Blogs by Ricky Sommers

Discover how rural building sites are valued, why specialized improvements may not add worth, and how appraisals determine the highest and best use.

Timberland as an investment strategy offers a unique combination of long-term value, inflation resistance, and income generation. Unlike stocks or bonds, timberland provides returns through biological tree growth, land appreciation, and timber sales, making it an attractive option for diversification. Challenges include market volatility, environmental risks, and liquidity issues, requiring strategic investment planning.

My brother and I own land that has been in our direct family lineage for 150 years, and I am proud of this legacy. There is a general admiration for farm operations that have been in a family for several generations. However, there can be surprises in the event of a death or marriage dissolution that a family may be unaware of when there are multiple owners with varying fractions of ownership, resulting in minority ownership.

In the busy appraisal industry of today, appraisers work with a variety of clients from the simple homeowner to...

Value can be added to farmland in various ways. Some will look at placing system tile in heavier soils for better...

As a trusted appraiser, I have an ethical obligation to be unbiased and impartial, but that does not stop me...

    As the COVID-19 virus travels across the states, from one community to another, a flood of economic...