RE: does land value decrease? or just increase
As mentioned, its all about location...If you have property and a factory is built next to it...Open a gas station and a resturant and make money off the employees...
As a young man, I worked for John Deere, got to know the dealers really well...Most were worth several million, this was in the 70s and 80s...They all owned land, stocks, bonds, apartments, rental houses etc...In other words they mixed it up.
As a general statement, land is a good investment, it might decrease in value in say a 3 year period, but it will increase after that...It does need to be looked at as a long term investment, inless of course you plan to develop...
I'll tell you this, my dad, bought 20 lots at Kill Devil Hills, NC (on the Outer Banks) back about 1968....He paid $500 a lot....Today each lot is worth over $200,000...