Most of them, in a hurry to eat breakfast and race off to work, probably missed this small little blurb in the “IN BRIEF” section this past week.

Here’s the headline I saw:

“Huge wind farm slated for northwest Arizona”

Now in the past few issues of the Dirt Report, we’ve been talking a lot about the alternative energy development plans in and around the White Hills Arizona area.

And I’ve highlighted several projects involving solar energy.

White Hills is important, of course, because it’s right near the Hoover Dam bridge - slated for completion in 2010.

(According to the issue of the Silver Cactus News I just received, the bridge is 85% done.)

This week, we’re talking about renewable energy again. But this time, it’s NOT solar… it’s wind.

Here’s a quick summary of the article:

BP Alternative Energy has filed plans to develop up to 45,000 acres for a wind farm in the White Hills AZ area.

As it’s proposed, the wind farm could power about 150,000 homes. And construction could start as early as late 2011 or early 2012.

Now I’m all for renewable energy, but from my point of view, this article is hardly about wind.

It’s really about land. And it’s about how savvy land investors can spot opportunity approaching (or at least do their best to prepare for it if it does show up) years before it materializes.

That takes specialized knowledge and timing.

While most people just gloss over these types of stories (after all, this BP story was only about 6 inches long buried in the newspaper) to me, they stick out like a sore thumb.

This BP story is just another clue that opportunity is all around for land investors.

Remember, development is growth…

Growth brings people…

People need places to live…

Builders need land to build those places to live…

Between the Hoover Dam Bridge, the solar and now the wind, things are heating up.

If you want to see an in depth look at wind in Mohave County, AZ, take a look at the document below.

Read the document…

It’s the slides from an April 4, 2008 presentation to the Arizona Wind Working Group.

It’s a LONG document, filled with a lot of great information about Mohave County and its wind energy resources.

Here are two quick items of note:

1. On page 18, you’ll find a listing of the Renewable Energy Market Drivers. The one thing that’s on the list NOW that wasn’t then is of course, President Obama… and the deep pockets of the government.

2. You’ll see a mention of the BP Wind Farm, complete with diagrams, on page 55.

The reason that second item is important is simply because it shows you that the BP Wind Farm is NOT a new project.

Here we are, a YEAR from the date these slides were presented and just now the BP story is showing up in the papers.

But it’s even older than that.

Here’s a link to the project being discussed at a meeting of the Colorado River Transmission way back in October of 2007.

Just scroll down about 2/3 of the way down the document and you’ll see the BP Wind Farm mentioned.

Read the document…

Successful land investing requires that you KNOW things other people don’t know. And the sooner you know them, the better.

I point all of these articles and publications out to you because only by seeing enough of this stuff do you train yourself to read between the lines and see the opportunity. And you train yourself to see the clues far enough in advance to act on your knowledge.

You see, most people just don’t get how big the LAND business really is.

They just miss it completely.

I, for one, am happy to keep it that way. Since it keeps the opportunities open for those of us that know what to look for.

But as a subscriber to the Dirt Report, you’re well ahead of the pack. And I do my best to keep it that way.

Now considering this is a DIRT newsletter and not a literary one, what you’re about to read will most likely be the ONLY piece of poetry I ever feature in the Dirt Report.

This piece of poetry, however, is important. Because it really gets to the heart of what makes land such a valuable investment AND explains why it’s somehow managed to stay under the radar for so long.

Here it is:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Who Am I?

I am the basis of all wealth, the heritage of the wise, the thrifty and prudent.

Who Am I? I Am Land

-Anonymous

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Remember how I always talk about the importance of SIGHT in the investing business? That it’s key to be able to spot opportunities other people can’t or won’t see?

Well, people are so busy looking out there for the next big thing, they often forget to look right under their feet… at the dirt they’re standing on.

My advice to you?

Don’t be one of those people.

There’s opportunity to make smart investments in raw land all over the place.

I don’t believe there’s been a better time to buy real estate… at least not in the last 50 years or so.

So keep your eyes peeled… and keep reading the Dirt Report.

So I’m going to take you along on a land tour I recently did with my client Nguyen (pronounced Win) near White Hills Arizona… about 30 miles south of the Hoover Dam.

If you’re new to the Dirt Report, here’s why I focus on that area:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1. The new Hoover Dam Bridge is slated for completion around 2010. That bridge will cut what is currently a winding 15 mph trip across the dam into a trip of just a few minutes.

And that will put more of the land in the area into play for folks who want to live where it’s affordable and work in Las Vegas.

2. The road going over Hoover Dam is Route 93. A NAFTA route. That means it’s EXTRMELEY important for trade because it is a corridor that connects Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. 15 miles of road on the Arizona side of the bridge is being widened to a 4 lane highway that will be completed about the same time the bridge is completed. And it will tie directly into the access to the bridge.

3. This is the area where BIG developers are playing. I always pay attention to what big developers are doing. Remember, that’s what they’re DOING, not SAYING.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Okay, now let’s get into what you’ll be seeing on the video…

A Land Tour Near White Hills Arizona

The first part of the video is going to take you by a Texaco station that I featured back in January in a previous issue of the Dirt Report.

Back then, it was out in the middle of nowhere. Now, it’s showing some more signs of life. You can see real customers in the background

In fact, the powers that be are considering rerouting truck traffic from I-5 right onto Route 93, right past this Texaco station. That’s once the bridge is open in 2010.

(Just to set your mind at ease with the current economic conditions and California’s recent IOU binge… The bridge has BEEN funded already. The money is in place. So this project is not contingent on some budget passing.)

Nguyen and the Art of Timing

In the second part of the video, you’ll hear Nguyen talk about why he’s looking at the White Hills Arizona area. And more importantly, why he’s here NOW and not 3 years ago.

He knows about how important timing is in the land business.

Some times are good times to buy. Other times aren’t. You’ll hear him talk about that in just a few minutes.

Now Nguyen, as you’ll see, has his head screwed on straight. He knows what he’s doing.

And he knows one of the big secrets to investing success. He takes ACTION.

And he’s following Donald Trumps recent advice (He said something like, “It’s a great time to buy…” using alternative strategies like seller financing.) to take a good look at all of the opportunities in the market right now.

What kind of opportunities are out there?

Opportunities that allow you to scoop up deals from cashed strapped investors at prices I haven’t seen for over 10 years.

You’ll hear me explain how I did that not too long ago in the video.

Hoover Dam Bridge Update

Finally, I’ll take you on a quick tour to see some of the homes that are already being built in White Hills.

I’ll show you what the smart developers are doing out in this area and explain why you should be following their lead.

The video finishes with an up close update on the Hoover Dam bridge construction. As you’ll see, the arches are only a few months from spanning the river. It’s quite an amazing thing to watch. (Since this video was taken, the arches are now touching.)

Pardon the quality of the audio during some of the video. The desert is a windy place. But push through, because the quality of the information is well worth it.

To view the video, just click below:

And be sure NOT to miss the next issue of the Dirt Report. Remember, it’s coming in 2 weeks. In the next issue we’ll take you behind the scenes and show you a specific deal we’ve dealt with recently. We’ll talk about entrance strategy and exit strategy and let you walk through our “due diligence” as we do it.

Just so you can see for yourself what is out there in this market…

While most people probably think his tour was just another story on the evening news, I think there’s something much deeper going on… an opportunity for the savvy land investor.

In today’s issue of the Dirt Report, I’ll reveal what the big deal is. So let’s get started:

While most of the press was focused on the impending GM Bankruptcy filing, Obama was busy touring the 140 acre solar energy facility with Senator Harry Reid. (And he even got a room upgrade at Casesars Palace.)

Obama was in Las Vegas to promote the Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. That’s the $787 Billion program he created to help stimulate the economy.

$13 billion of that is directed to stimulate investment in renewable energy. ($13 Billion is a LOT of money.)

And the Nellis Solar installation is a perfect example of the type of investment Obama wants to see.

If you missed this whole story, here’s a link to a transcript of the speech he delivered:

Read the transcript…

Here’s the link to the story in the Las Vegas Review Journal:

Read the article…

And here’s a short cut (courtesy of Harry Reid’s YouTube channel) from the event:

See the video…

This is a MUST watch video!!

Now I’ve been talking a lot about solar energy in the last few issues of the Dirt Report. And that’s because I feel it’s going to create a HUGE opportunity for the savvy land investor.

(Apparently, Senator Harry Reid thinks it’s a huge opportunity too. And he’s a major land owner in Nevada. MAJOR. Do you think he knows something about land? You bet he does.)

The Nellis solar installation is the largest solar electric plant of its kind in the western hemisphere. It’s got approximately 72,000 solar panels, which is enough to provide about 25% of the electricity for the entire base.

Senator Reid: Pushing for a
Renewable Energy BOOM in Nevada

If you watch the YouTube clip I gave you above, it’s clear that Harry Reid sees renewable energy as a HUGE opportunity for Nevada.

He realizes what kind of wealth Nevada is hiding in terms of renewable energy, and now that he’s got the support of a President who is committed to green energy, he’s moving forward as quickly as possible.

He’s even gone so far as to create maps of Nevada’s renewable energy, including the land status of each area. (If you weren’t aware, about 86% of Nevada’s land is currently managed by the federal government. That’s a HUGE barrier to moving quickly.)

Some of these maps are pretty surprising, because they really make it clear the amount of renewable energy resources Nevada is dealing with. You can take a look here:

See the maps…

Just to make it clear, in case Senator Reid’s energy policy is new to you, here’s a quote from Senator Reid’s website at Senate.gov that pretty much sums up his goal:

“Nevada has the potential to be the nation’s renewable energy epicenter. In fact, I strongly believe that Nevada can become a net exporter of renewable power with the right partnership between federal and state government and the private sector. Southern Nevada’s abundance of clear sunny days make it one of the best locations for solar energy in the world, and northern Nevada holds the largest amount of untapped geothermal resources in the United States. There are also tremendous wind resources throughout the state.

That is why I have consistently supported a national renewable electricity standard, as well as fair and stable federal tax incentives for development of clean energy resources, like geothermal, solar, and wind. I have worked hard to add geothermal energy to the list of renewable energy projects eligible for the renewable energy production tax credit and loan guarantees.”

In fact, during his speech at Nellis, Reid referred to the U.S. as the “Saudi Arabia, potentially, of renewable energy…”

Does that give you any idea of the SIZE of the dream he’s got?

As you’ll see in the information notes on the YouTube video, “Reid believes thousands of jobs will be created as Nevada leads a clean energy revolution with its vast solar, wind, and geothermal energy resources… “

Okay… so what does this mean for the land investor?

Jobs, Money, Investment = a Recipe for Growth

I sound like a broken record here, but here’s the bottom line:

All of these renewable energy stories are CLUES. Clues that tell me that growth is on its way.

Investment in infrastructure creates jobs. People work those jobs. People need somewhere to live. Houses have to be built. And the builders need LAND to do it.

That’s the simple recipe I mention ALL THE TIME.

Invest in the path of growth…

Invest in the path of growth…

Got it?

That’s how you make smart choices in the land investing business. It’s NOT difficult. You just need to be paying attention.

So here’s what we know…

In the year 2009, there’s absolutely no reason that a sitting President has to travel across the country to take a tour of a solar energy base.

And with Senator Harry Reid in Washington, there’s no reason Obama has to get on a plane and travel to Nevada just to talk to him.

So this tour was not about the tour. It was about commitment. And it was about making a public showing of that commitment.

When Presidents want to make a big deal out of something… they SHOW UP. And where they choose to invest their time sends a pretty clear message about their priorities.

With the Hoover Dam Bridge and all of the solar and renewable energy activity that’s on the horizon, it’s shaping up to be a VERY interesting few years for the smart land investor.

Are you prepared?

To most people on the outside, it might seem like the real estate market is dead. (See this article from the Las Vegas Review-Journal)

Businesses are going under, and times are tough for everyone.

That’s probably what you hear on the news, right?

You can believe what you want, but in today’s issue of the Dirt Report, I’m going to give you a glimpse of a different reality.

It’s a reality based on many things that are really happening, not just one-sided, bad news media stories.

Now as I always say, gather information from many sources! Get connected to the news and people that are making it happen. Use these clues to help you make good decisions.

The thing is, if you’re not watching closely, it’s easy to miss what’s REALLY happening. It’s easy to miss the clues you need to make the right decisions.

It’s not hard to follow along in the newspapers, but newspapers only give you bits and pieces. You have to dig deeper to see the whole picture and find out what’s really going on.

And that’s what the Dirt Report is all about. Getting you accurate information (from the source) and keeping you focused on the types of things you need to know to profit.

Let’s jump right in.

No April Fools Joke for Jim Rhodes

On April 1, 2009, this headline hit the business section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:

“Developer Rhodes Seeks Chapter 11 Bankruptcy”

Jim Rhodes has been in the Las Vegas valley since the early 1980s… but in case his name is new to you, he’s one of a handful of megadevelopers in the Las Vegas area. And he’s bought major amounts of property in the Mohave County area for future development.

Jim Rhodes is a real player. Love him or hate him, he’s the kind of person that you want to follow. He plays big… and he plays to win.

Stories like the Rhodes bankruptcy are what most people are reading in the news these days. Bad news 24/7.

That’s pretty much the spin you’ll get in the media.

And even worse, is that investors who don’t really know what’s going on (and don’t have access to the WHOLE story) will probably ingest the media’s doom and gloom and pull back.

They’ll hesitate and just sit out on the sidelines, waiting for someone else to jump in first.

We’ll come back to Jim Rhodes in a second, but first, let’s revisit something from last time.

What’s the Sun Got to Do with It?

In the last issue of the Dirt Report, I talked about the Albiasa Corporation and its plans to build a $1 billion, 200-megawatt solar power plant near Kingman.

Well, solar plants are popping up all over the desert these days.

And construction like that creates jobs… lots of jobs.

The world’s LARGEST solar-thermal plant is set to be built in Red Lake, about 27 miles north of Kingman.

It’s estimated that up to 1,500 jobs will be created during its construction.

You can read all about it here.

Now solar plants need land (they also need plenty of sun, and Mohave County averages about 300 days of it each year) and the one in Red Lake is going to be built on 4,160 acres of it.

So guess who the folks up at the Red Lake Plant bought their land from?

Mr. Jim Rhodes.

Approximately 4,000 acres. That’s a huge land deal in the middle of a “dead” market… in the middle of a bankruptcy.

So we’ve got the media screaming doom and gloom about Jim Rhodes. And we’ve got Mr. Rhodes doing a 4,000 acre land deal in his spare time.

Is all of this good? Bad? Somewhere in the middle?

It depends on who you talk to.

When I see jobs being created, I pay attention.

New jobs bring new people… and those people need somewhere to live.

That’s growth.

So how IS the market right now?

Again, it just depends on who you talk to.

Donald Trump’s in a buying mood right now. Do you think he knows what he’s doing?

Here’s what he said the other week on Larry King:

If you have trouble viewing the video, you can see it online here.

Success in land investing isn’t black and white. It’s more like a constant stream of shades of gray.

If you can learn to see the shades of gray and make smart decisions anyway, you’ll be far better off.

Some people say the market is soft. Some people say it’s a bad thing that you can buy land NOW at prices last seen 10 years ago.

Do you think land investors are saying that?

THE POINT

So let’s connect the dots here:

1. Solar power is heating up (no pun intended)… fueled by investors looking to cash in on the next big thing AND the U.S. government, hoping to jumpstart the renewable energy industry.

2. The Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge is slated for completion in 2010…

3. Median real estate prices in the Las Vegas area are down 40% according to the Greater Las Vegas Association of Realtors… Las Vegas is becoming more and more affordable.

4. And the Clark County population is STILL projected by 2022 to surpass 3 Million (by 2030, it’s estimated that the Las Vegas area will have traffic congestion worse than L.A. That requires a WHOLE lot of people. And those people have to live somewhere.)

So what type of opportunity picture does that paint for a savvy land investor?

Invest in the path of growth right?

Study major developers and investors, right? As they have invested huge dollars and time researching the prospects for any area!!!

The four items in the list above are how growth happens.

So just in case I wasn’t clear, here’s the point of today’s issue:

PEOPLE ARE BUYING LAND.

COMPANIES ARE BUYING LAND.

STUFF IS BEING BUILT ON THAT LAND.

THAT STUFF REQUIRES PEOPLE TO BUILD IT.

MORE PEOPLE MEANS MORE GROWTH.

Here’s the question:

Why do you think all of this is happening NOW?

And what type of action might a savvy land investor take during a time like this?

The ones I know are taking action to leverage the opportunity they see.

What are you doing?

This country has been sitting on its hands for the past decade or so (probably longer) with regards to developing sources of alternative energy.

Instead, we’ve been sucking down oil as fast as it can be produced.

I’m not really a conspiracy theorist, but as we all know, there’s a lot of money in oil. And I’m sure that the folks at the top aren’t really interested in anyone messing with their revenue.

But the winds of change are blowing anyway… literally. They’re blowing from investors in this country, and they’re blowing from investors outside of this country. In places like Canada, China and Spain.

These investors are ready to usher in the NEXT big thing… and that is alternative energy in the form of solar and wind power.

Unfortunately for big oil, the change is coming whether they like it or not.

For the land investor of course, all of this means opportunity. Change ALWAYS means opportunity. All you have to do is keep your eye on all of the bouncing balls and get a smart strategy to transform the opportunity into money.

So let’s jump in…

“Massive Solar Complex
Planned Near Kingman”

That’s the headline that appeared in the Kingman (AZ) Daily Miner on Tuesday.

Here’s a quote:

“Albiasa Corporation, the American subsidiary of the Madrid-based Albiasa Solar renewable energy company, on Monday unveiled its plan to build a $1 billion, 200-megawatt solar power plant near Kingman over the next three years.”

“Once the plant is fully operational, … it should produce at least 665,000 megawatt-hours of electricity annually; enough to power roughly 60,000 homes. The plant will generate the power through a process called concentrating solar power, or CSP.”

Here’s the link to the entire article:

Read the article…

Before we get into what all of this means for the savvy land investor, here’s another one…

“Boulder City OKs Terms of $100
Million Solar Plant Lease”

That’s the headline from an April 15 article in the Las Vegas Daily Sun.

Here’s the gist:

“The city could realize about $100 million in revenue over 40 years under the terms of an agreement for a solar energy plant that would fill the final available parcel in the city’s energy park in the Eldorado Valley.”

Just in case you don’t know, Boulder City is about 90 miles from Kingman AZ and approximately 40 miles from White Hills AZ, which we talked about in a previous Dirt Report issue.

Here’s the link to the full article:

Read the article…

What the Alternative Energy Boom Means
for the Smart Land Investor

So why would a land investor care about solar energy?

Here’s why:

“Invest in the path of growth…” That’s the idea that comes up in pretty much every issue of the Dirt Report, right?

So what kind of growth is stimulated by a new solar field in the middle of the desert of Arizona or Nevada?

Well let’s think through this:

Building a solar field requires workers…

When you hire workers, you create jobs…

But to house those workers, you need to build homes…

To build homes, you need builders…

And what tends to happen to land values when builders start buying land?

And what kind of profits can be made when those builders buy the land from smart investors who already OWN it?

It’s pretty easy to see the cycle here. It’s all a big web… and a pretty amazing chain reaction.

But it all begins with someone deciding to make an investment in SOMETHING to get the ball rolling. And in this case, the SOMETHING is the development of infrastructure to deliver alternative energy.

But the Winds of Change Are
Even Stronger Than That

Now so far, we’ve talked about big developments in alternative energy that are ALREADY happening.

Solar field building projects that are already getting off the ground.

But now let’s talk about something that’ll really knock your socks off.

It’s still in development, but it’s something that very well could revolutionize the way we generate power.

It’s called a MagLev Wind Turbine.

Take a look at this video explaining a bit how it works:

Up ’till now, wind energy has been criticized for its relatively low output and lack of reliability.

After all, it would take about 1,000 standard wind mills (and 64,000 acres of land) to power about 500,000 homes for a year.

64,000 acres is a LOT of land. About 100 square miles of land FILLED with wind mills.

But the MagLev technology is a completely different story.

ONE MagLev wind turbine can power about 750,000 homes and only takes about 100 acres of land.

Oh yeah, and they last for about 500 years.

You can read all about them here:

Read about MagLev…

PLUS… There’s a LOT of Money Behind
the Coming Alternative Energy Boom

If the articles I’ve highlighted above tell you anything, it’s that there’s a lot of money behind the big push for alternative energy. Actually, “a LOT” is probably a bit of an understatement.

Who’s pouring money into what looks like a coming alternative energy boom?

U.S. investors…

International investors…

And the U.S. Government…

Just this week, President Obama made a stop at a wind plant in Iowa, about 30 miles from Des Moines.

During his speech, he called for a new era of energy exploration in the US…

And he explained that, “the nation that leads the world in creating new sources of clean energy will be the nation that leads the 21st century global economy.”

Those are powerful words of course, but it looks as though he’s gonna actually put his money where his mouth is and help FUND some of this.

And he’s not alone. Heck, I even know of big land buys that are happening for land that is pretty much useless as far as an investment goes…

Except for one thing… it’s where the WIND blows. (More about this in an upcoming issue.)

The change to alternative energy IS coming. And it can mean huge opportunity for savvy land investors.

The question is, “Will you be prepared to profit from the opportunity?”

There’s a lot more coming about this… so stay tuned!

PENSCO Trust, one of the veteran custodian companies in this market, estimates that 85% of financial advisors don’t even know that this opportunity exists. And you’ll discover why in just a few moments.

But if 85% of the professionals in the market do not understand the ins and outs of this, don’t feel bad.

Now before we jump into what the opportunity is, I want to take a moment and focus on the underlying principle that makes this so important.

It’s a powerful principle that I talk about over and over again in the Dirt Report and with my clients.

Success in Land Investing
Is About Control

I’ve said this many many times. Your success as a land investor comes down to how well you are able to CONTROL a set of very important factors.

How well you control when you get into an investment…

How well you control when you get out of an investment…

And how well you control how you fund an investment…

It’s all about control.

Plenty of investors do quite well simply controlling a property long enough for them to profit from it.

So today, we’re going to focus in on an area where most investors don’t even realize they actually DO have control. And we’re going to blow the doors wide open to help you see just what you’re missing in case you’re one of them.

Just a word of warning here:

In the end, everyone is looking out for #1, right? That’s just human nature. Don’t be surprised about it or ignore that fact. Just use it to your advantage.

So let me ask you these questions, “Who would you rather have in control of the investing of your money? Someone who makes a commission when you buy something from them? Or would you choose to put YOURSELF in control of your money?”

Sounds like a no-brainer doesn’t it? Unfortunately, it’s not for a lot of people… simply because they don’t realize they CAN take control.

Again, today’s issue of the Dirt Report is about CONTROL.

About you controlling what happens with your money…

About you controlling when things happen with your money…

About you controlling your future, as much as possible.

And that brings us to the meat of today’s issue. The “opportunity” I talked about earlier.

It’s something called a…

“Self-Directed” IRA

If you already have an IRA, then you know that the usual drill is that you hand your money over to someone else, who then makes choices about how best to invest that money.

They don’t ask your permission…

They don’t ask your opinion…

They just invest your money FOR you.

The only control you have is whether or not to participate.

Sometimes that turns out well. Recently, it’s not been turning out so well.

But what if you could take control of your IRA?

What if YOU could be the one to make the investment decisions?

And what if the possibilities for where to invest your money extended far beyond the normal stocks, bonds and mutual funds?

What if your choices included things like real estate? Land? Businesses?

Well take a quick look at this article from CNN Money:

Take charge of your IRA

It’s about people using self-directed IRAs to invest in real estate, businesses, even a cemetery.

Here’s a short quote from another PENSCO document:

“Among the many possibilities for investments using your IRA money are these:

-Start a business…

-Buy foreign real estate…
-Earn high interest rates on notes…
-Buy income producing real estate…
-Private placements…”

Did YOU know this was possible with an IRA?

Now normally I wouldn’t direct you to “old news” like this. After all, this article is from 2007.

But the funny thing is (and something you’ll read in the article) is that this has been possible from DAY 1 when IRAs were first invented back in 1974. This is TRULY old news. And that’s what makes it so sad.

Because for the past 35 years, this has been an option.

What do you think NOT knowing this has cost thousands and thousands of people who’ve been watching their IRAs evaporate?

So that begs the question, “Why don’t most people KNOW about this?”

Why don’t most people know about Self-Directed IRAs?

Why Most People Have
Never Heard of This

Here’s the quick answer:

Banks and brokers aren’t in the business of helping people, they are in the business of helping themselves profit. That’s what a corporation does, by law. It creates profits for the shareholders.

If they have to “help” someone to do it, well, let’s just say they consider that a means to an end.

Banks and brokers make money when you buy and sell stocks.

The self-directed IRA business is small beans for them… and profits are a whole lot lower than in their primary business of lending money and selling investment products.

So if you walk into most banks and ask about a “Self-Directed” IRA, they’ll probably just look at you funny.

They’re not interested. They might even say, “You can’t do that.”

The bottom line is, it’s just not a good deal… for THEM.

Plus… if they let you put your IRA money into a piece of real estate and sit on it for 3-5 years, well you’ll have that much LESS liquid funds to buy their other investment products.

You might think that sounds cynical. So be it. Here at the Dirt Report, we deal in REALITY. We don’t pay attention to the corporate PR machine that would like us to ignore reality and just keep paying the pied piper.

It’s time to get educated and use that information to help you profit.

If You Like This Introduction
to Self-Directed IRAs, Just
Wait ‘Till You See What We Have
Coming Down the Road…

So that’s the purpose of the Dirt Report. To get you the knowledge you need about how to profit.

And to expose you to and educate you about the opportunities that can help you prosper.

We’ve already spent a LOT of time doing our due diligence in this market (the Self-Directed IRA)…

And soon after we started, we quickly realized that a lot of people do not understand the idea of how to take retirement money, roll it over into a “Self-Directed” IRA and make independent investment decisions regarding their own retirement.

So we have a lot more coming about this… including interviews with experts in this field. Considering the state of the economy and the fact that thousands and thousands (if not millions) of people are watching their retirement funds disappear, this is stuff that needs to get out into the public.

These are options that people need to know about. Because people need choices.

Choices to help them take action to preserve what they DO have left.

I’ve even had clients that can’t look at their unopened IRA statements, now six months old, simply because they’re afraid to see how much they’ve lost this time around…

If you know of someone who could benefit from this type of education, then tell them about the Dirt Report now… before the next issue comes out.

That word is…

ACCESS

In the land business, the word “access” has a bunch of different meanings… all of them important.

Today, I want to focus on two of those meanings:

1. Physical Access
2. Personal Access

Let’s start with the obvious one: physical access.

Don’t let the simplicity of this fool you. It’s extremely important.

Let’s go next door to California for a good example of what I mean by physical access as it relates to land.

Before the year 1937, people living in Marin County California had pretty much one choice when they wanted a practical way to visit or work in San Francisco.

That choice was to take a ferry across the San Francisco Bay.

The trip took about 27 minutes. 27 minutes to go a little more than a mile.

From the perspective of a land man, physical access to San Francisco from Marin County was poor.

And the growth of the city suffered because of it. The growth of San Francisco was well behind the national average.

*********Publisher’s Note*********

Have a question about land investing?

To arrange a consultation to speak about YOUR interest in
land investing, visit the page below and follow the simple
instructions.

http://dirt-report.com/preview

After submitting your information, you’ll find a brief document that explains a bit more about how land investing works.

And you’ll also find instructions for submitting a refundable "Performance Deposit" in advance of a consultation with me.

Because of the growing volume of demand, I’ve had to create the Preview Kit and Performance Deposit to make sure I only schedule consultations with people who are serious about raw land investing.

The fact is, it’s a buyer’s market… and my phone is ringing off the hook as it is.

The Performance Deposit shows me you’re serious.

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But That Was BEFORE They Built
the Golden Gate Bridge

After 1937, access to San Francisco from Marin County turned into a drive of only a few minutes.

The bridge made PHYSICAL ACCESS to San Francisco practical.

And guess what happened to land values in Marin County after the bridge opened for business in 1937?

Land values went up. (Big surprise…)

Actually, I’m not sure that saying, “Land values went up,” would really do justice to what actually happened during the years following the opening of the Golden Gate Bridge.

In the five year period following the opening of the bridge, Marin county land values rose between 1,000% and 3,000%!

(Think about what that would mean if the value of your own HOUSE did that!)

The bridge made physical access to San Francisco from Marin County practical. Far more practical than a 27 minute ferry ride across the Bay.

Do you get the point?

Physical access to an area can have a HUGE impact on land values.

One simple and powerful idea.

Now let’s dig a little deeper and talk about another type of access that is (in my opinion) almost more important than anything else in the land business.

That is PERSONAL Access.

Personal ACCESS Has Another Name…
I Call It “Juice”

Personal access (Juice) is about who YOU know, who THEY know… and WHAT everyone you have access to KNOWS about what’s happening in a particular area.

This is huge. And it’s really important.

Smart land investing is a people business… not just a dirt business.

In the land game, the smart guys generally get in early. And to do that, they have to KNOW what’s going on… and they have to know it WAY before most other people do.

You have to KNOW if water is coming…

You have to KNOW if development is coming…

That’s what JUICE is really all about: having access to the people who KNOW things that most other people don’t know.

In the stock trading world, you get in trouble when you make an investment decision based on certain knowledge about what’s happening with the company.

They call it insider trading. It’s what Martha Stewart dealt with a few years ago.

In the land business, you MUST make your investment decisions based on knowledge about what’s happening with the land. Or what’s going to happen with the land.

And that’s really what the Dirt Report is all about. Giving you an idea about WHAT (and WHO) you need to know to do well as a land investor.

Here’s Just a Small Example
of “JUICE…” In Audio AND Video

Recently, I interviewed Scott Susman, President of White Hills Inc. about what he’s doing in and around Mohave County to prepare for the opening of the Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge.

I also took him out on a land tour, some of which is in the video below…

Connections like Scott are invaluable when you’re looking to make smart land decisions.

(Just a quick note… Scott’s grandfather was actually involved in structuring financing for the Golden Gate Bridge.)

Before we get to the audio interview, there’s one more thing I want to highlight to make sure you don’t miss it.

In the interview, you’ll hear Scott talk a lot about something that’s on the radar of every smart land investor.

That “something” is WATER.

Pay attention to what Scott says about WATER. As you’ll hear, he can’t divulge all of his secrets, but he’s working on some pretty big stuff.

So here’s what you should do…

1. Watch the video above…
2. Listen to Scott’s interview at the link below:

http://dirt-report.com/interviews

“If things are so bad, then why do I see opportunity hiding just about everywhere I look?”

The interview I have for you today is yet ANOTHER example of the type of opportunity that is hidden to the average eye.

Today, I want to introduce you to land investor, Rich Michel.

Rich has been in the land business for quite some time… and he’s become quite an expert on an area of Colorado known as Pueblo West.

You’re about to learn all about it…

But even more important than learning about Pueblo West is to hear Rich explain the factors that make that area an investment target of some REALLY big players in the land game.

That’s the REAL gold here. Because those same factors he talks about are ones you can watch out for in just about any smart land investment.

But first, let’s get you up to speed on the area we’re focusing on today…

A VERY Quick Look
at Pueblo West

This area is situated just 30 miles south of Colorado Springs and 7 miles north of Pueblo.

The project is bordered by Interstate 25 and U.S. 50 – which is a major transportation corridor.

The original Pueblo West project consisted of 22,000 acres of residential, multi-family, and commercial lots - all with water, electricity and phone close - in the Pueblo West Master Planned Community, Pueblo County, Colorado.

An Advantage So Big,
It’s Almost Unfair

Now imagine your average beginning land investor researching profitable investment areas in Colorado.

They might drive around looking at parcels, or spend some time buying up the local papers and checking the ads for land.

Would they target Pueblo West as a high opportunity area?

Maybe. Maybe not.

But my hunch is that they probably wouldn’t even notice it. At least not at the right time.

After all, it would probably take a story in the newspaper or on the evening news for the message to get to them.

And by the time THAT happens, it’s pretty much too late. At least for the BIG profits.

By the time the news of growth or imminent growth shows up in the press, the smart investors have already made their moves.

That’s why people like Rich bring a huge amount of value to the marketplace.

It’s because they KNOW things that most people don’t know… and they KNOW those things EARLY. When there is still time…

Here’s a quick example:

Before you listen to Rich’s interview, visit the link below and read the article:

Read the article…

Nothing special right?

Actually, it sounds pretty boring. The type of news that most people skip.

After you listen to the interview, come back and read the article again. The names you probably didn’t recognize on the first reading will jump out at you.

The clues you missed the first time will be a whole lot clearer and more valuable.

The Recipe for Raw Land Profits Always
Includes the Same Ingredients

As you listen to the interview, just remember, the raw land game is pretty much the same no matter where you choose to play it.

1. Find undervalued properties in the path of growth.
2. Buy them (or control them).
3. Sell them (or divide them).
3. Rinse and repeat.

That’s all it takes.

There are pockets of opportunity everywhere. You just have to know how to discover them.

Of course it also helps to have your ear to the ground so you know things most people DON’T know about what’s going on in any particular area.

You’ll hear Rich talk about that in the interview.

Enjoy…

Hear Rich’s Interview

I just posted a new feature interview with land investor Joe Troccoli. Joe’s a retired firefighter (serving since 1979), a client and a friend.

There’s a LOT of meat in this interview. Especially if you’re sitting there, on the fence, wondering if investing in raw land is a smart move for you.

Joe was sitting there in your VERY SAME spot only a few years ago. He had a lot of questions, a lot of fear and a lot of money on the line.

You’ll hear what he did in just a few minutes, but first…

McCarran International Airport
Bursting at the Seams

Now before we get to the interview, just a little bit of background so you know what’s going on.

During the interview, you’re going to hear us talk about the Ivanpah Airport. That’s a new airport proposed to be built about 30 miles south of Las Vegas, in the Ivanpah Valley.

The current airport serving Las Vegas (Clark County Airport, later renamed McCarran Field for Nevada U.S. Senator Pat McCarran) was built back when there were about 50,000 people living in Clark County.

Just to give you an idea of the growth that the Las Vegas area has been experiencing… as of 2000, there were about 1.5 MILLION people in Clark County.

The current airport really isn’t equipped to handle that kind of traffic. Especially when there are roughly 38 million people a year coming to the Las Vegas area. And roughly half of those folks fly into McCarran Airport.

Making Way for Growth, Clues
for a Savvy Land Investor

Back in the year 2000, President Clinton signed a bill to transfer land for the construction of an airport that could serve the future growth of the Las Vegas Area.

That’s how the Ivanpah Airport began.

The opening of the airport is set for sometime around 2017… still well into the future.

So let me ask you a simple question:

What do you think might happen to land values around the Ivanpah Airport as the people start to move in…? As the stores start to be built…? As the infrastructure starts to fill out…?

Well, that’s what we talk about in Joe’s interview.

Just one more thing before we get to it…

You’ve Got to Dig
to Profit from Dirt

There are two big ideas you need to pay attention to in this interview.

1. You’ll hear Joe talk about FACTS. The information you need to gather when investing in raw land.

2. You’ll hear Joe talk about his GUT. After the research, you still have to pull the trigger. Sometimes that is scary. Sometimes you have to follow your gut.

You do your research, and you listen to your gut… and you make your move.

But first comes the research.

Is this research glamorous?

No, in fact, here’s the bottom line:

WARNING: This research is work. It takes time. You either learn to do this yourself or you work with someone you trust who already knows how.

I think that’s probably a good reason that land investing stays below the radar.

Most people never even scratch the surface when it comes to investing in raw land. They misinterpret their lack of knowledge as a lack of OPPORTUNITY.

All you ever hear from the media are stories about politicians or developers and their “shady” land deals. Endless stories like that provide just one more excuse to keep normal folks from ever researching vacant land.

Plus, stories about Mr. Mom and Pop and how they clicked their mouse, bought some stock on the internet and got rich (until the market tanked) tend to attract FAR more eyeballs than anything else.

How glamorous is a story about a husband and wife who buy 40 acres of land, waits 8 years and sell it for a nice profit? Well, you probably won’t see that one on the cover of a tabloid any time soon.

As far as they’re concerned, that’s a boring story.

Listen to Joe’s story and tell me if you think it’s boring.

*********Highly Recommended*********

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One more thing…

Near the end of the interview, you might be quite surprised to hear Joe say that he’s actually grateful for the downward turn the market has taken recently.

He’s not grateful for the suffering it’s brought to some folks, but grateful for the OPPORTUNITY it’s brought to those who can see it.

OK… visit the page below to get the interview. It’ll be well worth listening to…

Hear Joe’s Interview

Just this week, we were notified that our main telephone line had not been re-ported correctly after switching service providers. And it’s been playing a type of telephone Russian Roulette with my callers… for the past FOUR months.

What does that mean?

It means that anyone trying to reach us at (702) 657-5111 either got through, got a busy signal or was told that the number was disconnected.

How’s that for quality service?

Whenever someone from the Las Vegas area tried to call, they could generally get through. Outside of Las Vegas? Forget it.

Bottom line… the problem is resolved. I’m still here doing what I do.

OK, enough of that. Let’s get started…

Can a Free Newsletter
Help You Make Money?

So what is the purpose of the Dirt Report?

Two answers:

1. Just think of the Dirt Report as another set of eyes and ears, (a very experienced set of eyes and ears) making sure you know the kind of stuff you need to know to become a smart land investor. There’s nothing out there like this… at all. That’s why I’m doing it. (And note: it’ll ALWAYS be free.)

2. To shed light on what I feel is the best niche market in real estate: vacant land. I wouldn’t have done it for the past 25 years or so if I didn’t think that.

But don’t think that you should just read an issue or two of the Dirt Report and then set off to invest in raw land.

It takes more knowledge and experience than that. You can either develop that yourself or work with someone who’s already got it. We provide that experience to our clients.

In upcoming issues of the Dirt Report, we’re going to really go deep into some of the questions I get asked most by clients and customers who subscribe to the Land Investing InfoBank.

Stuff like:

-Exit strategies…
-How to know if you’re getting a good deal…
-Creative financing ideas…
-Private money and how to get it…
-What to look for to discover good areas to invest…

And I’ve got quite a few interviews planned with some of the movers and shakers in this industry. Guys and gals who KNOW what they’re doing… and that will share their tips and strategies with YOU.

You’ll learn a lot.

Now it’s time for meat:

The Golden Rule
of Land Investing

They’re still mining gold…

They’re still printing money…

And I’m sure the money wizards on Wall Street will eventually hatch a new type of black hole to suck the money of Mom and Pop America into their back pockets.

But they’re not making any more land, ANYWHERE. That’s what I call the Golden Rule of Land Investing.

Now despite the fact that the government has the printing presses running overtime to print the amount of money they need to bailout anyone with his hand out, let’s consider a hypothetical situation.

Generally, when the supply of money (or anything else) decreases, the value of that money increases.

I’m not an economist here, so if there’s some little known rule that makes this a poor example, please don’t let me know. I’m dealing with economics 101 here.

That’s all I’ve needed for the last 25 years

I don’t need to know more than that. I’m in the dirt business, and economics 101 is pretty much all you need to do well.

The reason I’m bringing this principle up (again and again) is simply to counteract what is probably one of the strongest forces KEEPING you from success in your life.

That force is something I call:

The Art of Profiting
from Doom and Gloom

Turn on your TV. I challenge you to find any news report that could be classified as 100% genuine GOOD news. The type of stuff that can help you.

I’m not talking about those “last feature of the night” stories where the news anchor gets that grin on her face and gives you the funny 15 minute segment about a cat getting rescued from a tree by a 101 year old granny.

That’s not good news, that’s just fluff.

Instead, we’ve got a constant supply of death, destruction and general chaos. Especially when it comes to talk about the economy.

I’m talking about REAL good news. Stuff like, “despite the number of layoffs, here’s one story of someone taking charge and starting their own business… here’s how they’re doing it.”

Wouldn’t that do a little bit more to motivate people in the RIGHT direction? That’s our goal with each issue of the Dirt Report.

Over the past few issues of the Dirt Report, I’ve been talking about life and death. The death of my friend, Rhett, the birth of another friend’s new son… born on New Year’s Day, 2009 of all days.

Life and death are two sides of the same coin.

In the world of land investing, there are also two sides of the success coin.

One side is problems or challenges. The other side is opportunity.

Two sides… same coin. Which one you get depends on how you’re looking at the coin.

Savvy investors know that spotting problems (aka, opportunities in disguise) is how you make the largest gains in the shortest amount of time.

That’s ANOTHER reason I publish this e-Letter. To do my best to counteract the Doom and Gloom media machine with information you can actually USE.

Here’s one example… this is an article printed on January 16 in the Las Vegas Sun titled:

“Industrial Land Shortage Could Have Adverse Effect on Las Vegas Economy”

Take a minute to read this article and then come back.

OK, now most people would read that article and say, “Oh, yeah, that IS a problem… what are we going to do?”

Doom and gloom.

But I read that article and say, “There’s opportunity right there folks.”

Remember, “problem” = opportunity for the savvy investor.

This article is a pretty good example of the “Golden Rule” I mentioned: no matter which way the market goes, no one is making any more land.

So if you have TIME on your side, then chances are better than not that you’re going to be OK.

*********Highly Recommended*********

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Get Used to
Looking for Clues

If you’re going to be a savvy land investor, then you have to put on your detective hat and start noticing clues that you can use to make smart decisions.

Here’s just one of them:

Look at this study completed by ZipRealty on 2008’s most searched zip codes for U.S. Home Buyers.

Take a look. The Reader’s Digest version is that they found Phoenix, Irvine and Las Vegas to be the hot markets.

That means that these markets received some of the MOST searches by prospective home buyers looking online.

That’s a CLUE. Not for what’s going to happen this month or even next month.

It’s a clue for where people are looking to invest in the future.

These are the types of things you’ll get in the Dirt Report… issue after issue after issue.

Remember, in the land business, what you’re looking for is land in the path of GROWTH. Growth and TIME are the ingredients you need.

See you next week,

P.S. Take a look at these three pictures. These are photos I took, just a few days ago, of the coming construction to widen Route 93 - the road leading up to the Hoover Dam.

You’ve got:

1. A construction trailer.
2. A BRAND NEW Texaco station along highway 93… approximately 35 miles south of Hoover Dam. In the picture it sure does look like it’s in the “middle of nowhere.” But when the bypass is complete, they’re estimating over 17,000 cars per DAY passing by that Texaco.
3. A LOT of traffic control equipment.

Signs of growth. Clues for profit. These clues are everywhere. So keep your eyes peeled.