# Finding a hunting lease



## Bowhunter74201

a group of friends and i have been coming to ohio for 6 years now to deer hunt. we've always gone with an outfitter, which is ok, but man it's expensive. we've been toying with the idea of finding a place of our own for a few years now, and this year i think we're much more serious about doing it. the hard part is, we all live and work elsewhere so our best resource is the internet. and as we all know, things are not always as they seem on the internet. i've heard horror stories about people leasing out land to hunters that they don't even own or have rights to, people hunting someone's lease while they're not there, you name it. lots of shady people out there! 

i've been poking around on some sites, and have found a couple pieces that sound good but who knows for sure. do any of you guys have any reputable resources for finding a hunting lease you could share? any websites or maybe local realty companies that regularly deal with leasing. thanks!


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## miked913

Basecamp leasing

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## Bowhunter74201

thanks


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## TheKing

If you have a group that is "in", then just buy a plot. $2,000 - to $2,500 for the scrub hilly country that is perfect for deer hunting. $700 / month and you own 60 acres.


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## Bowhunter74201

yeah the group is in, usually 5 or 6 of us go on a trip to ohio every year. we've considered buying as well. we just want something we can call our own and stop paying $2k or more each to hunt every year. and that's only for 5 days. if we have our own place, we can go back later in the season if we end up eating tag soup (like i am).


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## Spongebrain

Why pay for a lease when you can kill bucks like this on Ohios public lands?


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## miked913

Spongebrain said:


> View attachment 283241
> Why pay for a lease when you can kill bucks like this on Ohios public lands?


That is a great buck on any ground, but to get a buck like that on public ground only happens a few times in a man's life if he's lucky.

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## juggerman

Kimble lease out land 190.00 per lease per year.

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## Spongebrain

I disagree Mike. Ive hunted primo private and a lot of public and I believe that public offers excellent opportunities and sometimes better than overused private grounds. Ive seen atleast 2 180”+ Deer on public ground. Sure a guy can high fence or tightly control huge plots of private and really feed/manage for huge racks but that big boy cant read property signs and you cant control what your neighbor is taking. Just my opinion. Id hunt huge tracts of public before I overpaid for a little lot of private.


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## miked913

Spongebrain said:


> I disagree Mike. Ive hunted primo private and a lot of public and I believe that public offers excellent opportunities and sometimes better than overused private grounds. Ive seen atleast 2 180”+ Deer on public ground. Sure a guy can high fence or tightly control huge plots of private and really feed/manage for huge racks but that big boy cant read property signs and you cant control what your neighbor is taking. Just my opinion. Id hunt huge tracts of public before I overpaid for a little lot of private.


Everyone is definitely allowed to think whatever they want but seeing what you think may be a Booner and looking at him on your wall are a long ways apart. I know people with as little as 9 acres and have a wall full of jaw droppers. It's all about location and whatever is in your control. Any control is still better than seeing that 15 passenger van pull up and park in the public parking area.

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## black&mild

Don moreland.. farm land specialist....eastern Ohio trophy whitetails.. ..used him for several years always has great farms for lease


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## Spongebrain

miked913 said:


> Everyone is definitely allowed to think whatever they want but seeing what you think may be a Booner and looking at him on your wall are a long ways apart. I know people with as little as 9 acres and have a wall full of jaw droppers. It's all about location and whatever is in your control. Any control is still better than seeing that 15 passenger van pull up and park in the public parking area.
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


Jaw droppers and 180” booners are 2 different things imo. Id bet only a small fraction of hunters ever get lucky enough to bag a few 180” deer witgout paying thru the nose chasing them. My point was you dont have to pay tons for a lease or overpriced land when there’s great bucks on public grounds. You can find alot of uncrowded spots bow hunting. The 1st day of gun can be a totally different story


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## miked913

Spongebrain said:


> Jaw droppers and 180” booners are 2 different things imo. Id bet only a small fraction of hunt


Back to the point your telling people how great public is and your argument is " I killed one, one time and it almost made buckeye big buck, but man I saw a giant"

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## Flathead76

I wouldn't pay anything to deer hunt a property.


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## Fishstix

I have to agree with Spongebrain. There is really good public land out there. I've seen some really nice bucks out of the stand on public land and have seen many drug out. I actually hit a really nice 8 point 3 weeks ago on public land, but hit him high and couldn't find him.


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## threeten

I have to agree with spongebrain. I bought some land but it gets hit hard by locals and a couple have free ranging dogs that run my property and a lease across the road. Still see some deer when I hunt it but it’s hit or miss whether it’ll get spoiled by dogs or locals. I use it as a base camp to hunt the ample public land that’s close to my place. See as many if not more deer on public land and they’re easier to hunt. 
Not trying to change your mind but all is not greener on the other side of the fence. There are affordable ways to hunt deer here that won’t affect your chances of not seeing big deer.


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## Bowhunter74201

black&mild said:


> Don moreland.. farm land specialist....eastern Ohio trophy whitetails.. ..used him for several years always has great farms for lease


thank you. 
and thank you for all the other input guys. we've done the diy thing once on public land and it was a rough week. tons of hunters.. i'm sure there's plenty of underused public land out there, but we don't have the time to scout it out. if we live there, or at least a lot closer, that would be different. we want a place we can call our own. somewhere we can hang stands and leave them, plant some plots and make other habitat improvements etc.


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## jmyers8

Just an fyi on leasing or even owning your own land. If it's around southern ohio or prolly anywhere in ohio once locals know its leases or bought by someone not local and they know your gonna be there a few times here and there it becomes there personal property to use and stands to hunt why your gone. We have that problem with our farm in southern ohio, just be careful on how many improvements you do a lot of it could be for others to enjoy 

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## Bowhunter74201

i hear ya, thanks.


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## miked913

jmyers8 said:


> Just an fyi on leasing or even owning your own land. If it's around southern ohio or prolly anywhere in ohio once locals know its leases or bought by someone not local and they know your gonna be there a few times here and there it becomes there personal property to use and stands to hunt why your gone. We have that problem with our farm in southern ohio, just be careful on how many improvements you do a lot of it could be for others to enjoy
> 
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


We're in Morgan Co. A neighbor of ours caught a couple local guys trespassing and prosecuted. The local judge pretty much made an example of them by giving them the most he could, and explained that other than oil and gas the out of town hunters are the areas #2 source of area income. We really have very little issue with trespassing, every one know that today the woods are polluted with cameras. If you're having trouble make your game warden your friend have him swing by from time to time, that's why we have them.

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## jmyers8

That's very lucky and nice to have we've had are property for 30 plus years. Use to be we left the house fully stocked just like our home when we would leave and never lock the doors at night when there sleeping. One year we go down doors all kicked in windows broke out and everything metal Including bed frames, fridge, and pots and pans all gone. Now it's an empty house and we bring everything for our stay, kind of makes it a pain. This is in meigs county and several other deer camps have the same issue 

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## MagicMarker

I dunno I'm gonna go the other side of this issue. Having grown up in Ohio and being able to hunt farms all around us to now everything being leased out to out of staters I can't see doing anything to help them out.


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## Flathead76

MagicMarker said:


> I dunno I'm gonna go the other side of this issue. Having grown up in Ohio and being able to hunt farms all around us to now everything being leased out to out of staters I can't see doing anything to help them out.


The exact reason that I would never pay money to deer hunt a property. Even though I could afford to I would never pay money to squeeze another hunter out of a place to hunt. Would quit hunting before I did that.


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## privateer

get onXmaps as it lists accurate property boundaries AND the owner's name too. This way you can track down the true owner. also lets you seek out neighbors and such without a trip to the county court house. its only $100/year and that covers all 50-states on computer, phone, and gps...

oh yes, it does let you "pre-scout" an area via map before you even decide on a site visit. I use it out west and in PA, OH, TN - eastern states...


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## miked913

privateer said:


> get onXmaps as it lists accurate property boundaries AND the owner's name too. This way you can track down the true owner. also lets you seek out neighbors and such without a trip to the county court house. its only $100/year and that covers all 50-states on computer, phone, and gps...
> 
> oh yes, it does let you "pre-scout" an area via map before you even decide on a site visit. I use it out west and in PA, OH, TN - eastern states...


Or you can try huntstand app does the same thing for $11.99 a year

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## privateer

miked913 said:


> Or you can try huntstand app does the same thing for $11.99 a year
> 
> Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk


i'll have to check that one out. looks like there is some overlap but not identical. thanks for the tip...


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## TheKing

Bowhunter74201 said:


> thank you.
> and thank you for all the other input guys. we've done the diy thing once on public land and it was a rough week. tons of hunters.. i'm sure there's plenty of underused public land out there, but we don't have the time to scout it out. if we live there, or at least a lot closer, that would be different. we want a place we can call our own. somewhere we can hang stands and leave them, plant some plots and make other habitat improvements etc.


I think that the advocates of quality on public grounds is definitely correct. But the older you get, the less far you can walk, drag, and get home. And the neighbors are important as indicated. But we got lucky and have only one poacher in the 700+ acre mountain land of which we own 16 acres in the middle. Everyone knows him, watches him and prosecutes him, including the ODNR.


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## Bowhunter74201

yeah we're all around age 50 so we're on the "downwind" side of life you could say. that trip to public we did a few years ago emphasized that. we had to go way way back into the woods we were hunting just to get away from everybody else. and one member of the group shot a decent 130s 8 pointer so the drag was a ball buster. up and down all those hills!


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## TheKing

And


Bowhunter74201 said:


> yeah we're all around age 50 so we're on the "downwind" side of life you could say. that trip to public we did a few years ago emphasized that. we had to go way way back into the woods we were hunting just to get away from everybody else. and one member of the group shot a decent 130s 8 pointer so the drag was a ball buster. up and down all those hills!


A place with trails and a UTV makes that all work for the longer run.


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## Muddy

If I were in your shoes, I would buy some land very close to a large tract of public land. Put base camp and improvements on the private parcel and spread out to the public land as needed. Paying for a guided hunt or lease is fine, but you never get your money back. When you buy land wisely you get your money back and then some. Plus you get years of enjoyment out of it. Location is key, and can be more important than just the amount of acreage. I hate spending money on things, but I could easily justify my land purchase based on longevity and return on investment.


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## Bowhunter74201

all good points muddy


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## Fishstix

I use the OnX app. I only pay for the state of Ohio though. I use it to scout the land I hunt as well. Shot my buck this year on a stand placement I found from the lay of the land on the app. Well worth the money in my opinion.


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## TomC

Theres always the option to buy your own land, there is always a ton of farms up for sale even smaller 5 and 10 acre parcels as well.


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## Shad Rap

Muddy said:


> If I were in your shoes, I would buy some land very close to a large tract of public land. Put base camp and improvements on the private parcel and spread out to the public land as needed. Paying for a guided hunt or lease is fine, but you never get your money back. When you buy land wisely you get your money back and then some. Plus you get years of enjoyment out of it. Location is key, and can be more important than just the amount of acreage. I hate spending money on things, but I could easily justify my land purchase based on longevity and return on investment.


Yep...dirt never loses value.


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## Bowhunter74201

that's an option as well. we wouldn't take anything off the table.


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## Misdirection

I live over in PA (originally from OH) and bought a 30 acre piece of land. That piece of property is surrounded by a few other properties that their owners hunt as well. Eventually my wife and I built a house on our property. This works great as my neighbors and I work to improve our own land and keep trespassers out. I can check feeders and camera thru the week and even get a quick hunt in before or after work. On opening day, we each sit on our own piece of property. Later in the week we will drive deer together. It works well.

I also went in with a friend and bought a cheap camp up in the mountains. We're talking $10K for a two story block building. Sleeps 4 comfortably. We go to camp for grouse, bear, etc...and sometimes deer. We hunt mostly public land and some private farms up at camp. 

It's taken be 16 years to do both, but it's been well worth the wait / investment...

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## ErieIslander

Th


Spongebrain said:


> View attachment 283241
> Why pay for a lease when you can kill bucks like this on Ohios public lands?


Nice buck, and even sweeter that you got it on public land.


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## ErieIslander

Th


Spongebrain said:


> View attachment 283241
> Why pay for a lease when you can kill bucks like this on Ohios public lands?


Nice buck, and even sweeter that yion public land. 


juggerman said:


> Kimble lease out land 190.00 per lease per year.
> 
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


Do you hunt Kimble land? If so have you liked hunting their land?


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## c. j. stone

juggerman said:


> Kimble lease out land 190.00 per lease per year.
> Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Tapatalk


Not sure what you mean by "per lease" but I know they charge $190 PER MAN/year, and for each 10 acres on the lease, they require one hunter(60 acres=6 hunters)! Additionally, NO camping on the lease or "sleep over/over nighting" which I find to be a "bummer"! This essentially would cost at least double when you include "lodging"(if you could even find a place to sleep)!!


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## c. j. stone

jmyers8 said:


> That's very lucky and nice to have we've had are property for 30 plus years. Use to be we left the house fully stocked just like our home when we would leave and never lock the doors at night when there sleeping. One year we go down doors all kicked in windows broke out and everything metal Including bed frames, fridge, and pots and pans all gone. Now it's an empty house and we bring everything for our stay, kind of makes it a pain. This is in meigs county and several other deer camps have the same issue
> Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk


I know of several instances of such break-ins and worse! One small aluminum covered camper a friend had on his place for 25 years was completely trashed, all metal ripped out/off(including the aluminum skin(not easy!) which destroyed the insides over Winter and with Spring rains!) Three other cases where cabins were "burned down"! Another where a couple just wanted a place to go on weekends where they "never even locked the door" on a small, out-of-site "get-away" cottage. Doors kicked in, windows broken, all third-hand Goodwill furniture stolen, place completely trashed! This happened Twice! In each case, deputies investigating said "likely local drug users", or drunked up locals "bored" or "jealous" of "big city rich people"(non were!) coming into their "area"! They also added, "no way to resolve who did the property damage"!! No charges ever filed! This is SAD.....


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## ErieIslander

W


c. j. stone said:


> Not sure what you mean by "per lease" but I know they charge $190 PER MAN/year, and for each 10 acres on the lease, they require one hunter(60 acres=6 hunters)! Additionally, NO camping on the lease or "sleep over/over nighting" which I find to be a "bummer"! This essentially would cost at least double when you include "lodging"(if you could even find a place to sleep)!!


What I think he means is you have the option of leasing and getting on multiple properties. You pay $190 per property/lease. You’re correct that it’s 1 hunter per 10 acres. No camping or vehicles of any kind on the properties. Have you hunted Kimble land before?


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## Fishstix

c. j. stone said:


> I know of several instances of such break-ins and worse! One small aluminum covered camper a friend had on his place for 25 years was completely trashed, all metal ripped out/off(including the aluminum skin(not easy!) which destroyed the insides over Winter and with Spring rains!) Three other cases where cabins were "burned down"! Another where a couple just wanted a place to go on weekends where they "never even locked the door" on a small, out-of-site "get-away" cottage. Doors kicked in, windows broken, all third-hand Goodwill furniture stolen, place completely trashed! This happened Twice! In each case, deputies investigating said "likely local drug users", or drunked up locals "bored" or "jealous" of "big city rich people"(non were!) coming into their "area"! They also added, "no way to resolve who did the property damage"!! No charges ever filed! This is SAD.....


I would for sure find out who did that to my place. I'd have a number to trail cameras up. I'm sure one of them would pick up the vandals. My neighbor's place got broken into and they caught the people with trail camera's. He showed me where they are hidden and there is no way anyone would ever know they are there. Sad! People work hard for a paradise in the country and others come and destroy it cause they are bored.


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## privateer

With the new security systems available and trail cameras with immediate cell capability... Gosh, a guy won't be able to pee in the woods any more without being on the internet. But your property will be secure!


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## c. j. stone

ErieIslander said:


> W
> 
> What I think he means is you have the option of leasing and getting on multiple properties. You pay $190 per property/lease. You’re correct that it’s 1 hunter per 10 acres. No camping or vehicles of any kind on the properties. Have you hunted Kimble land before?


No, the land we hunted for 30+ yrs was sold to them by heirs when the owner died. I called to inquire abt leasing but opted out primarily due NO camping(we camped there in a popup we'd bring). Though it's only an hour and half away, it just would not have been the same for us, and there really was no economical(let alone "available" during gun week!) lodging in that area, and driving back and forth in the dark every day, we felt would have become quite tedious, maybe even boring. Plus there was three of us(all family) and finding three more(six required for 60 acres per leaser) wasn't viable in the short time-frame before season opener. Leasing the property was not a good option for us!


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## ErieIslander

c. j. stone said:


> No, the land we hunted for 30+ yrs was sold to them by heirs when the owner died. I called to inquire abt leasing but opted out primarily due NO camping(we camped there in a popup we'd bring). Though it's only an hour and half away, it just would not have been the same for us, and there really was no economical(let alone "available" during gun week!) lodging in that area, and driving back and forth in the dark every day, we felt would have become quite tedious, maybe even boring. Plus there was three of us(all family) and finding three more(six required for 60 acres per leaser) wasn't viable in the short time-frame before season opener. Leasing the property was not a good option for us!


Sorry to hear about loosing your hunting grounds. I experienced that before loosing the grounds I learned to hunt on in Noble county near Seneca Lake. The farmer who owned the land unfortunately passed away. Kids took over the land and we were out. The neighboring property also got leased to an out of state guy paying top dollar. Now I’m hunting on land with too much hunting IMO. Saving to buy my own place.


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## J2jm

Lease. You could buy but a lease is easier if you have other people involved. I lease property,it’s a fraction of the cost. All of those guys aren’t going to stay in for 20-30 years if you have a note. Some one is going to get divorced, lose their job, have a child, get sick,want out and their $, or stop paying their share. Then they are going to want a buyout price they or their wife made up because the property is worth $X now, and they want their $ grab. If you go through a purchase have a predetermined exit price, the initial buy in or down payment share. Eliminates someone thinking they have an investment and can get rich if the value of the land goes up. Yourself and the other guys have to absorb his part of payment to continue and paying the bank. How many times do you want absorb a share or potentially get drug into a divorce because a name is on a deed?
Someone will want out and try to treat it like an investment because they are grasping for $ and create all kinds of drama and headaches for your group or trying using the land for collateral.
Lease keeps the cost down, if someone drops out or you need to remove someone it is easy enough if there is a change in someone’s life or bad blood. Other guys can absorb the cost for a year or two or find a new person to lease with.
If you lease explain to farmer you are from out of town, just want a spot to hunt when you are in town and not deal with public land headaches and unethical hunters. Have everyone paying listed on lease and only those people and their children/spouses are permitted on property. State your group has exclusive hunting fishing privelages for season. Farmer has documentation of exactly who by name should be coming,going, and when.
Help the farmer also. Welding a hinge, hanging a door, installing an outlet, or helping the farmer out goes a long long way. If anyone in your group has a skilled trade it is invaluable. Farmers do not forget the assistance you give them every year, prompt payment,and a Christmas card. They will stand by you if you never create a problem.
Do not put a price or a very very low price just for a number to be in the lease, and then pay any agreed upon price to the farmer in cash.
I like the lease to say in exchange for maintenance upkeep on property or some type of barter for exclusive hunting privelages that way “no money changes hands”.


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## chrishallsrq

Bowhunter74201 said:


> thank you.
> and thank you for all the other input guys. we've done the diy thing once on public land and it was a rough week. tons of hunters.. i'm sure there's plenty of underused public land out there, but we don't have the time to scout it out. if we live there, or at least a lot closer, that would be different. we want a place we can call our own. somewhere we can hang stands and leave them, plant some plots and make other habitat improvements etc.


there is quite a few ohio deer hunting leases listed on this site https://huntinglocator.com/leases/state/Ohio Not sure if what you are looking for is there but its a good place to start. I know some one mentioned base camp. If you google deer hunting leases in ohio you should come up with some good choices. Happy Hunting... there is nothing like chasing whitetail deer


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## Fish-N-Fool

j2jm - all the problems you cite are legally solved with a buy-sell agreement which contains all of the triggering factors you mention and outlines the action taken, order of options, and value determination. My best friend bought a nice parcel with his older brother and their BIL. Realizing things some times change a lot in the course of life I helped them with a buy-sell containing everything to avoid any messes. Almost 8 years in they now own it paying it off early and they have not yet had any major disagreements. 

However, they are now talking about selling and buying a larger parcel and the BIL doesn't want in. IF they do sell, the buy-sell agreement dictates the BIL treatment. In this case, first order each of the two remaining members can purchase his shares at original book value purchase price (he receives no appreciation from the sale). If one of the two members doesn't exercise his option the other member gets a right to buy at book value. If neither does, upon the sale he receives his proportionate share of the sale prices less all fees (either 1/3 or 1/6 depending on the other members behavior). So he only gets book value if the other guys buy him out; of they don't and there is appreciation realized at sale he would receive his share of that appreciation. 

Can be written any fashion, but that is how the three of them agreed when they bought the land. Same ordering applies for other triggering events (death, divorce, etc.).

While owning with partners doesn't come without complication, it can still be done in an agreeable legally enforceable manner between interested parties.


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## privateer

Fish-N-Fool said:


> j2jm - all the problems you cite are legally solved with a buy-sell agreement which contains all of the triggering factors you mention and outlines the action taken, order of options, and value determination. My best friend bought a nice parcel with his older brother and their BIL. Realizing things some times change a lot in the course of life I helped them with a buy-sell containing everything to avoid any messes. Almost 8 years in they now own it paying it off early and they have not yet had any major disagreements.
> 
> However, they are now talking about selling and buying a larger parcel and the BIL doesn't want in. IF they do sell, the buy-sell agreement dictates the BIL treatment. In this case, first order each of the two remaining members can purchase his shares at original book value purchase price (he receives no appreciation from the sale). If one of the two members doesn't exercise his option the other member gets a right to buy at book value. If neither does, upon the sale he receives his proportionate share of the sale prices less all fees (either 1/3 or 1/6 depending on the other members behavior). So he only gets book value if the other guys buy him out; of they don't and there is appreciation realized at sale he would receive his share of that appreciation.
> 
> Can be written any fashion, but that is how the three of them agreed when they bought the land. Same ordering applies for other triggering events (death, divorce, etc.).
> 
> While owning with partners doesn't come without complication, it can still be done in an agreeable legally enforceable manner between interested parties.


how about posting such an agreement. or send me a draft...


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