Looking for landowners

MOSES LAKE — A new Moses Lake land sale operation is hoping to capture the attention of people looking to get out of the big city.

"There's a need in the state for this kind of business," Washington Land and Ranches, LLC Broker Alan Ward said. "People are looking for the opportunity to own land, and land is getting hard to find. Especially large, bulk parcels 50 acres-plus are difficult to find, especially in this state."

It means there's limited opportunity for people to leave the city and enjoy sunshine, clean air and feel free to roam without neighbors encroaching upon them, Ward explained.

His office opened at 2219 W. Broadway Ave., Suite A in the middle of November.

The company sells land from a 13,000-acre plus land project about 18 miles north of Moses Lake, in the Black Rock Lake area.

"We purchased a large ranch and we're breaking it into 40- to 80-acre parcels," Ward explained.

The company expects over 200 parcels of land to be available. The first transactions were in the process of closing this week.

"We provide all-weather roads to each piece of property," he said.

The company does not put in sewer, water, power or the like.

"We want the people to have as much land as possible for as little money as possible," Ward added.

It's the first time for the company to locate in Washington. An acquisition team searches throughout the Northwest for properties fitting the company's requirements.

"We fell in love with this area, and the piece of property worked out great for us," Ward said.

The company looks for land with good access within a growth area. It finds, purchases, prepares and markets its own property. The company's headquarters is in Prescott, Ariz., doing business as Arizona Land and Ranches, LLC, — the name changes dependent upon which state it locates in, with other states including California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, all of which under the same kind of concept.

The other four people who comprise the office's sales team and administrative staff are from Moses Lake, Ward said.

"I enjoy that we are specialized in land sales, that we're very focused in what we do," Ward said. "We bring inventory into an area, we're not competing with the other real estate companies."

The team is looking for more property to sell out of the office, and Ward said he plans to become a permanent fixture in the area.

"It may not be specifically right next to Moses Lake, but if it's within a reasonable drive, we can headquarter out of here," Ward explained. "We like the town and it's very centrally located. We hope to be here, based out of the Moses Lake area for years to come."

The company's major market is in the general Seattle area. Ward said the company is getting a positive response, and advertising the land in major newspapers in Seattle, Portland, Ore., and San Francisco, Calif. There is also interest from within the Moses Lake area.

Ward noted the company is a member of a multiple listings service, and enjoys working with area real estate agents.

"It's difficult to find a big piece of land that's close into a growing community," he said. "That's what makes this so unique. Projects in the past have been several hours outside a metropolitan area, which makes for more recreational property. But there's the opportunity of this becoming residential, because of close proximity, not only to Highway 28, but to Moses Lake."

The office is open seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 509-764-0080 or access the Web site at www.eaglespringsranch.com.