I'm Jay Manley, and I own and manage Dakota Skyhook, LLC, a North Dakota-based land investment company that's been offering land for purchase, typically on terms, since 2024. I started my career as a solution engineer, then moved into project management, and worked for Microsoft for nearly 14 years. I traveled a lot in those years, across the US and internationally.
After that I moved back into software as a COO for one company and a VP for another. I'm also involved in the Civil Air Patrol here in North Dakota as the Director of sUAS (drone) activities across the state, and I'm active in motorsports, drag racing for decades and lately getting into drifting. I also love snowmobiling in the mountains, camping off-grid, and shooting sports.
And now I've purchased nearly 30 properties and sold about half of them. With that kind of experience, I can walk you through every stage of buying land, and help you find a parcel that fits your budget and your plans.
I came to land from the property side. I held real estate licenses in North Dakota and Minnesota for years, and I was looking hard at apartment buildings when I started looking at raw land instead. What got me was what land doesn't come with. No toilets, no termites, no tenants calling at midnight. Just a piece of ground that sits there and holds its own, and is yours once it's paid off. That's the same simple thing I want for the people who buy from me. Not a complicated deal, just an honest path to owning land.
Land Sales Made Simple
We want to make this as easy as possible for you to own land.
FIRST: You pay the down payment and document fee through the link provided, either directly or from the Land Gallery. You'll give some basic information, name, address, email, and phone, and you can pay by ACH from your bank or by credit card.
SECOND: We complete a Promissory Note with your payment terms on it and have you sign it electronically.
THIRD: We set you up on an automated system to make the monthly payments (it's called GeekPay) so it's deducted automatically each month, from a credit card or a bank account.
FINALLY: When you've paid off the Note, the Deed transfers to you and you'll have full use of your property to enjoy for your lifetime. You're always be issued a Warranty Deed from Dakota Skyhook, the highest level of deed you can get in Oregon.
And every terms purchase is backed by a 120-day money-back guarantee, so you can start without betting everything on trust alone. If you're not satisfied within 120 days, you get your principal back, not counting the doc fee, taxes, and finance fees, or you can swap into another property. It's the longest guarantee in owner-financed land that I'm aware of. (Cash purchases are excluded.)
NOTE: Here's the honest part about using the land. On owner-financed terms, you can't build or live on the land until the Note is paid in full. On the lots that allow it, you can still get out and camp or visit while you pay, within the county's and the subdivision's rules, and each listing tells you what that lot allows. If you'd rather have it all now, paying cash transfers the Deed at closing, and the land is yours to use and build on right away. The reason building and living wait on terms comes down to this: until the Note is paid, I still hold title, and full use or development before then carries real liability and risk for me as the owner of record. Once it's paid off, you have full use for your lifetime, with the Warranty Deed in your name.
"I've bought from and sold properties to Dakota Skyhook very smooth and easy process. Jay is a pleasure to due business with and highly recommended." Paul Pozsgay, repeat buyer & seller
Where Dreams Begin
Our Mission:
To connect buyers with raw, undeveloped land that offers real possibility, through accessible and affordable options, whether by direct purchase or flexible seller-financed terms.