Acreage In Northern Idaho (St. Maries, Plummer: rental, appliances, house)

[fionafrances]

[SIZE=2]My family and I are thinking about moving to somewhere in Idaho. We will be moving from Arizona so we want to be somewhere green, i.e. not in the high desert. It won't be for a few years because my husband is attending school right now for landscape architecture. What we are looking for is acreage, somewhere between 2 and 20 (not too important as long as the neighbors are not breathing down our necks and we have room to plant a substantial garden and orchard and have a horse or two and chickens and possibly goats), that is close (short commute) to a good sized city because he will need to find work once he graduates. We don't want to spend more then between $30k and $60k on the land, and we will be trying to live off the grid as much as possible (solar and wind power, rainwater harvesting, greywater and most likely composting toilets), and hopefully will be building our own cob or strawbale home. We have 2 small children so schools will need to be relatively close, although if it comes down to it I can homeschool them. Any ideas on what part of idaho would be a good fit? Is this an unattainable dream? Or even realistic with that sort of budget and long list of criteria? We are just so disenchanted with the huslte and bustle of city living and we want to be more self sustaining. I had been looking at some cities near Spokane, but I am not sure if that area is in our budget. [/SIZE]

[GhostInTheShell]

I'll send you a private message with links to the two MLS's that serve northern Idaho. I can't speak from experience as I haven't moved there yet, but from the research I've done, you should be able to find 5-10 acre listings in your price range as long as you're willing to make some compromises. Most of the nicer 10 acre listings I've seen are $80k - $150K depending on the features (southern exposure, river/creek front, septic approved, flat/sloped, roads/driveway, lot improvements, year round access, no nuisances, etc). You may also want to makes sure the land is covered by one of the fire districts.

You can certainly live off the grid in northern Idaho; you just have to be willing to makes compromises (same as with the land). Obviously you'll want southern exposurea and to consider propane/energy efficient appliances, etc. The NREL (National Renewable Energy Laboratory) has online maps of North America showing the insolation (solar radiation) levels. Per the maps, the panhandle has one of the lowest insolation levels in all the U.S. So that's a drawback.

I'm looking for about 10 acres myself, though I'm only interested in land where power is either already on site or close by. Nonetheless, I'm considering a solar water pump (either w/ batteries or a tank to provide water pressure) plus a hand pump and a diesel generator for those days when the grid power may go down.

[mistyriverranch]

We moved to north Idaho from AZ 6 years ago and we've lived off-grid that entire time till we just became grid-tied last week (we still use our solar panels, wind turbine and batteries, we just supplement with grid power rather than the generator...it's cleaner and much cheaper).

My husband is an electrical engineer and alternative energy consultant. DM me if you want his number for help or just off-grid resources in north Idaho.

[esselcue]

I am looking to relocate to NID from Arizona after I retire in January (after & if I manage to sell my house here in Chino Valley) and I have found some amazing buys right now on property and homes in the Bonner and Boundary County areas. Of course, once housing loosens up again those prices may not be as good as they are now, but I would say you should be able to find something in your price range. Also check northeastern Washington State around Newport...beautiful area and inexpensive with plenty of off-the-grid availability. Idaho has a very nice property tax structure in that if you live in your home (not a rental unit) you get a handy tax cut. After the bone crushing property taxes on Yavapai County I am eager to have some breathing room in that area of taxation. Good luck to you!

[Trace_Rinaldi]

Check out Benewah county around the south end of lake CDA.. There is land in your price range..
VERY green, lots of tree's mixed with farmland. Close to Coeur D'alene, and Spokane without all the hustle and bustle. We bought 25 acres, and cant wait to be living on it;-)

[fionafrances]

Thanks for all the great info everyone!

[fionafrances]

Trace- Would you say that Benewah county is within commuting distance of Spokane? I think that is the largest city in that area. I am fairly certain that my husband would have to work in a large city in order to make it as a landscape architect.

[Trace_Rinaldi]

Originally Posted by fionafrances

Trace- Would you say that Benewah county is within commuting distance of Spokane? I think that is the largest city in that area. I am fairly certain that my husband would have to work in a large city in order to make it as a landscape architect.

Yes Fiona, we are about 35 miles to Spokane and I believe they are working on an even more direct faster route to and from Spokane. Anywhere in Worley, Plummer, even Tensed and St. Maries should be a pretty easy commute to Spokane or CDA. By Cali standards its VERY close to be 30-40 minutes from work. St. Maries, and Tensed would be more like an hour away depending on conditions

Heres a couple pics of the area around my place just outside of Plummer, and in the one shot is my property and newly built shop. Took these a couple weeks ago.

[fionafrances]

Trace- Those pictures are beautiful! I am so excited at the possibility of moving now that I can see how beautiful it is there. I can't wait. Hopefully we will be able to find good buildable land, near a city in our price range. Can't start looking yet because we don't have the money yet.

[Gerardo Returns]

Every time I view Idaho pictures or read Idaho posts, I always leave with a smile on my face. Is it getting more crowded up there because I constantly read about people from California or out east moving to this region? I really wish there was a way to discourage sprawl because places that used to be beautiful in other parts of the country turned upside down as soon as people relocated from the northeast or California. I have always been attracted to the northwest and would buy property in north Idaho, but with the economy as it is as well as all this talk of socialism and the dollar tanking, it makes me want to just sit on on my assets.