# Buying a Homestead: Go big or go small?



## Blisterwood (Jul 11, 2018)

My family and I are getting ready to make a cross-country purchase for a property to finally have our homestead on. We have been slowly making changes to our lives and have come to the point where the chickens need more room than our city lot can offer, and we are itching to get away from the city into the country. 

Up until recently, I thought we knew what we wanted, but now I am questioning the wisdom of it and am hoping to get some feedback.

We were planning on this being our last move, so the land seemed to be the most important (you can change a lot of things about a property but the amount and type of land isn't usually one of them). 
We were also looking for a good house (it's okay if it is small, we can add on if necessary over time) and some infrastructure--barns, workshop would be great. All of these things tend to make properties more expensive, and in our chosen area, this brings the property cost up to $350,000-400,000. We can afford that, but it definitely takes money from retirement and would have us living a very budgeted life (which we are comfortable with and do already).

The other option we have is this move being maybe our last--or maybe not. Buying a little less land (5-15 acres) and a house that needs work, in order to buy the property outright. Once we sell our place, we would probably be able to afford up to $100,000 out of pocket. Buying outright is very appealing, just because the loan isn't hanging over you and you don't have to be as watchful with the money, but it would definitely have us in a house that is not quite exactly what we were looking for, and in land that probably doesn't have a barn and is less private (I would love not to be able to see anyone else's property from home). 

That this is a cross country move is also important. We are sent on the area, but do not have a community there already (but there is a great opportunity to build community). I do not want to pull my wife away from her family, into a place she doesn't know, into a house/property she doesn't like, which is why I am personally leaning toward spending more--even though I am typically extremely budget conscious and hate debt. 

Have you been in a similar situation? Or do you have any advice or words of wisdom?


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

We have a permanent address on the coastal plain of Texas. 111 acres. Too much land. No way to maintain it all ourselves, so things get let slide till they are a crisis. 

Have had other properties of various sizes in various locations. Weather, road access, and ticks are problematic in Missouri. 

I just built a smaller house on a smaller piece of land in central Texas. That will likely be my last location.


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

Carving a section of land out of the world to purchase can seem very daunting...…


Its best to let your needs of what you plan to use the land for help.

Will you trap/hunt or cut firewood to heat the house, if not, then probably no need for 20 acres of woods on the property.
Will you far/plow any fields, if not, then no need for a lot of fields...…

Do you wan to live in the desert ?
Do you want the extreme north where it gets crazy cold ?

You can see how you can start to eliminate areas and certain properties from the list.

5 to 10 acres is plenty to dabble around on without getting too crazy, room for a couple cows, couple of steers, couple of pigs....a couple of about anything, room for barns/sheds chickens/goats etc etc...… gardens, trees etc.


Be sure your lifestyle and you are ready for living way out there...…..no running to the store to just grab a couple things or something you forgot later that evening...too far away and they roll the streets up at dark.


I live about 3.5 miles out of town, about 2 or so miles from anyone, the town 3.5 miles away has no services, not even a post office, a small diner and a bar and a farm/ag fuel station for combines and tractors. It is 18 miles to a town with services, but those are limited, a couple fast food places, a couple diners, a couple gas stations, grocery store/auto parts and a small lumber yard. it is about 45 miles to a real town with wallmart etc. 


Having no one around is great, but there is a price...…..that kind of seclusion fairly close to civilization comes with much higher price than distant properties, which usually only have electric service, you need wood/propane a well and septic, which can increase expenses if not already in place and functioning over a property with services, but might just lack a barn or other structures.


Its best to pencil this stuff out and decide how much work you want to do, cutting a 5 acre yard is not fun in the sweltering heat and humidity, nor is clearing a 1/4 mile driveway in the snow, just to find the road is not cleared or does not get cleared at all.


Its takes a while to figure out what you want and then finding it where you want...…..time well spent, you will know when it is right, I would take your time and not jump on some deal if it does not fit or pay way too much for the perfect property...…..


There is local wildlife to consider too.....might not kids roaming around with bears and mountain lions in the woods.....


Lots of planning and lots of looking, even before you are ready to buy will help you get a good feel for things, so when the right property is found, you will be ready to commit.

Do lots of research some areas that seem far out there are still inside the regulation zone where you will need city/county approval for most things, some thing to be aware of......things such as wells and septic costs can vary wildly state to state from reasonable to crazy. Planning and lots of talking so both are happy.

Go visit areas in bad weather if possible, in the snow or heavy rains or heat of the summer...…..ticks/chiggers and mosquitoes have drove people mad before, something you might not be used to. It also helps to go out to few local places and sample the hospitality....some areas are outstanding and others not so much....you will get a idea if it is a welcoming area or not...….

Point of all my ramblings is that time taken now is time well spent, even if it takes a year longer than you wanted to find that right place !


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## kinnb (Oct 23, 2011)

welcome!


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## crehberg (Mar 16, 2008)

Blister... I think your last paragraph will narrow down your answer. Unhappy wife=unhappy life! What works for you both?


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## hiddensprings (Aug 6, 2009)

We sold our big farm about 2 years ago, moved from the south to the north and live on 24 acres. The home is nice, although we’re making some changes. The best part was paying cash for the property. No mortgage means we can do a lot more and not worry about much. I’m not sure this will be our last place, but we love the area we are in and I sell real estate so get to see what else is coming on the market so we might find something else on more land that meets our needs better. Time will tell.


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

Distance to good healthcare is absolutely a critical consideration.


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## Blisterwood (Jul 11, 2018)

Thanks for all the feedback and experiences. It is good to hear that smaller properties can still be plenty large. In an ideal world, we want a little land for pastures and a garden, but the majority of it would be wooded. 

We have been actively planning on and working toward moving to the country for the last 5 years, and have a good idea of what we want--it's just when moving there are SO MANY possibilities and (at least for me) so many properties that would work well in their own ways. 

It's funny---the day I wrote this I was getting ready to bring it up to my partner and she beat me to the punch. It turns out that we are on the very same page, wanting to get a place that will last and we can add to over time, but willing to go smaller and see how that works out. We have our eye on a beautiful, large property near the top of our price range but without everything that we were hoping for. It is absolutely worth the price it is listed at (and has been listed at for 2.5 years) but we are going to offer what we would feel comfortable with spending, factoring in the improvements we would need to make. 

Normally I would be very on edge about this whole process (because we both love the property and I would hate to lose it) but for some reason, we are both zen. They will either accept, counter, or deny our offer. If we can't get the house in the price range that is reasonable for us, then we will keep looking for 6 months, and if we still can't find anything, we will jump into the area in a small, 'starter' homestead, bought with the money we hope to make from the sale of the house we own in the city. Either way, we plan on moving by early next year--either into a bigger, more expensive property or starting with a little land (even if it is an acre or two) in a servicable, small house. 

A big part of me hopes that we don't get the big property, so we can be truly within budget and not relying on loans from a bank and our jobs to sustain the property.


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

Listen to the cautioning voice.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Once upon a time we lived on 5 acres. Nice ranch style home, large shop, a couple outbuildings, a pond, half heavy timber and the other half a pretty park like setting with tall oaks and rolling green lawns. You could hunt, fish, swim, run trails, cut firewood, and live as you please. Couldn't grow much in the garden and the schools were so so, so we sold it. The buyers were an older couple looking for a place in the country to retire. It was their land of milk and honey.
First time we started looking for "that place", we found dozens of properties we really liked. What concerned my wife was how poor the areas were. Lack of jobs, poor infrastructure, little economic growth.
Keys for us were-
what was manageable and affordable now and later in life.
that my wife was happy.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

Our daughter worked with a woman who transferred to her company. They bought property over 1200 miles away from their previous home based on the MLS listing and Google Earth. Looked like a dreamscape for living off the land. He flew out once and casually walked around with the sellers broker listening to "farm stories" without asking real questions or doing any onsite investigating. She and her husband never visited the property again until a week before closing. They just figured it must be just like the realtor said it was, and just like the other pretty pieces of land in the area.
They took possession and discovered the top soil was literally only inches deep in most areas; the ground was nothing but rock.
They couldn't grow food or keep the livestock they wanted. The well was bad and phone/internet was poor at best.
They were miserable.
They sold the property 18 months later for almost 40% less than they paid for it.


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## Farmerjack41 (Jun 6, 2017)

Not sure land is any cheaper in Washington than northern Idaho, unless you buy in the "trendy places". My son just purchased 1 1/2 acres next to him for $149000. There is nothing on it except lawn grass, does have irrigation water. The thing to watch for in NE. Washington and N Idaho is how good is the chance for domestic water, many wells are only 2 to 4 GRPM. He lives in one of the "places to live" in the Columbia river gorge. 
I have 80 acres, I farm (hay), in the middle of fruit orchards. Have a standing written offer , from a fruit farmer, if I decide to sell, he has 1st chance at $17000 per acre. Will be 77 yrs old next month so may not be to many years till I take him on it.
It has a hay shed and a 10 x 14 shop building. It does have very good irrigation rites, this year the irrigation water cost was $158 per acre.


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Don't settle and don't pay more than you are comfortable with.
SEE the above Read it again about ten times.
Say it like a mantra.
Chant it to each other as you look for places.
You don't want your first offer to be accepted, nope that means you offered to much.
See if there are things besides cash that are important to the seller.( I once got a home for half the asking price by offering to pick up the sidewalk and deliver it to their new home.) 
Move to where you want to be, rent for a year and look and TELL EVERYONE you are looking.
Don't buy anything that you haven't seen on its best and worst days of the year.

Hey where ya wanna go?


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## timMe (Mar 28, 2018)

The older you are the less you'll want/ be able to care for.. The smaller the parcel the less you'll likely pay for.. Our kids are out of the house and retirement is coming fast, 10 acres and we have chickens, 4 kune kune pigs and want a jersey cow when we're prepared for one.. The garden is 25x75 and it's plenty to care for with all the regular chores, we'll also put up a cattle panel green house just as soon as I can swing it.. Go at it slow so you don't overwhelm yourselfs..


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## AmericanStand (Jul 29, 2014)

Good point define your needs, wants and wishes.


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## weaselfire (Feb 7, 2018)

Sell your current place, rent where you are planning to move and look from there. Low risk, better opportunities.

Jeff


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## Elevenpoint (Nov 17, 2009)

Seperate want from need as wants can be endless...your intuition tells you smaller and no debt and both must be on that page...to homestead to a great degree takes very little to maintain for a garden a few chickens etc. Big is not better and in fact can be a miserable life.


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## Clem (Apr 12, 2016)

You're in western NC, one of the most beautiful, and homestead-friendly areas on earth. You can find the perfect spot very nearby.


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## muleskinner2 (Oct 7, 2007)

Buy as much land as you can afford. Put the buildings, and garden on the back side of the property, where it can't be seen from the road. And keep your gate locked.


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## [email protected] (Sep 16, 2009)

I might be wrong, but a barn sounds naustalgic . since you won't have any crops to put into it or any amount of livestock to fill it..
If you go big acreage, you will need big machinery.
I have nine acres, mostly cleared. I use only about 3 acres of it and rent the rest to a farmer to grow his crops..
I have a full sized Oliver 55 tractor. Love it, great for plowing any amount of snow.. in N C you won't get 5 to 20 inches of snow at a time. but I kick myself for not having a large size mini tractor with attachments.
a couple of cows or/and steers will mow down ten acres of pasture in a short time and keep it mowed.
all the above members' advice is well worth paying attention to.


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## Blisterwood (Jul 11, 2018)

Thanks for the input! It is helpful to hear it from different points-of-view. We are moving to N.C.--my profile says Western North Carolina because in my mind I am already there. 

We ended up choosing not to bid on the "dream" property we had been looking at, and that was a huge sigh of relief. Now our price range is much more where I feel comfortable with, even though the properties are smaller and not as polished (we don't care about polished anyway, but there is something truly special about a 100+ year old farmstead that has been maintained meticulously by the family that lived there). 

A barn is important for me for two reasons--there are so many beautiful, old, serviceable barns in WNC and they just have a classic, nostalgic look--and we do want livestock, just not a ton of them. But we are going to have a little operation, so having a barn will make practical sense as well.

A tractor and some other larger equipment will be necessary for what we have in mind, no matter what. While we are both still young(ish) and able-bodied we want to spend that time working the land.


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## big rockpile (Feb 24, 2003)

I had 100 acres and was told that couldn't make a living on so small a place. To me I made plenty but with what the IRS wanted I lost money.

Bought a small 20 acres in the brush nothing on it, couldn't drive in with 2 WD. Did real good with it. Raised Goats,butcher Calf, Rabbits and Poultry, plus Garden. It was really the right size for what I wanted.

Now have 3 1/2 acres,4 bedroom house , 2 Car Garage with Shop and a Apartment,3 other Sheds. Got some Garden. Can cut Firewood but don't have any animals other than two Dogs. But all we need close to town. Gave $40K for it.

big rockpile


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

For the folks freaked out at Rockpile’s affordable house, yup, that is Missouri.

Just stay outside of major metropolitan areas.


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## Farmerjack41 (Jun 6, 2017)

$40k in the part of the state , I live, might get you a poor lot in town, or maybe a acre out in the country. The acre would have nothing on it, ie a well, power ,etc. Five acres not far from me just sold for $175k, think has irrigation water, nothing more.


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## GTX63 (Dec 13, 2016)

My wife's Cousin and her husband recently relocated. He wanted land and buildings and she wanted a nice home. Everything he looked at was more land than he said he wanted with a crappy house. Everything she looked at were nice homes at or above their budget. They finally settled on a fixer upper on a decent parcel. Why? Because no matter how nice the house was, she was still going to want to add her touches and styles, and they both agreed it was better to find something affordable than max out on someone else's design and have no money left to spend.


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## Forcast (Apr 15, 2014)

Keep property tax in mind. Tax $ changes with buildings. And in some areas farm equipment 
.


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## Blisterwood (Jul 11, 2018)

Well, we found our place! Hopefully. 

Our offer was accepted and now we are in the nail-biting phase pre-closing. It is a foreclosure and the timeline for closing doesn’t leave a lot of wiggle room, so I am trying to ‘stay cool’ and not totally believe that it will be ours soon. It is mid-range and the house itself does need a lot of work, but is perfect for our family, even though it is on less acreage than I was initially looking at—about 5 acres. It has an amazing barn. 

Wish us luck!


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## shawnlee (Apr 13, 2010)

We need pictures....lots O pictures....good luck !


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## Blisterwood (Jul 11, 2018)

We are still waiting to hear back on the inspection but here it is—wrap around porch, nice two story barn, pastureland.

I am hoping everything goes through okay.

Blister


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## altair (Jul 23, 2011)

Best of luck to you! More pictures once you're settled please!


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