Buying ranch land can be exciting, but the sheer size of the ranch means you have to be careful about choosing the right one. The landscape and suitability of the land for whatever animals you want to have are important, but narrowing down your choices can be difficult if you don't know what else to consider. If you can find out information about three particular options or qualities, you'll have an easier time making a decision.
The Mineral Rights
First, when you buy the ranch, are you getting surface rights only or mineral rights, too? The mineral rights are the rights pertaining to the mineral resources under the surface of the land — the oil, gas, and other precious items that might lie there. These rights are considered separate, and while you can buy them simultaneously overall, you can't do that for all property. Many places sell the surface rights separately from the mineral rights, and in fact, you could buy a ranch only to have someone else still own the mineral rights, with them suddenly arranging to have a company drill on what you thought was your land. If you want to avoid that, look for a ranch where you can buy both the surface rights and the mineral rights.
Wildlife Presence
Chances are high that you're going to have some wildlife on that ranch; that's just nature. Now you need to ask what you're willing to deal with. If you don't want wolves, for example, or if you simply don't want wolves in a state where you're not allowed to defend your livestock against those wolves with any force necessary, that's a consideration. If you don't want rattlesnakes, you need to look in a region that doesn't have those snakes. The list goes on. Again, you will not be able to avoid all wildlife, but you can avoid regions with some wildlife that you are dead-set against dealing with.
Access to All Areas
Does the ranch land you're looking at have mountains or forests? Rivers? Can you access all parts of the land if necessary? It's not unusual to have rugged terrain, but if a fire starts up, for example, you need some way to access each part of your land so fire crews can save it.
Wide-open ranch space is a beautiful choice, and the United States doesn't lack for ranch land in many states. You just need some help narrowing down which ranch to buy. Your real estate agent can help you look for ranches for sale.
