(07) University of the South Bluff Tract: Market Analysis and Natural Resource Assessment

Through a generous gift in 2011, the University of the South received outright ownership of 66.7 acres of forested land along the escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau. The property is located on Laurel Lake Drive in Monteagle,... [ view full abstract ]

Through a generous gift in 2011, the University of the South received outright ownership of 66.7 acres of forested land along the escarpment of the Cumberland Plateau. The property is located on Laurel Lake Drive in Monteagle, TN - Parcel ID 070 017.00. The University has listed this property through multiple listing services on multiple different occasions since 2011. Despite having attractive qualities, many of which add value and potential sources of revenue, each attempt at selling the property has resulted in the listing being withdrawn. The property also boasts the potential for several different uses: residential, hunting, timber harvesting, and more. We performed a market analysis of parcels viewed as similar to the Laurel Lake Tract. We also provide multiple alternative management options with regard to the existence of natural resources already present on the property. We provide suggestions on marketing this property with acknowledgements on the bare land value, along with additional sources of potential revenue. Furthermore, this report approaches the property from the buyer’s side of a land sale by using time value of money concepts to present an investment-based model for selling this property.