# Where to find homesteading land ?



## RaeMichel (Feb 22, 2020)

Im really wanting to start a homestead as soon as possible, I currently live with my parents in Massachusetts.. i was renting an apartment last year but my husband lost his job, so we had to move in with them to save money, which we have done and have a little bit saved up. I would prefer to move to the Carolina's or Appalachia area as land is much cheaper out there! I just dont know how to go about finding a spot, being so far away and all. Any advice on buying out of state would be much appreciated.. 
Thanks


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

You might try in your area first with the search engines such as Unitedcountry.com or Zillow. You might not find the homestead that you have in mind, but it can point out local areas you might want to check out. 

Or, since Massachusetts is so very heavily populated, it might help you to find a parcel of land that is close enough to your family so that you can pay the odd visit to your loved ones


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## robin416 (Dec 29, 2019)

I wouldn't recommend buying sight unseen. There are so many variables for things that just won't work for you. 

Moving to the mountains you have to know what you're moving to. Rocky ground can be very prevalent and not plantable. Areas of the property too steep to use. Since there are not any real building codes in many of those areas you could end up with adjoining property that is not preferable. 

We made a couple of trips from our home in one state to the area that is now called home before finding the right place. Most of what we looked at had serious structural issues with the homes. Had problems with the roads, if it rained they became impassable. Most real estate agents are not aware of these shortcomings. 

After touring a house with obvious mold issues, another with floors like waves in the ocean our real estate agent volunteered to pre visit anything that was lookable before we came down. She found us this place. But they have to be very attuned to what your need is. And understand how the land itself will work.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

First off you have to decide what you wanna do on that Homestead not all land is suitable for everything
You’re going to have a hard time growing maple trees and cranberries in South Texas
Palm trees And citrus or a real chore to raise in Maine. 
If I was you I might take a look for property up in Maine. I understand it is somewhat reasonable and probably much more like you are used to


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## Terri (May 10, 2002)

YES you should always look at land before you buy it! Back when we were looking to buy one place with "2 small ponds" turned out to have 2 stinking drainage ditches! And another place was under water as it had just rained.

The Realtor had had no idea that the second property was prone to flooding, as they had only seen it during dry weather!

HAve you seen this? http://www.waverlynyrealestate.com/...sale---tioga-county-ny---open-wooded/1009024/


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## Alice In TX/MO (May 10, 2002)

Have sincere discussions about what you want to do with a homestead. Garden? Fruit trees? Goats?
Make a list of attributes that are absolutely essential. Geographic area? Climate? Terrain? Rainfall? Near enough to a hospital?
Take pictures of places that catch your eye. Figure out why you like that place.
Keep a notebook. Lists, ideas, pictures, maps.

Look at https://www.forsalebyowner.com/homes-for-sale/

Travel.


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## Fishindude (May 19, 2015)

Finding a piece of ground to buy is easy. Just get on the internet and start doing searches "land for sale" or "farms for sale" and you can find thousands of parcels for sale. What's tough is finding the "right piece of ground", in an area where you want to be, with everything you want on the place, and within your budget constraints.

You need to spend some time in an area first to see if you like it and to get a feel for how things work. Then get your financing set up or have cash on hand so you can jump on it when the right piece becomes available.

I've got ground in Indiana, Michigan and Illinois, it's really not all that tough to find something.


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

You really need to see before you buy anything. We are in the process of moving from Northern Minnesota back to either TN or KY where my husband's business has multi-year contracts. I've been down there 3 times so far and have looked at a lot of land and/or homes on acreage. It's really hard to get a feel for property unless you actually walk it. Realtors show only the best photos online.


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## robin416 (Dec 29, 2019)

hiddensprings said:


> You really need to see before you buy anything. We are in the process of moving from Northern Minnesota back to either TN or KY where my husband's business has multi-year contracts. I've been down there 3 times so far and have looked at a lot of land and/or homes on acreage. It's really hard to get a feel for property unless you actually walk it. Realtors show only the best photos online.


And most have never seen the property. That's why we saw the moldy house, it was listed by another agency. Same for the two houses we saw with wavy floors.


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## Wolf mom (Mar 8, 2005)

Actually, I think you've put the cart before the horse. Job hunting comes first. Somehow you've gotta pay for the homestead, critters, critter and people food, vet bills, tractor - maintenance - it really never stops. 
Look for jobs you are both qualified for. See if any are in rural areas. Then house/land hunt. You don't want to drive over an hour each way to work. It cuts into your homesteading day. And few people can pay their way just homesteading. Especially starting out.


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## markt1 (Dec 15, 2013)

Land in northwest West Virginia is cheap, especially if you can afford to buy at least 30 acres of it. We paid $138,500 for a small 100 year old farmhouse on 50 acres of land: 40 acres of hilly woods and 10 acres of grass bordering a big creek. We found it on Zillow, went and looked at it, then bought it 4 days after the initial listing. Very little jobs in the area (we are both retired on social security). Gas field workers, auto repair techs, nurses, Walmart, beef steer farming, and conveniece store clerks are about it. If you can fit in with those job limitations and have at least 100k to play with, go for it...


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## TennHalfBack (Jul 11, 2015)

Google Earth can be your friend. When we were looking on-line we could get an aerial view, but I think what was just as important (to us, anyhow) is we could take a virtual drive-by. Tennessee has it's share of trash heaps and we could check out the immediate neighborhood. If we saw an interesting listing, I'd find the address, get the rough layout from the tax maps and take the Google drive. Rejected a bunch of places.

Also, we could not find an agent that would work with us until we found the property we wanted ourselves. During a couple of years of looking, from out of state, we probably met with five agents who said they would look for us, and we never got a call.


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## Snowfan (Nov 6, 2011)

I think you're on the right track. Brain storm to determine what you both want. Be realistic about your abilities. Any skills you'll need can be learned. As others have already stated, you'll probably have to both work. Children need a good education which might mean home schooling. And don't worry about making mistakes. You'll make them. We all have.

Take your time, do your research (which you're doing now), ask questions and visit a few places on a long weekend or vacation. Just my opinion. Best of luck to you.


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## JosephSeiss (May 3, 2017)

TennHalfBack said:


> Google Earth can be your friend. When we were looking on-line we could get an aerial view, but I think what was just as important (to us, anyhow) is we could take a virtual drive-by. Tennessee has it's share of trash heaps and we could check out the immediate neighborhood. If we saw an interesting listing, I'd find the address, get the rough layout from the tax maps and take the Google drive. Rejected a bunch of places.
> 
> Also, we could not find an agent that would work with us until we found the property we wanted ourselves. During a couple of years of looking, from out of state, we probably met with five agents who said they would look for us, and we never got a call.


May I ask where did you relocate from? I've thought of some parts of the south, but I'm a spoiled northwesterner and the weather change makes me nervous. Lol


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## robin416 (Dec 29, 2019)

JosephSeiss said:


> May I ask where did you relocate from? I've thought of some parts of the south, but I'm a spoiled northwesterner and the weather change makes me nervous. Lol


You didn't ask me but I grew up in MI. Not dealing with super cold and snow at every turn is heaven.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

TennHalfBack said:


> Google Earth can be your friend. When we were looking on-line we could get an aerial view, but I think what was just as important (to us, anyhow) is we could take a virtual drive-by. Tennessee has it's share of trash heaps and we could check out the immediate neighborhood. If we saw an interesting listing, I'd find the address, get the rough layout from the tax maps and take the Google drive. Rejected a bunch of places.
> 
> Also, we could not find an agent that would work with us until we found the property we wanted ourselves. During a couple of years of looking, from out of state, we probably met with five agents who said they would look for us, and we never got a call.


Our daughter saw a house on 7 acres once that looked gorgeous, backed up to timber and the price was right. My son in law used google earth and found that just behind and to the side, in those woods, was what looked like the crash of a 747. The debris field belonged to the property next to them. Trash fires, junk cars, boats school buses, rvs, etc. Google earth saved the day.


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## CKelly78z (Jul 16, 2017)

I use the website Landandfarm.com https://www.landandfarm.com/search/North-Carolina/Ranches-for-sale/ to look through what is available in a certain area. There are many filters to screen out the possabilities.


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## robin416 (Dec 29, 2019)

GTX63 said:


> Our daughter saw a house on 7 acres once that looked gorgeous, backed up to timber and the price was right. My son in law used google earth and found that just behind and to the side, in those woods, was what looked like the crash of a 747. The debris field belonged to the property next to them. Trash fires, junk cars, boats school buses, rvs, etc. Google earth saved the day.


Yep, we almost didn't buy this place because there was an old house and a single wide across the road. But from the aerial photos the property was neat as a pin. 

We took a chance and looked at this house. The people across the road turned out to be some the best people to have living nearby.


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## Tanglewood homesteaders (Mar 4, 2020)

A camping trip to the area for a few days might be a good start. Just a thought. Good Luck


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## Cassie Correa (Apr 26, 2020)

RaeMichel said:


> Im really wanting to start a homestead as soon as possible, I currently live with my parents in Massachusetts.. i was renting an apartment last year but my husband lost his job, so we had to move in with them to save money, which we have done and have a little bit saved up. I would prefer to move to the Carolina's or Appalachia area as land is much cheaper out there! I just dont know how to go about finding a spot, being so far away and all. Any advice on buying out of state would be much appreciated..
> Thanks


You might consider my Homesteader Start-Up offer! I am in Southeast Texas where the growing season is year round due to temperatures, rainfall and fertile soil. I have a 7 acre property that I used to homestead. It has a 6000 sf barn, livestock pens, outbuildings, pecan grove, pear & fig trees. It is fenced, cross fenced, gated and sits in a private location at the end of a county road. 

I am looking for someone to occupy it, run a little homestead and help me out /co-op with my current homestead which is about 15-20 miles away. You would have to put a little temporary dwelling on it, but I can help you there, as well. There are utilities to connect with, already in place. Your monthly expense would be taxes and liability insurance, plus your living expenses. What I want in return is a homesteading partner, someone to live on and maintain the property and some handyman/ranch hand help at my place. I am a single widow in my 60’s and can’t keep up with both properties, so I am offering this to some young family that wants to get started, is willing to work, but doesn’t have the capital to get into a place. If you are interested, just let me know and we can continue the discussion. 

Purchase is an option. We can discuss terms and have an attorney draw up the agreement to protect the interests of all parties.

If anyone else reading this is interested, this offer is open to any young, aspiring homesteading family!


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## PnB (Jun 11, 2020)

I am in this same scenario of hunting land. So any advice I offer is limited in its quality. However, what I have found is that starting with a list of parameters is a good idea. What are you wanting from it? What do you want to do? How are you making money? Who do you want to be around? Do you want to be around anyone? Is there water? How much would it cost to drill? What's their income tax? More importantly, what's their property tax? What sort of codes and regulations do I or do I not want? What's the states standpoint on gun rights? How long is the growing season?, etc etc etc. Make a list.

Next, I start looking at various overlay maps. Light pollution maps, hydrologic maps, topographic, oil drilling/nat gas/coal operations, nuclear plants, forest cover, and so on. I have saved a lot of images of maps. 

After that, yep - I second the landandfarm mention. You can set your price per acre and all that. It's been useful. 



CKelly78z said:


> I use the website Landandfarm.com https://www.landandfarm.com/search/North-Carolina/Ranches-for-sale/ to look through what is available in a certain area. There are many filters to screen out the possabilities.


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

REMEMBER . If it sounds too good to be true,,it probably is !

I used to see ads in the back of magazines for cheap land out west, & thought about moving out there. I talked to my uncle, who had traveled extensively throughout the country. He was a land procurement agent for the government. I asked him about the dirt cheap land out west & he said, " Sure, there is some very cheap land out there, but the reason it was so cheap, was that it wasn't worth a S*** !"


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## PnB (Jun 11, 2020)

There is a ton of that. I definitely recommend setting a minimum price as well. To help bypass some of that nonsense. There are certainly oases out west. Spots with good soil and good water. They are rare though. Particularly along the rockies. It is devastatingly beautiful but there is a reason people settled in the valleys near the water. And, as Esteban said, there is a reason that land is cheap. It is doable but one has to rethink costs. A well is probably much more expensive and there isn't likely to be a spring or anything. Unless you jump up the price about 100k. So a real deep well is probably a necessity. Which itself is probably up to 30k. About as much as a 10kW solar array (the average consumption of an american home). Growing season is short and the soil isn't very good. So you'll have to build greenhouses/polytunnels/etc. and probably have to bring in soil and compost and everything at first. If you want livestock, that's another load of water procurement. You'll probably need water catchment but I assume that is already part of the plan. You won't be able to procure timber resources from the land for building so much probably. So, most likely would be looking at more of a sandbag/adobe/earthship sort of home. More imported materials. 

Basically, start up for infrastructure is going to be a lot more for most of the rockies and the southwest. But the land is dirt cheap. Traditional farming is pretty out of the question for much of it though. Especially in the high desert mesas. Again, it is definitely doable. It is just a trade off.

We have started looking mostly in Vermont and Arkansas. Timber and easily accessible water resources are important to us. I am still searching for my New Mexico oasis though. It's just been deprioritized in favor of lumber and springs.


Esteban29304 said:


> REMEMBER . If it sounds too good to be true,,it probably is !
> 
> I used to see ads in the back of magazines for cheap land out west, & thought about moving out there. I talked to my uncle, who had traveled extensively throughout the country. He was a land procurement agent for the government. I asked him about the dirt cheap land out west & he said, " Sure, there is some very cheap land out there, but the reason it was so cheap, was that it wasn't worth a S*** !"


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## PnB (Jun 11, 2020)

*addendum

If one really wanted to head west, I'd recommend pinpointing certain counties and then checking out their delinquent tax records. There are a lot of ranches scattered throughout the west that have fallen behind on their property taxes for x or y reason and usually, they will be selling off some of their land to cover the cost. It's mind numbing digging through tax records but it does yield some good results sometimes.


PnB said:


> There is a ton of that. I definitely recommend setting a minimum price as well. To help bypass some of that nonsense. There are certainly oases out west. Spots with good soil and good water. They are rare though. Particularly along the rockies. It is devastatingly beautiful but there is a reason people settled in the valleys near the water. And, as Esteban said, there is a reason that land is cheap. It is doable but one has to rethink costs. A well is probably much more expensive and there isn't likely to be a spring or anything. Unless you jump up the price about 100k. So a real deep well is probably a necessity. Which itself is probably up to 30k. About as much as a 10kW solar array (the average consumption of an american home). Growing season is short and the soil isn't very good. So you'll have to build greenhouses/polytunnels/etc. and probably have to bring in soil and compost and everything at first. If you want livestock, that's another load of water procurement. You'll probably need water catchment but I assume that is already part of the plan. You won't be able to procure timber resources from the land for building so much probably. So, most likely would be looking at more of a sandbag/adobe/earthship sort of home. More imported materials.
> 
> Basically, start up for infrastructure is going to be a lot more for most of the rockies and the southwest. But the land is dirt cheap. Traditional farming is pretty out of the question for much of it though. Especially in the high desert mesas. Again, it is definitely doable. It is just a trade off.
> 
> We have started looking mostly in Vermont and Arkansas. Timber and easily accessible water resources are important to us. I am still searching for my New Mexico oasis though. It's just been deprioritized in favor of lumber and springs.


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## damoc (Jul 14, 2007)

PnB Elko county Nevada has a yearly tax sale contact the courthouse to be added to the invite list. It was cancelled this year due to covid.


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## PnB (Jun 11, 2020)

Thanks for the heads up!


damoc said:


> PnB Elko county Nevada has a yearly tax sale contact the courthouse to be added to the invite list. It was cancelled this year due to covid.


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## Esteban29304 (Apr 29, 2003)

" Water is our most precious commodity !" Cousteau.


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## jonathanrawles (Jul 7, 2020)

Check out the resources on SurvivalRealty.com. Lot's of homesteading properties for sale: Homesteads for Sale – SurvivalRealty.com


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## stevewatson3597 (Jul 20, 2020)

You have really need to search through internet.
That is actually tough to finding the "right piece of land", in an area where you want to be, with everything you want on the place within your budget . First you need to do house/land hunting. 
You need to spend some time in an area first to see if you like it and to get a feel for how things work. Then get your financing set up .


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## jr23 (Sep 3, 2013)

Cassie Correa said:


> You might consider my Homesteader Start-Up offer! I am in Southeast Texas where the growing season is year round due to temperatures, rainfall and fertile soil. I have a 7 acre property that I used to homestead. It has a 6000 sf barn, livestock pens, outbuildings, pecan grove, pear & fig trees. It is fenced, cross fenced, gated and sits in a private location at the end of a county road.
> 
> I am looking for someone to occupy it, run a little homestead and help me out /co-op with my current homestead which is about 15-20 miles away. You would have to put a little temporary dwelling on it, but I can help you there, as well. There are utilities to connect with, already in place. Your monthly expense would be taxes and liability insurance, plus your living expenses. What I want in return is a homesteading partner, someone to live on and maintain the property and some handyman/ranch hand help at my place. I am a single widow in my 60’s and can’t keep up with both properties, so I am offering this to some young family that wants to get started, is willing to work, but doesn’t have the capital to get into a place. If you are interested, just let me know and we can continue the discussion.
> 
> ...


lady try to get a background check on prospective persons credit check google the name from there area there coming from . just like a landlord checks for apartments and if possible in your county put a mys call on the property title they might be great people but courteous can still be untrustworthy. wish it wasn't like that but it is


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## jr23 (Sep 3, 2013)

RaeMichel said:


> Im really wanting to start a homestead as soon as possible, I currently live with my parents in Massachusetts.. i was renting an apartment last year but my husband lost his job, so we had to move in with them to save money, which we have done and have a little bit saved up. I would prefer to move to the Carolina's or Appalachia area as land is much cheaper out there! I just dont know how to go about finding a spot, being so far away and all. Any advice on buying out of state would be much appreciated..
> Thanks


i am casually looking in tenn i saw some good some run away. but consider a old rundown small house if the lands good tear down but make sure its got water well and septic two most expensive costs, do a check at county for the official flood plane ans some counties have no codes but the state requires a foundation inspection. and never buy land or home without title insurance. it looks for leins, and they pay for them if something comes up later including property line disputes .and watch out for landlocked make sure theirs an legal easement


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