Episode Details

John Bernard of Southview Timber breaks down timberland investing — how it generates multiple income streams, why the Southeast is the top market, and how to get in.

In this episode of RealDealChat, Jack Hoss sits down with John Bernard, co-founder of Southview Timber and manager of the Southview Timberland Fund, to break down one of the most overlooked asset classes in real estate investing.

John covers:

• Why his family bought timberland in 2008 — and how 15 years at JP Morgan and Wells Fargo led him to democratize the asset class
• Why the Southeast US (Georgia, North Florida, South Carolina, Alabama) is now the #1 timber region in North America
• The three ways a single property can generate returns: timber harvest, real estate appreciation, and development or recreational sale
• How Southview sources deals entirely through personal relationships — and why outsiders simply can't access the same pipeline
• The sweet spot: 200–2,000-acre mid-size properties that fall below institutional radar and above most individual investor budgets
• Underwriting criteria: proximity to mills (within 50 miles), soil productivity, access roads, and multiple buyer options
• Why timberland investors can wait for the best timber prices — unlike farmland, there's no forced harvest
• How demographic migration from the Northeast and West Coast is driving rural land values up in the Southeast
• The 500-acre deal they bought for $1M and exited in 60 days — selling parcels to a business and an adjacent landowner
• Why John is cautious about AI-labeled startup investments — and why he prefers assets you can put boots on the ground to verify
• Current bottleneck: capital. They have deal flow. The fund is nearly deployed and raising toward $50M.

This episode is for:

• Accredited investors looking for non-correlated, tangible alternatives to stocks and crypto
• Real estate investors who want to understand a high-margin niche with multiple exit options
• Family offices and RIAs seeking a conservative real assets strategy

🔗 Learn more: https://southviewtimber.com 🔗 Find John on LinkedIn: John Bernard

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