The only real constant in life is change. That is definitely the case with the ranch and recreational land buyer.
Buyers are buying younger, are more trend conscious, and have different desires than ever before. Don’t get me wrong, we still see folks that are looking for a RANCH: horses, cows, open vistas and the classic western lifestyle. Baby boomers grew up with Roy Rogers, Dale Evens plus other singing and tough guy cowboys. It’s no great surprise that buyers born from the 40’s to the 60’s love cowboy culture and all that comes with it.
In the past few years we are seeing more and more buyers from Generation X and Millennials becoming ranch buyers. It’s not at all uncommon that children from the late 60’s to 2000 have a passion for horses and cows, but many of these buyers are looking for enhanced activities. These younger buyers are often more environmentally minded and looking for an outdoor lifestyle that offers something for all of their family and friends. Often the perfect property needs to be in proximity to activities like skiing, golf, bike/hiking trails, a variety of fishing options, convenient air service and a community that offers great dining, shopping, music or cultural activities. These are truly some of my favorite deals to work on. Balancing a diverse “want list”, often from multiple people is challenging but rewarding to see a property enjoyed by a large group of family and friends. Ultimately, I feel that this is something that many buyers should think about, because they will get the most enjoyment out of a ranch where friends and family want to visit and spend leisure time.
Oh, we still work with single-issue buyers who are solely interested in big elk, waterfowl, or a place that carries 1,000 mother cows. We enjoy working with the single-issue buyer, focusing our attention on one main passion, however that is less common. It may be a little harder for us as ranch brokers to find the ideal place when a buyer has his family and friends in mind, with more wants and needs in a property. But that’s ok… Challenge accepted.
