Buying Desertland? (acres, water, generator, mountains)

[hippyman]

Has anyone on here ever bought land in the desert before? I've been thinking about this, and I'm thinking I might like some place very far away from people. The only thing is, who owns that land out there? Anyone got any ideas?

[SCGranny]

All land is owned, either by individuals, corporations, or the government.

I rented land from a private owner in the desert of NM (long story, but necessary at the time). The well went alkaline and there was no potable water for 3 miles. If you want a particular place, you have to research thru county deeds and records to find out who owns it. If you end up 'squatting', they may never know that you are there - or they might run you off at any time.

[branDcalf]

I lived in high desert country (northern NV) and really liked it. I had to haul my water, had a generator for power when I needed it. And, my nearest neighbors were about 13 or so miles away.

I've had good luck using an area cafe or bar as a starting place when looking for remote land to lease or buy. Though, they are in no way a good final word on who owns what and what is available. Verify, verify. I remember one scammer who sold water to folks and he didn't own any part of it. He got away with it for more than a year, too.

[ognend]

Originally Posted by hippyman

Has anyone on here ever bought land in the desert before? I've been thinking about this, and I'm thinking I might like some place very far away from people. The only thing is, who owns that land out there? Anyone got any ideas?

Plenty of desert land south of Alpine, TX towards Big Bend (places like Terlingua). "Ranches" go for a few thousand for a bunch of acres. Also lots of "desert land" in Hudspeth county, TX. Buyer beware and good luck.

OD

[StealthRabbit]

Usually BLM land, or LARGE ranches.

Living in the desert has significant challenges, often water being primary.

with climate change and pressures on water resources, also consider living in the dense forests of PNW.and Northern CA. You can find a cheap abode or be a squatter. Just stay clear of the illegal 'growers' and you will live a life of solitude (and not suffer for heat or water).

[recycled]

Hippyman, since you are in the Lone Star state, there no shortage of desert land for sale in your homeland. In West Texas, there is very little BLM or government owned land aside from a few military installations and a couple of National Parks.

I've poked around a lot of areas in West TX and there is no doubt that there are few people, few towns, lots of open spaces, crystal clear skies, clean air, big winds, and as others have said, scarce water. There are some decent towns to check out too. Marfa, Alpine, Ft Davis and Marathon make for interesting places to explore. I get a kick out of Marfa, a real interesting variety of people have settled there. These are high elevation desert towns (above 4000 feet) so even in summer, the evenings will cool off enough so you don't need AC at night.

You ought to hop in your VW bus and take a roadtrip out to West TX. When you find an area you like, stop and poke around for a while. I would not rush into buying desert land until you have stayed in an area for awhile and got a feel for what it's like. Before buying land, find some people who live in the general area and get their opinion about the real conditions of living there, pros and cons. There is no land rush going on there, so it's buyer beware.

[hippyman]

Thanks for the tip. I found a website with links for BLM land for sale; I havent looked at it yet, but heres the site, for all who are interested: Land For Sale I was originally thinking about something up in the Nevada mountains, but ever since my last experience up there, I'm reconsidering.

[crazyme4878]

Also double check how you can access the land, as well as easements. There was someone on the Arizona forum who bought land--I think he even had an easement--but because of the landforms, could not access it.

One possible way to do it is spend more money for a small lot with decent access and water, then purchase surrounding land (or nearby land with easements, if you can convince the surrounding landowners to let you have them, at a price, of course) at a much cheaper rate. I use to live in a northern town where it was somewhat common for people to have a place to park close to the road, but then had a trail into the main portion of their property. Just another idea...

[Cruzincat]

See if you have AANTV on your cable (324 on Directv). Every once in a while they auction off lots of varying sizes in eastern AZ. No endorsement from me, as I think it's a waste of time and money, but somebody always seems to buy it. Looks pretty desolate to me, even the areas with lots of vegetation. No water, you have to carry it in. It's high desert so you probably can get pretty cold on a winter night.

[soccerscotty21]

Just talk to a Realtor in the state where you want to buy, and possibly in the closest town to the area where you want to buy. Any land currently available for sale will be on a statewide MLS service. I know in Southern Utah (Iron County) you can pick up some super remote acres for really cheap. Those listings are always coming up in MLS searches. I would say it is probably the same in Nevada, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, and possibly parts of Colorado.