# In MO Looking at Land



## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

Getting ready to hit the sack in Springfield.

Heading to Douglas and Ozark counties in the morning to check out 4 properties.

Nice and cool here! I will be wearing jeans and a sweatshirt in the AM. :hobbyhors

Prices have dropped some since the first of the year. I see several properties that were on the market in January are still listed...but for 10% to 20% lower (some are down...but by no means all....the property we bid on months ago is still listed for the original asking price. Good luck!).


Tim


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## gone-a-milkin (Mar 4, 2007)

Happy househunting. 

Supposed to be a bit warmer tomorrow.


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

The weather really held up for us. We didn't have any rain until we we are on the way home...about Joplin.

Two of the pieces we looked at are promising. Each has different strengths & weaknesses...and in some ways they are at opposite ends of our spectrum.

One is 41 acres, about 30% open and the remaining 70% has been thinned out to leave only the largest trees. The center of the property is a ridge running east and west, with the land sloping to the front and back about 40 feet over the eighth mile (it is square). The property looks much more open from Google Earth than from the ground, as you might expect. It has some nice long range views. It is on a county dirt road, about 2 miles back in from the nearest pavement at Olathia, MO.

We were told by a neighbor we met that the wells in the area go 600 feet! $$$$ This same person just happens to be building a cob house directly across the street...how cool is that? And she has really friendly goats. :thumb:

The second property is 80 acres (two square 40s north to south) and aside from a couple small internal clearings/foot plots, it heavily wooded and thick. It does have high ground along the western boundary, and slopes to the south and east toward a 300 acre cow pasture. 

This property is accessed by way of a deeded easement across a square 40, that sits near the dead end of a county dirt road a little more than a mile (as the crow flies) west of Brixey, MO. It is also about 2 miles from the nearest pavement. The easement across the 40 has not been developed. A neighbor to this property (about a half mile away) said the wells run 200 feet in their area. This property could have some nice views with careful cutting/trimming, especially if one decided to put a house on the western edge (high ground) of the property.

Asking prices are similar on a per acre basis. The 80 has access issues, the 41 has potential well issues and 10 of the acres are really little more than just a buffer from the road as they are pretty "gulchy", if you know what I mean.

Of course, the 80 also costs almost twice as much...and is more than we can pay cash for from our land fund...we'd have to pull money some from other sources (but no mortgage).

It is nice that we managed to bump into folks at both of these properties. From what I can tell, they would both be great neighbors.

Not sure if we will be making any offers. I need to do some research on well depths...


Tim


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## pioneergirl (May 10, 2010)

Hope it works out for you! We looked at a lot of properties in souther MO around the end of last year. We found most of them to be too rocky to farm in any capacity. Our first clue was that there were no farms at all in the area, and the final clue was walking the land itself. We are still looking for land, as we want to work on a cob home, and be as SS as possible. 

I truly hope you find your spot, its a long process!


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

Thanks Pioneergirl.

Yes, a long process for sure. We have been at this, off and on, for a decade! We finally made our first offer in January, so we are getting closer.

One of the AC compressors died today...$1,900 installed for a 5 ton unit. I want to get out of Houston!


Tim


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Happy hunting. Looking for land is so much harder than looking for a house! If you don't get settled in on anything - my mom has 2-300 acres for sale in Douglas County that can be divided into 40 acre parcels. It used to be hay and pasture, but some hills and trees. She contracted for the folks that bought the other 300 acres from her. (they are running a goat dairy now). Tar Button creek runs along side it. Dirt road about 2 miles to highway. It's between Norwood and Ava. No house or any buildings just the land.


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## Nomad (Dec 19, 2002)

Callieslamb said:


> Happy hunting. Looking for land is so much harder than looking for a house! If you don't get settled in on anything - my mom has 2-300 acres for sale in Douglas County that can be divided into 40 acre parcels. It used to be hay and pasture, but some hills and trees. She contracted for the folks that bought the other 300 acres from her. (they are running a goat dairy now). Tar Button creek runs along side it. Dirt road about 2 miles to highway. It's between Norwood and Ava. No house or any buildings just the land.


About what would a 40 acre parcel go for these days?

Nomad


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

Nomad said:


> About what would a 40 acre parcel go for these days?
> 
> Nomad



My mom sold hers for $1150 an acre. That was a 200 acre spot that worked out to be that much per acre. It had an older house needing repairs and a dairy barn desperately needing a roof, 2 pole barns and 3 ponds. I believe 40 acre plots would go for a bit more. 

The wells on her property are only 100 feet deep. The parcels she has left have no improvements except fences.


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## tarbe (Apr 7, 2007)

When was that, Callieslamb?

I have seen a number of properties languish on the market in Douglas and Ozark counties over the last year. I have seen some similar properties priced around $1,500/acre and they just seem to sit. When the prices get to $1,200 and lower (depending of course on the features, location etc) they seem to move.

I have seen several 80 acre parcels for $1k/acre that can't sell.

I keep getting the feeling that if I wait, prices may still drop some more.


Tim


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## fishhead (Jul 19, 2006)

A friend of mine just built a house in MO. It's got a farm pond on it and I think some decent acreage.

Now he's talking about selling it to be closer to his daughter and grandkids in TX.


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