featuring classic and lesser-known titles.

Search This Site

Copyright, Disclaimer and Privacy Policy

Copyright 2012-2021 Cordon Real Estate or the content providers identified herein. Cordon Real Estate is licensed by the California Department of Real Estate, John A. Souerbry, Broker, License 01370983. This site contains no tax or legal advice, consult with a qualified professional for such services. We do not share information with third parties without your permission. View our Online Privacy Policy (under About Us on the menu bar).

Copyright © 2021 · AgentPress Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in