Thread: Fair price to rent land for haunted hayride?

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We are in mid-missouri, have the opportunity to lease 60 acres for a haunted hayride that has 16x20 building for concessions and gift shop. Does anyone have advice how the lease amount should be set up.. ie: just for the 2 months we will be there or certain percentage of our sales and admission?

Current owner has not set us a price and actually is leaving it up to us to come up with one. We dont want to rip off the owner, but dont want to pay too much either.

Any advice or help is greatly appreciated!!!

It is always best to go off of the purchase value of the land first. From there you can figure the cost it would be at fair market to rent the land.

I personally would shy away from giving the land owner and form of your profits unless you do not have the money to pay to rent the land.

Mainly because rental landlords then tend to feel as if they are entitled to a say in how things are done, look at your books nightly and you have this feeling of obligation to perform to their standards.

A basic rental, plus land insurance should be fine.

gosh this isnt my area. I wouldnt want to rip off the owner either...

First question -have you ever operated a haunted hayride before or at least worked one? Second question- Facillitys? electric? Water? Toilets? Are there any at all?
Does this location have a track record of a hay ride operating from there before?
This might be VERY important to know, especially if a previous operation ripped off the customers and people will think that your place is him again. Same goes for any possible serious injurys or even deaths at this hayride location.
Such extreme negativity could even have the local officials shutting you down !
Ask around, look around, contact the local governmental agencies before you rent and plan much more.
A ride through the woods looks like there will be many potential headaches avoided but people have jumped, fallen from wagons sustaining much injury. Tractors with bad hitches, no brakes, no running lights, runaway tractors, drunk drivers of the tractor and even a Hill Billy scene next to a campfire during which a loaded gun was discharged happened to kill one girl and paralyzes another girl have all happened over the last few years, nationally.
Add to this when you leave, what is keeping someone from coming on the property and stealing your things? Security is a real problem when you are out in the woods.
I'm just trying to help. Very possibly you have already been there done that when it comes to a haunted hayride? If any of the things I brought up here helps protect you or anyone reading this Good! Just trying to help.
Good luck.

I myself have dipped into these entrepreneurial waters and found there is sooooo much red tape and the most important part, FUNDING/Financing it! You should browse the local classifieds for low cost vacant lots and industrial properties. They may however require a min 6 month lease though so watch out for that clause! You don't want to pay for something you are not planning on using for more time than truly needed. I would base the entry fee equal to a movie ticket. Its an attraction none the less and you don't want to scare off customers with outrageous prices. Hope it all works out for ya and be sure to always think patron safety first!!!

Thanks for replying everyone. We will basically be the only haunted attraction of any sort in a 40 to 50 mile radius. Its a rural area and most ppl here travel as far as an hour away to attend a haunted house. We are actually sticking with our smaller haunt for 2011 and planning the hayride for 2012. That way we have plenty of time to fine tune all the details and make sure we have covered the basics of running a haunted hayride. Also getting the community involved over the next 18 months so when we open our doors, people have already heard about us. (radio give aways for tickets, sponsoring project grad, drama club contests, etc.... )

Our first plan is definately safety, safety, safety (husband actually is OSHA certified and absolutely no drinking is being allowed on the property)

Terrain is pretty flat and roads have been cut for over 3 years so we have minimal upkeep on those. The building has small kitchen facility, heat, running water, septic but we are considering portapotties for customers (by reputable company).

But in all our research we have not really found anyone who has posted about "leasing" acreage instead of purchasing. Land value here is about 1700 an acre. This parcel is within 3 miles to major highway intersection so its prime location is perfect for signage.

dont forget promos! buy one hay ride ticket and on your next visit ride for free: thus they will bring more friends or family

Not sure, but you might want to check with the county seat (that county's gov't office) & see if they have any requirements. Would think you could get a basic rental form (either from the county clerk or perhaps on-line) and make the adjustments to suit your needs.

Good luck - keep us updated!

If the land is big enough, I would reccomend adding a walk-thru maze haunt to generate extra revenue. An extra $2 per attraction. Offer a combo price that includes: a food voucher, ticket to hayride, ticket to maze, etc...

Another possible way to save, is to work with a local public or private high school to help fund your attraction. You would take a slight loss in profit, with about 35% going to the school. The plus side, tons of student-parent-teacher volunteers! Not to mention the great word of mouth advertising it would generate. When it comes to a high school full of social students who talk and text like machines...your advertising budget can be better spent elsewhere. It's a win, win!

By doing so; you might be able to get a better price with the landowner too!

Liability insurance!! i carry $2million in liability ins just to do art fairs. it's amazing the stuff you can get sued for [and lose!] even though that person was breaking rules, trespassing, drunk or just dumb.