Sellers Agent Comments:

Century farm sale on 10/30/18! "On October 30, 2018 we held an auction for a really nice 228 acre farm North of Falls City, NE. We sold at auction the J & K Real Estate LLC farm that had been in the Lacey family for over 100 years. With 30 to 40 people in attendance the bidding was active with 3 to 4 local land owners participating. The bidding slowed down around $8,500.00 per taxable acre so the sale activity took a short break for everyone to adjust their thoughts. After about 5 minutes we opened the bidding again and asked for $100.00 more per acre and moved on up at $100.00 dollar increments to a final sale price of $10,400.00 per taxable acre. The farm was bid up by two local land owners who had a place for the property in their portfolio. It was again demonstrated that farmland is a long term investment that has created wealth for many farm families. This farm may very well remain in the purchaser's holdings for the next 100 years! If anyone has a generational farmland that does not fit the goals of the present or even the next generation, consult with Barnes Realty for developing a plan to pass it on to or to liquidate to help the present generation with their personal goals. We have a Certified Financial Planner on staff that is qualified to assist with both short and long term planning. Barnes Realty has the experience to help you and has established a reputation for integrity with your interests in mind to help you achieve your personal or family goals." 
-Roger Aberle, Salesperson

"MY HOW A LITTLE UNCERTAINTY CAN AFFECT A MARKET!! Today on 7/18/2018 we got a close up good look at what can happen when there are uncertainties in the farming business. Barnes Realty had a Real Estate auction today. The farm was a really good 114 acre upland farm in the hills between Fairfax and Craig, Mo. That's a GOOD neighborhood! Loess upland soils and; lots of qualified farm property owners nearby. Land seldom sells in that area.  As a matter of fact, that's why we had the public offering (we wanted to be fair by giving anyone who was interested a chance to bid and buy the farm). No one would be able to say that he or she didn't get a chance to buy the tract. 
I'd been working with the sellers for quite some time and I had advised them that the farm was worth at least $6,500-$7,000 per acre, maybe more if two of the neighbors were interested in bidding against each other!  
The auction did not go well. We had a good crowd, but no one would bid. I finally got a single bid of $4,500 per acre. That figure was far below the minimum and it was the best anyone would do. I liked the farm and the neighborhood and had decided that I'd pay the minimum if I got a chance, but I was not going to interfere with any other Buyers who were interested in the property.  
After the second break, I announced that the minimum price of the farm was $6,650 per acre  and that I was personally bidding that price so the farm was definitely going to sell today at the auction. I asked for anyone to raise my bid and no one did. I took two more breaks and went around the room asking anyone to raise my bid. Still, nobody did and I sold the farm to myself. It's the first time I've done that in almost 40 years in the business! There was plenty of financial capability there and quality farms like that one are normally hard to get at any price. Why those neighbors sat there and let me buy the farm is a mystery to me!  It can only be uncertainty! Maybe it was the possibility of tariffs, higher interest rates, the drought, or the current dip in commodity prices. Whatever it was, nobody would bid. I guess I'm an optimist (you need to be that way if you sell Real Estate), but I think the world is going to keep spinning, crops are gonna keep growing, and people are going to keep eating.  The future belongs to the optimists, not the pessimists.  I like this farm! "
-Rick Barnes, Broker

"Century farm sale on 12/13/17! We had good interest in this upland tract as it is highly tillable and well cared for in a good, highly productive area. It had blacktop access and some improvements. After 2 hrs of active bidding, and some flexibility from the Seller, we had a meeting of the minds! See our complete PDF comp sale data brochure that will post for 30 days after closing January 21, 2018."
-Jamie Barnes, Broker