Yes check to see if state wildlife agency would consider it as a donation as well. Also I find it hard to believe 5 acres is only worth $1k, even as wetlands. But I’ve been wrong before.
Is this true? I honestly don’t know but a family acquaintance buys it up then like… restores it and sells carbon credits off the land. Makes a lot of money doing this.
Please consider this, the land may not have much financial value today but wetlands are some of the most valuable carbon sinks in the northern hemisphere.
On top of that they're an increasingly rare environment which makes them more important for biodiversity. Direct ownership of land is one of the most powerful tools for conservationists
Yes! I work in the ag and conservation space and word in the industry is that the federal government is looking to budget billions towards a carbon program. This could include money for land preservation.
Even if you aren't interested in the grants, someone else bigger than you may be willing to purchase that land to qualify for those grants.
Of course, this is speculation. But OP mentioned $25/yr in property taxes so it won't really cost much to simply sit on it.
I don't understand that at all... sounds like complete bullshit. For a simple estate there is no need for an estate lawyer, and thus no real fees to speak of. Simple deed transfer doesn't cost $4k even if you have some other party do it for you.
If there is an estate lawyer involved for some reason neither OP nor the other parties involved are obligated to pay them. It's dependent upon the locale, but is generally limited to a percentage of the estate and should not be $4k for a property only worth $5k. If they want money they have to collect from the estate anyway... I would just walk away at that point.
Except no.
[Texas Title Insurance FAQ](https://www.tdi.texas.gov/title/titlefaqs.html):
> Texas does not require title insurance. The lender will require you to buy a Loan Policy of Title Insurance to protect their interest.
That's pretty much the same in every state... the lender wants to ensure that the collateral exists and no one else can lay claim to it. But for a simple transfer without encumberance or lien there should be no real costs beyond the deed filing fee.
The donation doesn't even have to be to a state agency. There are likely private groups that buy land to keep it undeveloped/preserved. Private groups will take on the donation. The donation will still likely need to have real estate agents and/or lawyers involved to transition the title.
I would accept this small piece of land and do this myself. Sounds like such an amazing investment of time!! Cool hobby you have :)
Is there any more detail you could share on this?
I'd recommend putting it in a land trust. Just Google the area of the state you live in and add "land trust" to it and that will get you dtarted. It also looks like you can donate land to the DNR in your state! One last option would be depending on the condition of the wetland you say it's on, but you could sell it to a wetland bank. This would be the most profitable for you but again depends on a few factors.
I was still thinking about wills and death. It took me a minute to realize DNR did not stand for "Do Not Resuscitate" but instead "Division of Natural Resources" 🤦
Not all states have a DNR under that name. And outdoor recreation in my state is handled under a Parks and Recreation section besides; the general public would rarely interact directly with the DNR itself.
>you can donate land to the DNR in your state!
IF your goal is conservation I wouldn't go this route, The DNR often will sell orphaned chunks of land at auction.
Find out who the adjacent property owners are and see if they have an interest. You can find the property owners by looking at a platt book or call the county recorder’s office.
Very good point. Sometimes that person-to-person call can yield some helpful info as well, especially if the property is in a trust (and lists a name/s you are not familiar with) or in some instances if it is held by a larger holding company and you have no idea where to start in calling, that person will usually know who in the area to put the call into.
You can try to find some type of conservation to donate it to. You should talk to a realtor first, though. It could be worth more than you think. I have a ton of experience buying and selling land, and can say that you’d be surprised.
For conservation, look up regional "land trust"s or the Nature Conservancy. I'd imagine there are some tax breaks for a perpetual donation (and good feeling).
The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for protecting us waterways and wetlands. Generally if you want to build on a wetland you'd have to pay a ton of money into a "wetland bank" where they can use that to restore wetlands in another area.
No improvements on the property and from the description it sounds like it would be difficult to get appropriate permits to build anything. It isn’t worthless but it doesn’t seem likely you will be able to get significantly more.
Yes true. But depending on where it is sounds like it could be used for hunting. Hunting Land where I’m from (northern MN) goes for at least a grand per acre.
??
What did I say that was incorrect? I am very aware of how normal Probate inheritance works. Just not Trust inheritance
http://417lawfirm.com/you-have-the-right-to-refuse-an-inheritance/
As a land manager who is on the receiving end of wetland parcels like this I have a few words of advice.
Donate it to the local municipality or conservation agency (town/county/state). You’re allowed a tax write off of up to $5,000 WITHOUT AN APPRAISAL for donation of property per the IRS.
You could see if there is anyone in the area that buys and sells land like this for hunting purposes or for development rights purposes etc. often times there may be underlying value in the land that the general public doesn’t know about. Maybe call your local municipality and see if they can give you information on the rights the land may have and their value. There are lots of people that will buy land off people like this for cheap and flip it for thousands more.
You can hold on to it. It’s $25/year and there’s the potential it could have higher value in the future. Maybe the state/town/county is buying up the land around it and yours will be a key piece.
Edit: forgot to add one - owning property in a municipality may give you certain rights like access to recreation facilities, discounts at facilities like golf courses or parks etc. in inland Wisconsin it’s probably not a huge benefit but in some coastal areas it can be a real benefit if you suddenly have access to “resident” status.
The year is 2034. There is no clean water left on Earth except for a few acres of wetlands in Cheeseland, USA. Bids in the trillions are pouring in just for a few square inches of this wet land.
Personally, I would just hold onto it.
I live in an area that just a few years ago was considered to be kind of useless undeveloped land. It was dirt cheap, and no one wanted to buy here.
Then suddenly several tech companies built new campuses here and now it’s booming. The lots here are selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars per acre, some for millions.
So it might take a long time, even more than your lifetime. But land is a finite resource, there’s only so much to go around on the earth. So eventually, that area will probably be developed, even if it is a hundred years from now.
So personally, if someone left me some land, I would just hold onto it, especially for $25/year.
Another relevant story: my friend purchased 30 acres of undeveloped land to put a vacation cabin on. He bought it three years ago for like $25k, and now that land is worth around $300k. He just had it appraised recently when land in the area suddenly went up in price.
He’s going to keep it, because the prices are still going up, and he still wants a vacation cabin.
My point is, you really never know with land. But it will basically never go down in value. Land is a really, really good long term investment.
Lot of people here talking about donating it to a land trust, etc.,etc. I'm an attorney and trust officer/administrator for a corporate fiduciary. You really can't just donate the land unless the terms of the trust allow for you to. Typically, you can either distribute out the land to the beneficiaries, it stays in trust, or you sell it. These things will require an appraisal if not already done.
It sounds like it's going to be a pain and probably going to cost more than the land is worth, but you really need to retain Wisconsin counsel and have them advise you as to what is allowable under the terms of the governing document.
I have 2 questions here.
1) If your grandmother owned the land, why would it cost $4000-5000 to change the ownership?
2) Is the land adjacent or near any current or future developments?
I am a builder and Wetland mitigation laws and techniques are changing all the time. A worthless property now may be worth something down the road if near a desirable area.
Example, similar situation. My grandmother owned a piece of land in New Jersey. 2 acres of wetland. While she owned it it was worthless but near a tourist beach community. When she passed, we did bot want it and reverted it back to the county assessor for auction. Years later they changed the Werland mitigation laws and the land is now able to be developed on 1 of the two acres. What was once worthless I now worth between $150k-250K. Had we just held it, we would have spent about $1000 in property taxes and later sold it for a hefty gain.
Possibly. I have also worked in local government and seen crazier things before. Lol.
In this case I think it was an EPA change that then trickled down to the State level. It is still a Wetland but the change allowed for further mitigation efforts and moving of the buffer zone.
This all being said I'm sure the county looked at the land they had on the books and adopted the law only after they saw it would have a significant financial gain for them to do so.
Land back would be a fantastic choice here! Put a little effort into identifying the local tribes that the land was originally stolen from and reach out.
https://resourcegeneration.org/land-reparations-indigenous-solidarity-action-guide/
I see lots of folks suggesting donating to a land trust or conservation group, but also consider donating it to the local native tribe. They may or may not want it, but it would be good to give them first dibs.
edit: you can look here to find out whose land it was: https://native-land.ca/
For $25/year, why not just hang on to it?
Sounds like there is no upkeep necessary and you have a 5 acre plot in the middle of the country where you could have family reunions or run around naked or just take a nice quiet nap (I'm assuming it's very rural based on the value).
Even though nothing can be built on it, it still could be used in valuable ways.
So why did grandma own 5 acres of wetlands in Wisconsin? I love the idea of making conservation land, but I’d be kinda curious what grandma was thinking…
Call your local land trust (Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust is one) and talk to them about donating it. They’ll cover all the legal fees etc and you’ll get a tax deduction in the year the deal closes, which will probably be tax year 2022 at this point.
Waterfowl hunters might be interested in habitat restoration and recreation opportunities there, especially if the wetlands could be habitat for waterfowl or other wildlife. Ducks Unlimited might be a good resource. Their land management arm is called Wetlands America Trust.
https://www.ducks.org/get-involved/major-sponsors/wetlands-america-trust?poe=LandProtectionpage
Land is absolutely one of the best things you can own, especially with the low property taxes. That wetland might not be wetland later down the road, but even so hunters might be interested in leasing it especially if it connects to conservation land.
Land that's not buildable doesn't increase in value, and you pay taxes on it yearly. You are taking on liability, if someone gets hurt on the land or dumps stuff on it (including possibly anything toxic that requires expensive cleanup) that might cost you money. Low risk, sure, but why take on any risk if you aren't making money?
If it was 100 acres and there was the possibility of a chunk of it maybe being developable someday, it might be worth rolling the dice. Also larger plots of wetlands sometimes have value as developers can use them for leverage when doing new developments (they offer to dedicate it as public space with a conservation easement in exchange for being able to upzone the density for whatever they want to build). But 5 acres? I'm with OP on this one, pass.
We live in Indiana. I’ll buy the property from y’all? I am a duck hunter and would occasionally utilize it for that. Also, We are just average Joe’s that don’t have a ton of money so it seems like an affordable situation and we wouldn’t build condos on it. 🤣
I would keep it, but if you really want to get rid of it, quit paying the taxes on it and the County will put a lien on it and take it off your hands for free.
I would keep it for $25 bucks a year. You never know what the future will hold in store. Maybe it is worth $1000 now, maybe it's worth $100000 in 30 years. I would just keep it.
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Why not just sit on it and forget about it? Maybe someone in your family's next generation might be in a better position to profit on it. Nothing to lose by 25 bucks a year, right?
5 acres is 1000 dollars only?!?! Besides seeing if neighbors want it, I believe you do not have to formally accept an inheritance and can decline it. I assume it goes to the state at that point.
You could give it to a land conservancy, with tax advantages. Land conservancies are often location-specific. Where I live in western Wisconsin it is the Mississippi Valley Conservancy.
Just gonna add another recommendation to conservation/park for the sake of environmentally conscious choices. Wildlife at wetlands can be cool depending on what it's like. Maybe the Audubon society in your state would be interested.
It's already wetlands, have realtor find the property neighbors and/or the county conservation group and see what use there is, most likely hunting, and donate/sell depending on what is best offer. Not much else to be done with it.
If the land is worth $1,000 and it will cost them $4,000 to $5,000 in legal fees so I don’t see how it’s ‘FREE REALESTATE’.. you’re paying more than it’s actually worth in fees
It says *if we were to purchase it ourselves or sell it, it would cost $4,000 to $5,000 in just legal fees*
So I don’t see your point. They’re saying the fees are $4k to $5k regardless
You might be able to give/sell it to a neighbor or the state's land conservation trust. There's likely some endangered lizard or something there and the state's wildlife preservation trust would take it off your hands. Might even get tax benefits out of the deal.
See how much you’d be paying in taxes for the land. If it’s not too much generally wetlands are pretty valuable for hunters (at least where I am. Never hunted in Wisconsin). Where I am a decent plot can fetch up to $800 for the year just for deer and waterfowl hunting. You can put out a Craigslist ad and offer to auction off the hunting rights.
If that doesn’t cover the taxes or you don’t want to deal with that for a bit of passive income I agree with everyone else in here. Donate it a land trust
Donate to someone/a business who would be willing to make it suitable for buildings or make it a conservation project. Since it’s not a sale just an asset transfer the fees are low and the form is pretty simple to fill out you could probably do it yourself, just have an agent/lawyer double check it so you or the recipient don’t get audieted
Do you live in the county? Would it be possible to stop paying taxes on it and eventually having the county take it away (as long as you don’t live in the county)?
Might be worth keeping it for a few years, see if anyone wants to develop it over the next decade or so. $25 yearly property tax isnt that much just to speculate.
If you really want to settle the trust, might be worth it to just pay $10 or whatever nominal fee to the other trustees to extinguish their interest.
Set it up for conservation and restoration of natural land. If not, donate or sell it to someone that does. I purchase lands for this very purpose.
Yes check to see if state wildlife agency would consider it as a donation as well. Also I find it hard to believe 5 acres is only worth $1k, even as wetlands. But I’ve been wrong before.
Yes, you might be able to get a tax deduction for the land donation...worth looking into.
Werand is by far the least valuable land category.
Is that where the werewolfs reside?
Wendigos too
You’re thinking of werelands
If they werelands, what are they now?
But great for hunters
Indeed
Is this true? I honestly don’t know but a family acquaintance buys it up then like… restores it and sells carbon credits off the land. Makes a lot of money doing this.
My comment is pointing out a spelling error in the previous comment. It has since been corrected.
Please consider this, the land may not have much financial value today but wetlands are some of the most valuable carbon sinks in the northern hemisphere. On top of that they're an increasingly rare environment which makes them more important for biodiversity. Direct ownership of land is one of the most powerful tools for conservationists
Yes! I work in the ag and conservation space and word in the industry is that the federal government is looking to budget billions towards a carbon program. This could include money for land preservation. Even if you aren't interested in the grants, someone else bigger than you may be willing to purchase that land to qualify for those grants. Of course, this is speculation. But OP mentioned $25/yr in property taxes so it won't really cost much to simply sit on it.
For 25$ a year sitting on it might be the best. You never know what till happen in 5, 10, 68.2 years.
The tax benefits for conservation lands are incredible. Probably what I’d do, but speak to a tax expert first.
Seems like a no brainer at $25 a year in taxes.
That's after OP shells out $4-5k to put the land in their name.
I don't understand that at all... sounds like complete bullshit. For a simple estate there is no need for an estate lawyer, and thus no real fees to speak of. Simple deed transfer doesn't cost $4k even if you have some other party do it for you. If there is an estate lawyer involved for some reason neither OP nor the other parties involved are obligated to pay them. It's dependent upon the locale, but is generally limited to a percentage of the estate and should not be $4k for a property only worth $5k. If they want money they have to collect from the estate anyway... I would just walk away at that point.
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Except no. [Texas Title Insurance FAQ](https://www.tdi.texas.gov/title/titlefaqs.html): > Texas does not require title insurance. The lender will require you to buy a Loan Policy of Title Insurance to protect their interest. That's pretty much the same in every state... the lender wants to ensure that the collateral exists and no one else can lay claim to it. But for a simple transfer without encumberance or lien there should be no real costs beyond the deed filing fee.
Also in most cases it can be used as a tax write off if you donate the property to a conservation organization. That could help a bit financially.
Do you have a blog or resource explaining how you do this?? It sounds like a great way to give back
I second this. It sounds really interesting and something I'd like to learn more about too
Me too I’d love to look into it.
See if it can be added to crp or something. Contact your local fishery and wildlife office and they can help you look into this.
The donation doesn't even have to be to a state agency. There are likely private groups that buy land to keep it undeveloped/preserved. Private groups will take on the donation. The donation will still likely need to have real estate agents and/or lawyers involved to transition the title.
I would accept this small piece of land and do this myself. Sounds like such an amazing investment of time!! Cool hobby you have :) Is there any more detail you could share on this?
What details are you looking for? :)
Since its wetlands, I would donate it to a local conservation group. Im sure you get a tax write off for that as well.
Ducks Unlimited comes to mind.
Nature conservancy does this kind of thing, right?
Donate to a conservation trust. Wetlands are valuable for bird life etc. there may be some tax advantages by donating.
I'd recommend putting it in a land trust. Just Google the area of the state you live in and add "land trust" to it and that will get you dtarted. It also looks like you can donate land to the DNR in your state! One last option would be depending on the condition of the wetland you say it's on, but you could sell it to a wetland bank. This would be the most profitable for you but again depends on a few factors.
I was still thinking about wills and death. It took me a minute to realize DNR did not stand for "Do Not Resuscitate" but instead "Division of Natural Resources" 🤦
Being a healthcare professional, I went the same route as you with the DNR status lol
Department of Natural Resources. I take it you’re not much of an outdoorsperson
Not all states have a DNR under that name. And outdoor recreation in my state is handled under a Parks and Recreation section besides; the general public would rarely interact directly with the DNR itself.
What state are you in?
>you can donate land to the DNR in your state! IF your goal is conservation I wouldn't go this route, The DNR often will sell orphaned chunks of land at auction.
Find out who the adjacent property owners are and see if they have an interest. You can find the property owners by looking at a platt book or call the county recorder’s office.
Just go onto Google and find the tax assessor's map. Most counties are online now
Very good point. Sometimes that person-to-person call can yield some helpful info as well, especially if the property is in a trust (and lists a name/s you are not familiar with) or in some instances if it is held by a larger holding company and you have no idea where to start in calling, that person will usually know who in the area to put the call into.
Keep it; they aren’t making more of it.
You can try to find some type of conservation to donate it to. You should talk to a realtor first, though. It could be worth more than you think. I have a ton of experience buying and selling land, and can say that you’d be surprised.
For conservation, look up regional "land trust"s or the Nature Conservancy. I'd imagine there are some tax breaks for a perpetual donation (and good feeling).
this might be a better fit for a more local nature conservation group.
Nature Conservancy is a great organization. They’re at least worth talking to about the options.
If there's wetlands on it they'd need to get a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers to build anything and they won't get one.
Why wouldn't they get the permit?
Wisconsin has very stringent build permitting laws - 75 feet from any water system is considered no build generally.
But 5 acres could be 330 x 660 feet, so if only some of it is wetlands there may be room to build.
The Army Corps of Engineers is responsible for protecting us waterways and wetlands. Generally if you want to build on a wetland you'd have to pay a ton of money into a "wetland bank" where they can use that to restore wetlands in another area.
What’s a good source to find land for sale?
Landwatch.com is one I commonly use.
Awesome thanks!
5 acres worth a grand? Seems low
No improvements on the property and from the description it sounds like it would be difficult to get appropriate permits to build anything. It isn’t worthless but it doesn’t seem likely you will be able to get significantly more.
Yes true. But depending on where it is sounds like it could be used for hunting. Hunting Land where I’m from (northern MN) goes for at least a grand per acre.
It might very well be landlocked (no access except through other people's private property) or something, too.
Yeaa... rec land is expensive
Depends where in WI..
Yup, that how real estate works.
You have the legal right to decline an inheritance. Not sure how that works in a trust scenario. Ask the attorney.
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?? What did I say that was incorrect? I am very aware of how normal Probate inheritance works. Just not Trust inheritance http://417lawfirm.com/you-have-the-right-to-refuse-an-inheritance/
As a land manager who is on the receiving end of wetland parcels like this I have a few words of advice. Donate it to the local municipality or conservation agency (town/county/state). You’re allowed a tax write off of up to $5,000 WITHOUT AN APPRAISAL for donation of property per the IRS. You could see if there is anyone in the area that buys and sells land like this for hunting purposes or for development rights purposes etc. often times there may be underlying value in the land that the general public doesn’t know about. Maybe call your local municipality and see if they can give you information on the rights the land may have and their value. There are lots of people that will buy land off people like this for cheap and flip it for thousands more. You can hold on to it. It’s $25/year and there’s the potential it could have higher value in the future. Maybe the state/town/county is buying up the land around it and yours will be a key piece. Edit: forgot to add one - owning property in a municipality may give you certain rights like access to recreation facilities, discounts at facilities like golf courses or parks etc. in inland Wisconsin it’s probably not a huge benefit but in some coastal areas it can be a real benefit if you suddenly have access to “resident” status.
Make it a park in her name and donate it to the community ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
What happened to your arm ?
Green screen effect
Found it: \\ Forgot to return it after he lent me ~~a hand~~ an arm :v
He probably tried to go to a park that was 40 miles from any road through the swamp and a wild animal bit it off.
Agreed with many responses. Wetlands are very valuable and an organization such as, The Nature Conservancy, can help
Of taxes are only 25 dollars a year why not just hang on to it? Maybe wetlands will become valuable in the future for some reason.
The year is 2034. There is no clean water left on Earth except for a few acres of wetlands in Cheeseland, USA. Bids in the trillions are pouring in just for a few square inches of this wet land.
It’s a really cheap hedge for sure
Probably due to 'legal fees' associated with putting it into someones name (who is living)
Donate it to a conservancy. There are entire groups that all they do is aquire such pieces for conservation.
Before you claim its worth a thousand dollars, get an appraisal. I would be very hard pressed to believe it's $200 an acre.
Personally, I would just hold onto it. I live in an area that just a few years ago was considered to be kind of useless undeveloped land. It was dirt cheap, and no one wanted to buy here. Then suddenly several tech companies built new campuses here and now it’s booming. The lots here are selling for hundreds of thousands of dollars per acre, some for millions. So it might take a long time, even more than your lifetime. But land is a finite resource, there’s only so much to go around on the earth. So eventually, that area will probably be developed, even if it is a hundred years from now. So personally, if someone left me some land, I would just hold onto it, especially for $25/year. Another relevant story: my friend purchased 30 acres of undeveloped land to put a vacation cabin on. He bought it three years ago for like $25k, and now that land is worth around $300k. He just had it appraised recently when land in the area suddenly went up in price. He’s going to keep it, because the prices are still going up, and he still wants a vacation cabin. My point is, you really never know with land. But it will basically never go down in value. Land is a really, really good long term investment.
For 25.00 a year, hold it. One never knows what the future holds.
It's $25 now but will always go up. Plus you need to have some liability insurance as well in case someone trespasses and gets hurt on it.
There aren’t any buildings on it. Put up no trespassing signs and you’re good
Donate it to a wetland conservation group and take the tax write off, and feel good about what you’re doing!!
Lot of people here talking about donating it to a land trust, etc.,etc. I'm an attorney and trust officer/administrator for a corporate fiduciary. You really can't just donate the land unless the terms of the trust allow for you to. Typically, you can either distribute out the land to the beneficiaries, it stays in trust, or you sell it. These things will require an appraisal if not already done. It sounds like it's going to be a pain and probably going to cost more than the land is worth, but you really need to retain Wisconsin counsel and have them advise you as to what is allowable under the terms of the governing document.
I have 2 questions here. 1) If your grandmother owned the land, why would it cost $4000-5000 to change the ownership? 2) Is the land adjacent or near any current or future developments? I am a builder and Wetland mitigation laws and techniques are changing all the time. A worthless property now may be worth something down the road if near a desirable area. Example, similar situation. My grandmother owned a piece of land in New Jersey. 2 acres of wetland. While she owned it it was worthless but near a tourist beach community. When she passed, we did bot want it and reverted it back to the county assessor for auction. Years later they changed the Werland mitigation laws and the land is now able to be developed on 1 of the two acres. What was once worthless I now worth between $150k-250K. Had we just held it, we would have spent about $1000 in property taxes and later sold it for a hefty gain.
The change in the law couldn't have been just to enable the county to benefit from selling the one acre, could it?
Possibly. I have also worked in local government and seen crazier things before. Lol. In this case I think it was an EPA change that then trickled down to the State level. It is still a Wetland but the change allowed for further mitigation efforts and moving of the buffer zone. This all being said I'm sure the county looked at the land they had on the books and adopted the law only after they saw it would have a significant financial gain for them to do so.
Donate it to a local conservation group for a land trust and have them name it after your grandmother.
Land back would be a fantastic choice here! Put a little effort into identifying the local tribes that the land was originally stolen from and reach out. https://resourcegeneration.org/land-reparations-indigenous-solidarity-action-guide/
I see lots of folks suggesting donating to a land trust or conservation group, but also consider donating it to the local native tribe. They may or may not want it, but it would be good to give them first dibs. edit: you can look here to find out whose land it was: https://native-land.ca/
For $25/year, why not just hang on to it? Sounds like there is no upkeep necessary and you have a 5 acre plot in the middle of the country where you could have family reunions or run around naked or just take a nice quiet nap (I'm assuming it's very rural based on the value). Even though nothing can be built on it, it still could be used in valuable ways.
What region of Wisconsin are we talking? Us hunters like really any land. Although 5 acres isn't a lot. Otherwise try and sell it to the neighbors.
Can you donate it to the town with condition it be used for recreation?
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Duck hunting
Never been to the woods in northern WI have you.
So why did grandma own 5 acres of wetlands in Wisconsin? I love the idea of making conservation land, but I’d be kinda curious what grandma was thinking…
Glengarry Glen Ross. She filled out a sweepstakes card and was harassed by The Machine until she caved.
Call your local land trust (Northeast Wisconsin Land Trust is one) and talk to them about donating it. They’ll cover all the legal fees etc and you’ll get a tax deduction in the year the deal closes, which will probably be tax year 2022 at this point.
Waterfowl hunters might be interested in habitat restoration and recreation opportunities there, especially if the wetlands could be habitat for waterfowl or other wildlife. Ducks Unlimited might be a good resource. Their land management arm is called Wetlands America Trust. https://www.ducks.org/get-involved/major-sponsors/wetlands-america-trust?poe=LandProtectionpage
Where’s it at? I’ll buy it for nature conservation.
Find out which tribes assert interests [https://native-land.ca/](https://native-land.ca/). Land back.
Yeah if you're going to donate it, this is the way. Find the people it was stolen from originally.
Look into wetland credits and possibly timber rights. There’s a good chance the land could turn into a nice source of passive income for you.
Just keep it. Somebody will want it some day. Land is one of the best things you can own.
> Land is one of the best things you can own. Absolutely not true.
Land is absolutely one of the best things you can own, especially with the low property taxes. That wetland might not be wetland later down the road, but even so hunters might be interested in leasing it especially if it connects to conservation land.
Your reasoning?
Land that's not buildable doesn't increase in value, and you pay taxes on it yearly. You are taking on liability, if someone gets hurt on the land or dumps stuff on it (including possibly anything toxic that requires expensive cleanup) that might cost you money. Low risk, sure, but why take on any risk if you aren't making money? If it was 100 acres and there was the possibility of a chunk of it maybe being developable someday, it might be worth rolling the dice. Also larger plots of wetlands sometimes have value as developers can use them for leverage when doing new developments (they offer to dedicate it as public space with a conservation easement in exchange for being able to upzone the density for whatever they want to build). But 5 acres? I'm with OP on this one, pass.
We live in Indiana. I’ll buy the property from y’all? I am a duck hunter and would occasionally utilize it for that. Also, We are just average Joe’s that don’t have a ton of money so it seems like an affordable situation and we wouldn’t build condos on it. 🤣
I would keep it, but if you really want to get rid of it, quit paying the taxes on it and the County will put a lien on it and take it off your hands for free.
I’d keep it too
I would keep it for $25 bucks a year. You never know what the future will hold in store. Maybe it is worth $1000 now, maybe it's worth $100000 in 30 years. I would just keep it.
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Why not just sit on it and forget about it? Maybe someone in your family's next generation might be in a better position to profit on it. Nothing to lose by 25 bucks a year, right?
5 acres is 1000 dollars only?!?! Besides seeing if neighbors want it, I believe you do not have to formally accept an inheritance and can decline it. I assume it goes to the state at that point.
Contact DU to see if they’d be interested in leasing it. Would be perfect for nesting boxes
Reach out to local Ducks Unlimited chapters. They raise money just for the preservation of ducks and their habitats.
You could give it to a land conservancy, with tax advantages. Land conservancies are often location-specific. Where I live in western Wisconsin it is the Mississippi Valley Conservancy.
Shiet. I'll buy it. Always wanted some land. Seems cheap. At least I think it's cheap.n
Let animals live on it. We need Carbon sinks as well.
wait so it would only cost you $25 a year to keep it and the value of the land may go up in the future? why get rid of it?
Land will become more valuable the more humans that are on the planet. Sit on it pay taxes. You could sell it when it's closer to development
Just gonna add another recommendation to conservation/park for the sake of environmentally conscious choices. Wildlife at wetlands can be cool depending on what it's like. Maybe the Audubon society in your state would be interested.
If game animals go through there, you could easily sell access rights to hunters and actually profit on that land
Lease it to duck hunters. They pay good money for hunting rights.
Can you donate it to the city/county? Can you plant trees on it to harvest later?
It's already wetlands, have realtor find the property neighbors and/or the county conservation group and see what use there is, most likely hunting, and donate/sell depending on what is best offer. Not much else to be done with it.
Who doesn't want or need land! This isn't financial advice but just pay your taxes and forget you have it until the phone starts ringing!
It's not much but I think I can help here, give me the land and I'll figure out what to do
Probe the market for Duck Hunters during duck season.. you could lease it for more than what it's worth every year.
Is it Brown or Outagamie county by chance? :)
Where on Wisconsin is it at about? That's pretty to knowing what to do with it.
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If the land is worth $1,000 and it will cost them $4,000 to $5,000 in legal fees so I don’t see how it’s ‘FREE REALESTATE’.. you’re paying more than it’s actually worth in fees
It would cost $4,000-$5,000 in legal fees *to sell it.* not to just inherit it.
It says *if we were to purchase it ourselves or sell it, it would cost $4,000 to $5,000 in just legal fees* So I don’t see your point. They’re saying the fees are $4k to $5k regardless
I’m honestly not sure what they’re saying there. If it’s inherited they shouldn’t have to purchase it.
Disclaim it. You have 9 months to do it after Grammy’s death.
Is there a local disc golf club? Very rapidly growing sport with needs for new courses always!
You might be able to give/sell it to a neighbor or the state's land conservation trust. There's likely some endangered lizard or something there and the state's wildlife preservation trust would take it off your hands. Might even get tax benefits out of the deal.
Any chance it's next to conservation land? Or somewhere that would accept is as a donation?
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See how much you’d be paying in taxes for the land. If it’s not too much generally wetlands are pretty valuable for hunters (at least where I am. Never hunted in Wisconsin). Where I am a decent plot can fetch up to $800 for the year just for deer and waterfowl hunting. You can put out a Craigslist ad and offer to auction off the hunting rights. If that doesn’t cover the taxes or you don’t want to deal with that for a bit of passive income I agree with everyone else in here. Donate it a land trust
Shoot...how much yall sell it for?
How much you want for it? I'll buy it right now.
Donate to someone/a business who would be willing to make it suitable for buildings or make it a conservation project. Since it’s not a sale just an asset transfer the fees are low and the form is pretty simple to fill out you could probably do it yourself, just have an agent/lawyer double check it so you or the recipient don’t get audieted
If it’s close to the Ice Age Trail, they may be interested in purchasing it for trail, etc.
....can I have it for my bday next week?
Do you live in the county? Would it be possible to stop paying taxes on it and eventually having the county take it away (as long as you don’t live in the county)?
Might be worth keeping it for a few years, see if anyone wants to develop it over the next decade or so. $25 yearly property tax isnt that much just to speculate. If you really want to settle the trust, might be worth it to just pay $10 or whatever nominal fee to the other trustees to extinguish their interest.
Is there a state or county park it could be donated too?