The Benefits of Buying Rural Land

BIGGER SPACES, BETTER LIVING
A RAYDIENT PLACES + PROPERTIES eGUIDE
The Benefits of Buying Rural Land
n endless supply of fresh air and picturesque
vistas. Access to the path that few have traveled
(or even thought of traveling). A vast library of
memories ready for the making all along the
edges of rivers, pastures and treelines.
NO END TO POSSIBILITIES
No matter what first inspired you about
rural living, you’ll find no end to the
possibilities. Claiming your part of the
American landscape lets you carve it
into whatever you want—a family farm,
a vacation-home retreat, a recreation
habitat, or an investment to be passed
down for generations. (Or maybe even
all of the above.)
So as you explore your rural landowning
options, there’s plenty to consider. This
guide features data, tips and food for
thought designed to help you do just
that.
WHY BUY RURAL?
The Drivers of Today’s Rural Land Purchases
Maybe you’re longing for a rural lifestyle in which you’re finally freed of the restrictions
you deal with in a more urban setting – to discover what you can do when there are
few limits on how you use your land. Or maybe you long to escape to a simpler,
more peaceful setting where the kids –and grown ups – are safe to play outside and
explore their surroundings.
Either way, something’s calling to you to look beyond your current borders. You’re
not alone, and there is no shortage of reasons buyers are considering rural property-from creating income opportunities and raising livestock to hunting and escaping
urban stresses, consumers are on the hunt for bigger spaces in the countryside that
they can call their own.
In 2014, Raydient Inc. collaborated with FGI Research, a national marketing research
firm, to find out why people buy rural land. FGI surveyed more than 400 people who
reported serious interest in a rural land purchase in the near future, and the chart at
right provides a snapshot of some of the most popular opportunities that influence
those purchase decisions.
What influences consumers’ consideration of rural properties?
Numbers shown reference MaxDiff indexed scores,
where higher numbers indicate more popular
responses Mean Score: 100
Source: Raydient Inc. and FGI Research, 2014
Research commissioned by Raydient Inc. seems to
suggest that a “move out” [to the country] has a lot to
do with a “move in” [a change in the way priorities are
“stacked up” in the mind]. Big, far-reaching quality-oflife drivers -- like “freedom,” “simplicity” and “privacy”
-- all play a role in fueling interest in rural property.
ere are three considerations that make land
investments worth a serious look.
COUNTRY STRONG
Investment Considerations for Owning Rural Land
LAND LASTS There’s a finite amount of land on Planet Earth; once you acquire yours, it isn’t
going anywhere. In fact, barring Mother Nature dramatically changing your
landscape, the sun will rise and set over what you own every day.
Since 2000, timberland values in the U.S. South have appreciated an average
LAND IS of 4.5 percent per year, and by more than 8 percent per year in specific
PRODUCTIVE markets, according to Dr. Harrison Hood, Forest Economist and author of
US Timberland Markets: Transactions, Values, & Market Research, 2000 –
Mid-2015. “On a global scale, the U.S. South remains one of the strongest
and most competitive timber regions around the world, and there is very little
indication that this is likely to change anytime soon.”
The National Agricultural Statistics (NAS) group at the United States
Department of Agriculture (USDA) tracks the value of rural land over time.
LAND OFFERS NAS data shows that per-acre average pasture land and cropland values nearly
STABILITY doubled from 2005 to 2014.
THE GREATNESS OF LIVING IN THE GREAT OUTDOORS
If you’re on the fence about the advantages of rural living, consider
these evidence-based health benefits:
Benefit #1: Living away from urban areas can help enhance mental
and emotional health
It’s no secret that urban living tends to create more stress than rural living
does. What’s less well-known is just how dramatic the differences can be.
A 2011 study1 published in the international science journal Nature found
that people who live in cities have a 21% increase in mood disorders and
a 39% increase in anxiety disorders when compared to those who live in
rural areas.
In fact, getting out of the city and into the woods, numerous studies
indicate, can help derive benefits from even a passive activity such as
simply looking at trees, which can both reduce blood pressure and the
stress-related hormones cortisol and adrenaline. Such studies echo
the importance of the color green as a natural (pardon the pun) stress
reducer: Research with postoperative hospital patients found that those
with a “green” view recovered faster, took fewer painkillers, and even had
fewer postsurgical complications when compared with patients who had
no view or a view of just a cement wall.
Benefit #2: Green exercise can super-charge your workout while
improving your mental health
A multi-study analysis2 published in 2012 in the Environmental &
Technology Science journal found that even just five minutes of green
exercise (technically defined as “exercise done in the presence of
nature”) improves self-esteem and mood, with even greater mental
health benefits created when water, such as a lake or creek, was present.
Lederbogen, Florian, Peter Kirsch, and Leila Haddad. “City Living and Urban Upbringing Affect Neural Social Stress
Processing in Humans.” Nature.com. Nature, 3 Dec. 2010. Web. 5 Nov. 2015.
1
“Visual Color Perception in Green Exercise: Positive Effects on Mood and Perceived Exertion.” Environmental Science & Technology (ACS Publications). 10 Aug. 2012. Web. 5 Nov. 2015.
2
Benefit #3: Time spent outdoors daily improves the health of seniors
As reported in the Journal of Aging Health3 in 2008, researchers
tracked a group of men and women from age 70-77, and found that
participants who went out daily had fewer instances of musculoskeletal
pain, incontinence, sleep issues, and decline in activities of daily living
(allowing them to remain more independent). A walk in the woods, it
seems, can help beat a direct path to better health for seniors.
Benefit #4: Time spent in nature can combat ADHD symptoms and
help a child’s concentration
It’s been hypothesized--and even joked about--that attention deficit/
hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) are just a product of modern kids
being cooped up inside, denied recess and allowed too much “screen
time.”
Yet we know now that attention deficit disorders are both real and
complex diseases. And according to a study4 published in the American
Journal of Public Health, time spent in nature appears to work as a
natural treatment option for ADHD: The study’s results showed that
active time spent outdoors reduced symptoms significantly more than
activities conducted in other settings. Similarly, a study published in the
Journal of Attention Deficits compared the effects of 20-minute walks
on ADHD-diagnosed children in a city setting, neighborhood setting,
and natural park setting. It found that participants’ focus was increased
more after the walk in the park as compared to both the downtown and
neighborhood walks.
Subscribe to Rethink:Rural and learn more about the benefits of rural living
at RethinkRural.com.
Jacobs JM1, Cohen A, Hammerman-Rozenberg R, Azoulay D, Maaravi Y, Stessman J. “Going outdoors daily predicts long-term functional
and health benefits among ambulatory older people.” J Aging Health. 2008 Apr;20(3):259-72. doi: 10.1177/0898264308315427.
3
Frances E. Kuo and Andrea Faber Taylor. “A Potential Natural Treatment for Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Evidence From a National Study.” American Journal of Public Health: September 2004, Vol. 94, No. 9, pp. 1580-1586.
4
MEMORIES READY FOR THE MAKING
If you’re thinking about moving to the
country, Rethink:Rural offers tips on buying
and building on country land, expert
homesteading advice, health tips, and
firsthand stories from people already living
their dreams out in the country. Get the
one-of-a-kind information you’re looking for
as you begin making that country life you’ve
longed for a reality.
Find us online at RethinkRural.com.
You can also follow us on Facebook,
Twitter and Pinterest.
Contact us at 904-321-5562 or
email info@rethinkrural.com.
Rethink:Rural is a blog managed by
Raydient Places + Properties, a real estate
services company showcasing more than
50,000 acres of land for sale throughout the
United States. View the outdoor recreation,
rural living and investment properties at
raydientplaces.com.
Phone 1-844-877-LAND
Email info@raydientplaces.com
Website www.raydientplaces.com
Office Raydient Places + Properties
1901 Island Walkway
Fernandina Beach, FL 32034
THIS PUBLICATION IS OFFERED TO YOU BY RAYDIENT INC., A REAL ESTATE SERVICES COMPANY. HOWEVER, THE OPINIONS AND ADVICE EXPRESSED ARE MADE BY INDIVIDUALS IN THEIR PERSONAL
CAPACITIES AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF RAYDIENT INC., ITS PARENT OR SUBSIDIARY COMPANIES. RAYDIENT SHOWCASES THOUSANDS OF ACRES OF RURAL LAND IN THE
SOUTHERN UNITED STATES FOR THE TAXABLE REIT SUBSIDIARIES OF RAYONIER INC., ONE OF THE LARGEST TIMBER COMPANIES IN THE COUNTRY. YOU CAN VIEW AVAILABLE PROPERTIES FOR SALE
AND LEARN MORE ABOUT THE COMPANY AT WWW.RAYDIENTPLACES.COM.
Marketing research provided by FGI Research, Cary, NC.
© 2015 Raydient, Inc.
2016-1-14 MK