Would you buy property in a conservation easement?

[Wrangler13]

Your profile shows you in Georgia so I'm guessing these parcels you are looking at are in Georgia?

If you are buying the property solely as a place to recreate, then I would not necessarily be deterred by a Conservation Easement if you have large tracts of undeveloped land all around you, however, if making a future profit is a priority at all, I would steer clear. Conservation Easements are permanent and significantly devalue the land. If everything around you eventually gets developed, your peace and the experience you were originally there for might be significantly diminished, but at that point you will have a hard time selling it to someone like yourself as they won't want to be surrounded by development either, and developers won't want it because nothing can be done with it.

I own land in Georgia, and have it in a Conservation Use Assessment which is a 10 year tax treatment covenant with the state that you apply for/renew every 10 yrs via your county tax assessor, and significantly reduces annual taxes. Should I sell, subdivide, or violate any other conditions of the classification during that 10 year period, then I would be in breach of that agreement and have to pay back taxes and a penalty, but it does not limit a future owner from rezoning and developing. So if I ever list the property, it will state "Buyer is responsible for continuing CUVA, or will be responsible for any penalties and/or back taxes due.", which is common to see in listings for timber/hunting property in Georgia.

Make sure you are keeping these two things separate as you look at listings, as they are very different, but often confused.

Feel free to PM me with any questions.

This is how it works in VT too. Saves around $1500 per year on 30 acres. I believe the current minimum to enter into the program is 25 acres.

 

[Reburn]

No.

Hell No.

Never without mineral and water rights either.

 

[fwafwow]

Yes. In some parts of the SE, like the Santee Delta in SC, many tracts have been subjected to conservation easements, thereby preserving natural hunting habitat. Some of those parcels still sell for large sums, but it also helps that so many contiguous landowners did the same thing.