The Lassen County Assessor assessed APN# 109-090-20 & 21 in 1996 at $500 per acre. $80,000 for the two 80 acre parcels. Click here to view a copy of Chicago Title preliminary page showing the assessed value.

Reliable Appraisal: Virgil R. Gleason, Senior Appraiser, Redwood City, California, appraised Lassen County APN# 109-090-20 & 21 at $800 per acre. Note: this appraisal has an additional 40 acre parcel which is not apart of Wild Horse Acres.

Byron H. Cunningham, Realtor-appraiser, Santa Cruz, California 95060, in 1985 appraised the Lassen County APN# 109-090-20 & 21 property at $500/acre or $40,000 each parcel, or $80,000 for the 160 acres know as the California Oregon Trail Crossroads.

The present owner obtained these properties through a foreclosure and general purchases. As such, the present owner had the property reassessed based on the condition that the owner has no intent to do anything with the property at the time. As such, the property was reappraised as nonproductive range land. The owner is not in possession of appraisals of the parcels Lassen County APN#;s 109-050-3, 5, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, & 19 and 109-090-15, 16, 17, 18, & 19.

Applying the generally appraised value of $500/acre, the 1700 acres would value out at $850,000. However, it should be noted that the appraised land is not in the 100 year flood zone, whereas, about 80% of the unappraised land is in the 100 year flood zone.The unappraised land has direct access to Highway 395, whereas, the appraised land has access to Highway 395 via a county maintained dirt road known as Smoke Creek Ranch Road. The unappraised land has a well on it where as the appraised land had no well. See Maps. Additionally, these appraisals were done prior to Sierra Pacific's Alturas Power Transmission Line having been built, before land prices in California skyrocked, and before California, with the rest of the nation, suffered from rolling blackouts caused by an electric power shortage.

The value of land is what one does with it. With the advent of industrial power, there are many possibilities with the use of Wild Horse Acres. Lassen County California is one of the few areas of California which have not been developed. Local Codes also allow for some unique uses with this land.

Being relatively flat, this property has the potential of sustaining several different power generating processes simultaneously. Economically affording a combination comingaling of natural gas turbine, recycling petroleum waste products, biomass gas production, voltaic cells and sustain a very good profit at thirteen cents a kilowatthour. At the present time, the loan even a voltaic cell concept would turn a profit even if the the going price of a kilowatt were 5.6 cents. However, biomass would prove to be a huge profit and even recycling plastics would prove to be a huge profit at $56.00 per megawatt. Additionally, California is not the only western state needing power and these lines connect directly to or through Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, Utah, and Nevada, making this a nation wide benefit.

The sale price which the owner is looking for is $995,000.00 cash good faith money, and 1 cent ($0.01) per kilowatthour. Plus somewhat a guarantee that a power plant will be built.

Or, make an offer?

The latest comparable property is just north of Wild Horse Acres. This property is 174 acres and it appears not to have electric power or gas, or direct access to 395, nor does it have high ground. The asking price is $79,900. Thus, the per acre price is $459.19.

The latest appraised value of a parcel of land within Wild Horse Acres shown by 2002 Lassen County secured property tax bill for 109-050-03 for a 1.4 acre parcel. The property has little value in that it is too small to build on by code because it is an isolated piece across the road from the vastly greater area, it is low ground, there is no electricity, no natural gas, and no telephone. It does have access to US Highway 395 and water is probably under it too. This parcel is assessed by the county assessor at $1,040. This comes to $742.85 per acre. Given this value, the whole property would be worth $1,281,429.

As the asking price is $995,000 for the whole property. Thus, the per acre price would be $576.81. To put it in perspective, the asking price for all of Wild Horse Acres is about 23% percent less than the county appraiser's appraised value for the most least valuable parcel.

However, due to the present economic conditions, any reasonable offer would get serious consideration.

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