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Weekly Survival Real Estate Market Update
Today we are featuring Northwest Arkansas. One of our readers
Jaina B. highly recommended our newest SurvivalBlog Realtor, Jeff
Allen. Congratulations
Jeff! Some of his listings may soon be featured on SurvivalRealty.com.
The following is a review of the area written by Mr. Allen:
Welcome to Northwest Arkansas! The market in Northwest Arkansas is surviving
the downturn very well. Land prices in rural areas are holding very steady
on the very few sales that are taking place. The housing market has been overbuilt
and we have 8-10 months of inventory to work through before things can look
more “optimistic.”
I have been selling mostly land and commercial real estate in Northwest Arkansas for 18 years
and I’ve seen land prices go up nearly four-fold in that period of time.
There’s always opportunity for a distressed sale to show up, but they
are few and far between, even with the recent downturn. Most of the speculative
buying has been in the housing sector, as opposed to the bare land side of
the market.
One of the biggest draws to Northwest Arkansas is our nearly 32,000-acre Beaver
Lake with 449 miles of shoreline that sits on the East side of Benton County
and is the
first Corps of Engineers lake in the White River Basin. Northwest Arkansas
is very unique in that we sit on the Ozark Plateau, and the White River does
run northeast up to
Missouri from this area. Our elevation is from 1,150-1,300 feet above sea level.
Much of our rough, timbered land is located around Beaver lake and has already
been subdivided into 1-5 acre parcels but has not been further developed. It
is getting tougher to find land that does not have restrictive covenants, but
there is still some available in the outlying areas.
Anyone that owns a home on the lake, even if it is not in a very secluded area,
has access to water, fish, and wood for the fireplace, should a national crisis
occur. Lake property is least expensive on the North end of the lake with very
little development and dirt roads to most areas. This would be one of the ideal
places to invest and to build a survival retreat. Shopping from those areas
is about 30 miles and often the drive is through hilly and winding roads, perfect
for defensible operations and keeping the wandering refugee(s) at bay.
There are currently over 50 properties between 3 and 15 acres listed for sale
on the East side of Benton County, where land prices are the most affordable.
We also have a tract that is 536 contiguous acres.
See this search
engine for the local MLS.
Conversion of farm land to development land has slowed down in recent months
and therefore leaves beautiful farms like this
one on the market, waiting for
just the right owner:. It certainly
is a wonderful example of a nature lover’s delight! Already set up for
livestock, too, which is something to consider in one’s quest for self-sufficiency.
Acreages can be purchased in about any increment; it depends on where you want
to be and how much you want to pay.
In conclusion, our climate here is moderate; the winters are mild, the scenery
is beautiful, hunting and fishing are among the area’s most enjoyed sports.
Industrial and retail growth continues and Northwest Arkansas is fast becoming one of the
nation’s number one desired areas to live in due to low cost of living
and low unemployment.
I work on a confidential basis, if desired. You can search my personal web
site to find acreages and complete homes with land that are retreat worthy
at www.JeffAllenRealtor.com by
clicking on the “Property Search” link or use the “Helpful
Links” button to find out more about our area. If you need a more refined
search, please give us a call (479.246.1657), or e-mail your request specifications
to jeffallen@lindsey.com and we
can e-mail you search results. [Our parent agency] Lindsey and Associates is
ranked # 1 in real estate sales for the State of
Arkansas,
giving
our clients
top rated service with their transactions.
TDS Adds: I did a search and found 750 acres outside of the
town of Westville for $1,000 per acre. It has a small man made lake, cabin
and is in 50% timber and 50% in pasture. It seems that the MLS system will
not link back so to view it you’ll need to click the search engine above
and input 750 acres or MLS number Ref #: 511622. That amount of acreage would
make a nice retreat for several families and at that price it would be hard
to pass up. Although like anywhere (especially here in northern Idaho) there
are some overly expensive properties, overall it looks like the home and land
deals
are splendid down there and the terrain and climate lend themselves to making
very productive retreats. Happy retreat shopping!
