Colorado vineyards for sale, orchards for sale: the viticulture industry is growing rapidly in western Colorado. Certain areas of Colorado have the ideal combination of warm, sunny days, cool, crisp evenings, fertile soil, and abundant water to grow quality wine grapes.
I have had the good fortune to spend quite a lot of time learning about organic vineyards from my friends Lance and Anna Hanson, owners of the Jackrabbit Hill organic winery in Hotchkiss, Colorado. I photographed some of the images for their website, www.jackrabbithill.com (yes, that main page banner photo is mine--one of my favorite photographs that I've taken) and got to learn a lot about viticulture in the process.
For those who want to investigate building a vineyard in Colorado, it's an interesting undertaking. The property to locate a vineyard must be carefully selected, because of several critical factors. First, it must have ample sunshine. Properties that are hidden in narrow valleys don't grow grapes as well. Secondly, the elevation can't be too high. The property must be capable of growing fruit. If you get a warm spell in the spring and the vines start to flower, a late May or even June frost can kill the whole crop. Lower elevations are somewhat insulated from this danger. Depending on local weather conditions, 6,500 feet is probably the highest elevation in Colorado where you'd want to locate a vineyard. Most productive vineyards are between 4,500 feet and 6,000 feet, and they still have to worry about frost.
Thirdly, there must be abundant water rights, because you can't grow grapes and other fruit crops in Colorado without irrigating. The property must be of an adequate acreage to grow a crop worth bottling; many vintners produce a pretty good appellation on 15-20 acres, but it's an intense business. Training grapevines requires tidy rows of fenceposts and wires, and you don't want deer in your vineyard eating the beautiful grapes once they're ripe. Game fencing is necessary, and all this infrastructure is expensive.
Once the grapes are grown, then there are the issues of picking the crop, crushing the grapes, storing the pressings in large vats, casking the wine in oak barrels, and bottling the wine! It's a big job that requires a lot of planning and infrastructure. However, the wine industry is growing big enough in Colorado that there are several larger wineries that will buy grapes or work with vintners to do the crushing of the grapes and bottling of the wine.
If real estate buyers are interested in getting into the Colorado wine business, there are established vineyards for sale, and properties for sale that would work for establishing new wineries. I know of two beautiful wineries for sale in the North Fork Valley, near Paonia and Hotchkiss, Colorado. Both have well-established vines, nice homes, and beautiful surroundings. The lifestyle in western Colorado can't be beat--skiing, fly-fishing, elk and deer hunting, friendly people, educated workers, beautiful scenery, concerts and culture, good organic food, and direct connections to major airports. Why not build your dream winery here?
Call me if you're interested in looking at Colorado vineyards for sale.
Gary Hubbell
Ranch real estate broker
Needlerock Mountain Realty & Land
Crawford, Colorado
970 921 5588
970 988 2122 cell
970 921 5331 office
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Colorado horse properties--what to look for
Colorado horse properties for sale--that's a popular internet search for people who want to indulge their lifestyle of owning horses, riding in the Colorado high country, and enjoying the good life. Good horse properties are hard to find!
WATER One of the most important aspects of a horse ranch is water. For those who come from other more humid parts of the country, you may not appreciate that Colorado is a dry, arid environment and you need irrigation water to make a good horse property. In places like Iowa or Virginia, you may not have ever needed to irrigate a hayfield or horse pasture. In Colorado, irrigation water essential. If you're going to be able to keep your horse pastures green and your hayfields growing, the property must have deeded irrigation water as part of the package. (See my article on irrigation systems for Colorado horse ranches and cattle ranches--link: http://www.aspenranchrealestate.com/irrigation-systems.html )
How much water you need varies according to the particulars of each ranch. In Colorado, water rights are measured in cubic feet per second (cfs) and acre feet. Usually water is delivered via a ditch company, and parcels own a certain number of shares of the ditch. One rancher may have ten shares of the Cumberland Ditch, and that doesn't seem like a lot of water, but perhaps it comprises two cubic feet per second--which is a lot of water. Another rancher may own 500 shares of the Ranchland Mesa Water Company, which seems like a lot of water, but it may only be a total of .5 cfs.
If you're looking at a horse property, you need to know the local landscape, and make sure that your water rights are adequate! Water rights can be severed from the property, and that has often been done by the seller prior to listing the property. It may look green and beautiful when you view the property, but if he stripped half the water rights from the parcel, it won't look that way next summer, when it gets only half the water it had previously.
SOILS After water rights, the next most important aspect is the soils of the local area. The local Soil Conservation Service office can give you a full report of the types of soils on a property, and the Farm Bureau can suggest ways to maximize pasture growth and hay production. Some properties can have terrible soils, with high alkalinity, lots of clay, and highly erosive--not good horse pasture.
ACCESS TO RIDING AREAS I've talked with people who have horses on a couple of acres in a semi-rural area with public lands a mile or two away. Unless you're a pretty good hand with horses and spend a lot of time training them, the public access might as well be 200 miles away. Trying to ride through a suburban neighborhood with barking dogs, speeding cars, flapping tarps, and all kinds of surprises can be very stressful. Direct proximity to public trails--or better yet, a large ranch with plenty of private trails--is the ideal solution. Do these places exist? Yes, but there's always a premium placed on parcels that abut BLM or Forest Service land with good riding trails.
ELEVATION In Colorado, elevation makes a big difference on how much you can enjoy a horse property. Crested Butte is a wonderful place to ride horses during the summer, but this winter they've gotten over 300 inches of snow. At 8,900 feet in elevation, you won't enjoy keeping horses fed and maintained over the winter--and as far as places to ride, you can forget it. Horses just can't struggle through that much snow. Western Slope towns such as Montrose, Ridgway, Crawford, Rifle, Carbondale, Silt, Parachute, Glenwood Springs, Hotchkiss, Cedaredge, and Bayfield (and there are many more) are situated typically between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation, and there's a BIG difference in amounts of winter snowfall and being able to ride. Around Delta, Colorado, for example, the snow rarely stays on the surrounding mesas for more than a month or two, and there are some awesome places to ride in close proximity to Delta.
LIFESTYLE This is purely personal. If you just want to be off by yourself and live in a small community with a rural feel, I can think of several nice communities with beautiful horse properties that would suit you perfectly. Prices tend to be very affordable, too. You can enjoy watching your kids compete in 4H and riding clubs, high school and junior high sports, and summer baseball and softball. A big event is the county fair in late August.
If you like a faster-paced life with cultural amenities, nearby skiing and snowboarding, 5-star restaurants, classical music concerts, and movie stars eating at the next table--AND a horse property, you'll pay a lot of money for that combination of lifestyle, culture, and owning horses. The good news is that many such properties are on the market.
QUALITY OF FACILITIES If someone has a "horse property" listed in the MLS, will you be happy to learn that it's a 1982 double-wide with four acres, a nasty old corral, and a tattered tarp thrown over a pile of moldy hay? Or will you be happy with nothing less than a Colorado horse ranch for sale with a 322-acre ranch BLM access, a trout pond, a 7-stall horse barn with automatic waterers, separate grazing paddocks, pastures, a dog kennel, and a custom architect-designed home? It's all relative.
HOW I FIND HORSE PROPERTIES Many realtors work in only one area, and if they don't have horses themselves, they don't really network with horse people. I can think of two premiere horse properties for sale, priced reasonably, that are not even listed with brokers at the moment for various reasons. I know of these properties through a long membership in the horse fraternity. I work statewide in Colorado, not just in one little area.
Do you want to go see some real estate?
Call me and let me know exactly what you're seeking, and I'll bet I can find it.
Gary Hubbell, broker associate
Needlerock Mountain Realty & Land
Crawford, CO
970 921 5588 home
970 988 2122 cell
970 921 5331 office
WATER One of the most important aspects of a horse ranch is water. For those who come from other more humid parts of the country, you may not appreciate that Colorado is a dry, arid environment and you need irrigation water to make a good horse property. In places like Iowa or Virginia, you may not have ever needed to irrigate a hayfield or horse pasture. In Colorado, irrigation water essential. If you're going to be able to keep your horse pastures green and your hayfields growing, the property must have deeded irrigation water as part of the package. (See my article on irrigation systems for Colorado horse ranches and cattle ranches--link: http://www.aspenranchrealestate.com/irrigation-systems.html )
How much water you need varies according to the particulars of each ranch. In Colorado, water rights are measured in cubic feet per second (cfs) and acre feet. Usually water is delivered via a ditch company, and parcels own a certain number of shares of the ditch. One rancher may have ten shares of the Cumberland Ditch, and that doesn't seem like a lot of water, but perhaps it comprises two cubic feet per second--which is a lot of water. Another rancher may own 500 shares of the Ranchland Mesa Water Company, which seems like a lot of water, but it may only be a total of .5 cfs.
If you're looking at a horse property, you need to know the local landscape, and make sure that your water rights are adequate! Water rights can be severed from the property, and that has often been done by the seller prior to listing the property. It may look green and beautiful when you view the property, but if he stripped half the water rights from the parcel, it won't look that way next summer, when it gets only half the water it had previously.
SOILS After water rights, the next most important aspect is the soils of the local area. The local Soil Conservation Service office can give you a full report of the types of soils on a property, and the Farm Bureau can suggest ways to maximize pasture growth and hay production. Some properties can have terrible soils, with high alkalinity, lots of clay, and highly erosive--not good horse pasture.
ACCESS TO RIDING AREAS I've talked with people who have horses on a couple of acres in a semi-rural area with public lands a mile or two away. Unless you're a pretty good hand with horses and spend a lot of time training them, the public access might as well be 200 miles away. Trying to ride through a suburban neighborhood with barking dogs, speeding cars, flapping tarps, and all kinds of surprises can be very stressful. Direct proximity to public trails--or better yet, a large ranch with plenty of private trails--is the ideal solution. Do these places exist? Yes, but there's always a premium placed on parcels that abut BLM or Forest Service land with good riding trails.
ELEVATION In Colorado, elevation makes a big difference on how much you can enjoy a horse property. Crested Butte is a wonderful place to ride horses during the summer, but this winter they've gotten over 300 inches of snow. At 8,900 feet in elevation, you won't enjoy keeping horses fed and maintained over the winter--and as far as places to ride, you can forget it. Horses just can't struggle through that much snow. Western Slope towns such as Montrose, Ridgway, Crawford, Rifle, Carbondale, Silt, Parachute, Glenwood Springs, Hotchkiss, Cedaredge, and Bayfield (and there are many more) are situated typically between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation, and there's a BIG difference in amounts of winter snowfall and being able to ride. Around Delta, Colorado, for example, the snow rarely stays on the surrounding mesas for more than a month or two, and there are some awesome places to ride in close proximity to Delta.
LIFESTYLE This is purely personal. If you just want to be off by yourself and live in a small community with a rural feel, I can think of several nice communities with beautiful horse properties that would suit you perfectly. Prices tend to be very affordable, too. You can enjoy watching your kids compete in 4H and riding clubs, high school and junior high sports, and summer baseball and softball. A big event is the county fair in late August.
If you like a faster-paced life with cultural amenities, nearby skiing and snowboarding, 5-star restaurants, classical music concerts, and movie stars eating at the next table--AND a horse property, you'll pay a lot of money for that combination of lifestyle, culture, and owning horses. The good news is that many such properties are on the market.
QUALITY OF FACILITIES If someone has a "horse property" listed in the MLS, will you be happy to learn that it's a 1982 double-wide with four acres, a nasty old corral, and a tattered tarp thrown over a pile of moldy hay? Or will you be happy with nothing less than a Colorado horse ranch for sale with a 322-acre ranch BLM access, a trout pond, a 7-stall horse barn with automatic waterers, separate grazing paddocks, pastures, a dog kennel, and a custom architect-designed home? It's all relative.
HOW I FIND HORSE PROPERTIES Many realtors work in only one area, and if they don't have horses themselves, they don't really network with horse people. I can think of two premiere horse properties for sale, priced reasonably, that are not even listed with brokers at the moment for various reasons. I know of these properties through a long membership in the horse fraternity. I work statewide in Colorado, not just in one little area.
Do you want to go see some real estate?
Call me and let me know exactly what you're seeking, and I'll bet I can find it.
Gary Hubbell, broker associate
Needlerock Mountain Realty & Land
Crawford, CO
970 921 5588 home
970 988 2122 cell
970 921 5331 office
Colorado ranches for sale--mineral rights
When people consider buying Colorado ranch real estate, they concentrate on the big issues: views, proximity to town, trout streams, horse pasture, and the quality of the home or the building site. All too often, they neglect to research the property's mineral rights.
Mineral rights? Yes, in Colorado real estate law, mineral rights and "surface rights" are often a "split estate." While you may assume that the property owner has domain over all his hayfields, orchards, and woods on his property, the fact may be that the mineral estate may have been severed from the property a century ago. That bucolic ranch property may end up with a gas well drilling crew pulling up with hundreds of tons of equipment, cutting the fence, dozing up the hayfield, and setting up a drilling rig on your beautiful property. And the property owner doesn't have a darned thing to say about it, because he doesn't own the mineral rights, which are a deeded estate, just like the acreage and water rights.
How does this happen? The two most common ways are the way the property was originally homesteaded or the rights were sold off by a previous landowner. In many cases, when properties were originally homesteaded back in 1910 or so, the government didn't grant mineral rights to homesteaders. The rights were reserved for future sale. Homesteaders didn't mind, because they couldn't foresee anyone digging for gold on a flat plain. When the rights came available for sale, they didn't see the point in buying them, and often wide swaths of mineral rights were sold to speculators for small amounts of money. The other way that mineral rights become severed is if the property owner sells them to a mining company or speculator. Who knows, he may have had trouble making his land payments and that was the life buoy that kept him afloat. Maybe he just wanted to buy a new pickup.
Few people in Colorado envisioned the natural gas boom that we are now experiencing in the early 2000's. The Mancos Shale formation covers wide regions of western Colorado, and it is known for its seams of coal. While seams of coal may not be recoverable because of its depth underneath hundreds of feet of rock, when it's punctured by a gas well, it emits methane--natural gas. That is considered a mineral.
No one wants their dream ranch to be plowed up and traced with gas wells and pipelines--especially if they're not earning any royalties from the sale of the natural gas! So how do you avoid this nightmare scenario? First and foremost, order a thorough title search when buying any ranch property, and make your purchase contingent upon clear ownership of the mineral rights. However, title companies sometimes miss mineral rights severance. Maybe the owner sold the mineral rights in 1968 and the new owner never recorded the deed, and presto! a sharp-eyed grandson going through grandpa's estate finds his new fortune.
Sometimes there will be a reservation in the title, such as "a reservation to pursue a vein or lode of ore" from some other person. Such as reservation isn't the same as severed mineral rights. At that point, you have to assess how serious is the possibility that someone will start at a neighboring property and go underground and follow a vein of silver, gold, coal, or whatever is under your property, and whether or not that would affect your enjoyment of the property.
If the tract is large enough to worry about--over 10 or 20 acres--I recommend hiring an attorney who specializes in mineral rights to look over the contract. When you're purchasing a ranch worth millions of dollars, representing your dreams, future, and heritage, you want to make sure you own it all.
If you have more questions about Colorado ranch properties for sale, horse ranches for sale, vineyards and orchards for sale, Colorado mountain property for sale, and Colorado cattle ranches for sale, visit my websites at link: www.aspenranchrealestate.com .
Gary Hubbell, Associate Broker
Needlerock Mountain Realty & Land
Crawford, Colorado
970 921 5588
970 988 2122 cell
970 921 5331 office
Mineral rights? Yes, in Colorado real estate law, mineral rights and "surface rights" are often a "split estate." While you may assume that the property owner has domain over all his hayfields, orchards, and woods on his property, the fact may be that the mineral estate may have been severed from the property a century ago. That bucolic ranch property may end up with a gas well drilling crew pulling up with hundreds of tons of equipment, cutting the fence, dozing up the hayfield, and setting up a drilling rig on your beautiful property. And the property owner doesn't have a darned thing to say about it, because he doesn't own the mineral rights, which are a deeded estate, just like the acreage and water rights.
How does this happen? The two most common ways are the way the property was originally homesteaded or the rights were sold off by a previous landowner. In many cases, when properties were originally homesteaded back in 1910 or so, the government didn't grant mineral rights to homesteaders. The rights were reserved for future sale. Homesteaders didn't mind, because they couldn't foresee anyone digging for gold on a flat plain. When the rights came available for sale, they didn't see the point in buying them, and often wide swaths of mineral rights were sold to speculators for small amounts of money. The other way that mineral rights become severed is if the property owner sells them to a mining company or speculator. Who knows, he may have had trouble making his land payments and that was the life buoy that kept him afloat. Maybe he just wanted to buy a new pickup.
Few people in Colorado envisioned the natural gas boom that we are now experiencing in the early 2000's. The Mancos Shale formation covers wide regions of western Colorado, and it is known for its seams of coal. While seams of coal may not be recoverable because of its depth underneath hundreds of feet of rock, when it's punctured by a gas well, it emits methane--natural gas. That is considered a mineral.
No one wants their dream ranch to be plowed up and traced with gas wells and pipelines--especially if they're not earning any royalties from the sale of the natural gas! So how do you avoid this nightmare scenario? First and foremost, order a thorough title search when buying any ranch property, and make your purchase contingent upon clear ownership of the mineral rights. However, title companies sometimes miss mineral rights severance. Maybe the owner sold the mineral rights in 1968 and the new owner never recorded the deed, and presto! a sharp-eyed grandson going through grandpa's estate finds his new fortune.
Sometimes there will be a reservation in the title, such as "a reservation to pursue a vein or lode of ore" from some other person. Such as reservation isn't the same as severed mineral rights. At that point, you have to assess how serious is the possibility that someone will start at a neighboring property and go underground and follow a vein of silver, gold, coal, or whatever is under your property, and whether or not that would affect your enjoyment of the property.
If the tract is large enough to worry about--over 10 or 20 acres--I recommend hiring an attorney who specializes in mineral rights to look over the contract. When you're purchasing a ranch worth millions of dollars, representing your dreams, future, and heritage, you want to make sure you own it all.
If you have more questions about Colorado ranch properties for sale, horse ranches for sale, vineyards and orchards for sale, Colorado mountain property for sale, and Colorado cattle ranches for sale, visit my websites at link: www.aspenranchrealestate.com .
Gary Hubbell, Associate Broker
Needlerock Mountain Realty & Land
Crawford, Colorado
970 921 5588
970 988 2122 cell
970 921 5331 office
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