OT: cell tower rental

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Kirk Affeldt

Member

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

My dad has been selected by a company who would like to put a 300ft cell tower on the farm property. What are your experiences or thoughts about hosting a 30 year lease on a 75'x75' square of land for a cell tower? What are rental prices for cell phone towers?

 

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dakenredd

Member

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

I have heard good reports. Several years ago rent was over$1000 a month, and everytime they added another transmitter the money went up. I could use one myself.

 

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wisbaker

Well-known Member

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

The County used to get about $900/month for the cell antenna on the courthouse, although some of that was for power.

 

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pete black

Well-known Member

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

i know they are a way of life now but boy how i hate those air craft warning strobe lights they place on them. talk about ruining the night skies out in the country.

 

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JDB

Member

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

We have a tower on some property we own in the city of Omaha. Good steady income, they pay on time and don't complain. We have had a good experience for the last 15 years.

 

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D beatty

Well-known Member

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

Had one contact us several years ago and wanted to pay us $3,000.00 a year for 10 years ( not enough money). I asked who took down tower when they no longer needed it,If they paid taxes on land,about liability insurance, and other questions and never answered back after asking questions.

 

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VaTom

Well-known Member

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

Verizon wanted to put a tower here. Read the contract carefully, it was not what the representative said. Not necessarily a problem, just be informed. They offered $700/month and then changed the desired location to my best building site. My offer went up substantially. No agreement and they still have crappy coverage here.

 

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donjr

Well-known Member

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

Friend of mine has two on his place. I don't know the current rent, but it was originally $800/mo and it was for ten years. The contract has been renegotiated since, and he gets an increase for every antenna they put on the towers. He did have some trouble with the original owners, but after a threat of a lawsuit, they decided the tower was worth more than having to take it down and find another location.

 

Pete in MD

Well-known Member

Location

Central Maryland

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

Two of my friends have towers on their farms. They both retained lawyers with tower lease experience. Their leases are for more than the tower people originally offered.

 

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TomA in CA

Member

• Oct 29, 2013

• #1

We have 3 leases for cell sites on our ranch. It is not a tower but stealth sites on a hill. The going rate is about $1900 per mo per carrier. The companies are all different to deal with. Verizon is less than straightforward.

 

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Mike (WA)

Well-known Member

• Oct 30, 2013

• #1

Going rate around here is about 700 a month. Be sure to get a clause that gets you more money from each carrier that hangs their stuff on it- otherwise, the first outfit subleases tower space to others, and they get the added income rather than you.

 

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Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

• Oct 30, 2013

• #1

Hire a lawyer with experience in the field. Around here, they use a negotiator who flits from farm to farm, to see who needs the money most, and who will put up with their sh!t, to get it. Bunch of con men, bad as barn painters!

 

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VADAVE

Well-known Member

• Oct 30, 2013

• #1

The foot print of the tower isn"t much but you said nothing about a support building to put all the connections and other "stuff" in. Then there"s access for both the cables and the trucks. Location on the farm?--in the middle of a field in the most remote spot there is with a looong access road through the middle of the place.
All things you have to consider.

 

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Rick Kr

Well-known Member

• Oct 30, 2013

• #1

The three major carriers surveyed my property. At the time it was around $1000/month.

You need the details, utilities, road access, who maintains, etc. If I recall, they said I needed no buildings within 3x the height of the tower. If you are looking at a 300ft tower, that"s 900 feet.

Finally, if it were me, I would do some serious reading on cell phone tower transmissions. Especially if you are close to the tower, within a half mile or so. Some studies are out there, nothing conclusive, but worth the read.

Rick

 

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Harold Hubbard

Member

• Oct 30, 2013

• #1

Check with your town office re: appraisal and taxes.

Neighbors to the north of me have one. The town came around and reappraised a big chunk of the property as "commercial", taxes went sky high.

 

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ss55

Well-known Member

• Oct 30, 2013

• #1

Just a few thoughts:

Factor in the area needed for a driveway (ditches, fence lines, etc.) to the tower, for parking around the tower and the crop area lost to convieniently farm around the tower and the drive way (end row yields vs normal yields, etc). Those may be small but it will be some lost crop land and lost income to bring up when you are negotiating. Each extra user will be more traffic, you should get some compensation from each new user.

Fences, gates, restricting outsiders and hunters from entering. If you have livestock grasing on the stover will the gates be closed or do you need to fence off the tower.

How will the tower affect/restrict a future buyer if you want to sell?

At the end of the lease the tower may be removed, but the tower area and the drive will likely have some permanent damage.

Contact an attorney and join any associations groups that are formed.

 

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JRSutton

Well-known Member

• Oct 30, 2013

• #1

do it.

Used to work for a major carrier who I won't name here.

They work very hard to keep the landowners happy.

One company is good - but what you really want is several carriers sharing the tower - that's where you can make some real money.

Prices depend GREATLY on location. If it's a fringe area with low traffic, you won't get rich. (and it most likely is, otherwise it would have been build out years ago).

But you'll make more on that 75' square than you ever would with corn or beans, I can guarantee that!

 

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Anonymous-0

Well-known Member

• Oct 30, 2013

• #1

No of a fire dept that has one and gets about 20000 a yr

 

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Dan T in MO

Member

• Oct 30, 2013

• #1

I can't say much for cell towers. But, shortly after my folks bought this 24 acre patch of land, they got a contract for 2 billboards over on the Highway 54 side. When there's any sign maintenance to be done or changing the sign or whatever, they don't leave any mess, and quite frankly, it's easy to forget it's even there. I mentioned to Mom that I wanted to get the farm up and running again-at least enough to pay the taxes on it. She said the billboards do that.