# Wanted: Central Illinois



## swansongzoso (Feb 6, 2012)

Family of 4. We're looking to get started on a hobby farm. Country home with a few acres. Maybe an old farm needing some work. Few outbuildings suitable for a horse & milk cow. Would love a small pond to stock. Maybe some wet/dry weather creeks. Wooded with open areas. Poss interested in lease rent or contract. 

Also interested in cheap acreage! (1,000ac or less)

May be a stretch..but...
Excited to see what's out there!! Thanks!


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## ROSEMAMA (Jan 12, 2007)

Sorry to burst your bubble, but in IL, there's no such thing as "cheap acreage", at least not any more. If you can find 3000/ac, it's probably going to be "locked" or in the bottoms. Definitely nothing that's been improved.

City folk have been driving up prices for hunting clubs and ways to avoid capital gains. The last decent parcel I saw up around here (Eff. Co.) went for 10K/ac.

Sorry, but good luck searching, RM


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## FireMaker (Apr 3, 2014)

Nope, not here. There is some south, around Harrisburg, but not much.


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## JoeCorrado (Nov 8, 2015)

You will have better luck across the river in Missouri. Areas about an hour south or west of Saint Louis in the Ozarks may be a better area for your search. Ozark soil types may not be ideal for you? There are some very low dollar plats available but they certainly will not be very desirable, nor will they be improved. Road access will vary as will potential. Be wary of access rights that charge you annual fees.

About the best that I saw during our search, which ends with our closing on Monday, was a 5 acre plat that included rough dirt road access, a well, electric on property, some flat area with fair soil; but mostly hillside- it also included a small shed, no living space. Cost for this package was as I recall, in the 25-27 k range. That would be a much more realistic target.

1-3k per acre for sub-par land with soil and terrain to match- bad to worse
4-6k for average land, nothing special- not top of the line, not total crap
7-9k + per acre for more decent land that "may" be suitable for a "hobby" farm

These prices assume small plats of 3-10 acres. Remember- "farm land" is prime land that can, or currently does produce an income. 

Expect to spend progressively more as soil, terrain, access, improve or plat size decreases. You are better off spending more for an existing homestead that suits you. As always, everything depends on your budget. Always.

The ONLY way around this that I can imagine is to invest in large tracts of 50+ acres. Acreage of this size will typically include at least some area that will include preferred features. Of course you may run into some crook who is willing to sell you an excellent piece of land that he does not own for a seemingly great price. Yes, it really does happen; so don't forget your due diligence. :nono:

This was my experience. Your search may result in different opportunities- certainly, mileage will vary. Good luck... Seriously, good luck. That is how we finally came into our property. A perfect storm of opportunity that we simply "lucked" into. Persistence pays, so if you really, really want it- don't give up. Just be honest with yourself- be realistic in matching needs to desires to budget...


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## DaveNay (Nov 25, 2012)

Don't even think about looking at northern IL. About 6 years ago, the farm that almost surrounds me sold for $12,897 per acre.

333 acres of nothing but corn. No house, no barn, no shed, no water (there's a field ditch, but it's not potable).

$4.29 million for a large flat corn field.

Even if he can consistently get 200 bushels per acre @ $4.00 per bushel, it would take 16 years to break even. More realistic is close to 30 years since input costs for commercial farming are close to 50%

This is definitely premium crop land though. 12"-18" of rich black soil.


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## swansongzoso (Feb 6, 2012)

Missouri Ozark area, mountain areas are not out of the question for me, in fact it's preferred. However my husband really doesn't want to leave IL. Why? I don't know. I know land is cheaper in those areas. Soil can be upgraded for our small purposes anyway. Plus there are no stringent building codes which better suits us too. If we were to build a true off grid homestead. So I am open to looking into Missouri options as well. If it's what were looking for then my husband could be persuaded. &#128516;


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## ROSEMAMA (Jan 12, 2007)

I feel your frustration. The only thing keeping me here is my adult children. (No, they're not _physically _holding me hostage  )


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