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Hey guys, I am not new to the forum but I am definitely new to this area of the forum. I will be moving to the Raleigh area in less than two months. I have spent a lot of time in North Carolina over the past couple of years and have really fallen in love with the Blue Ridge Mountains. I have a few questions. I am still young but am looking to do some investing in land to develop at a later date. Here are my questions:
Is it possible to find inexpensive land in the Blue Ridge Mountains? Obviously this is a relative term but I am wondering if I will be able to find 4-10 acres somewhere for less than $30,000. I would expect this to be undeveloped and what not but just wondering if its really possible.
What are property taxes like on undeveloped land in North Carolina?
What areas should I be focusing on? I really like the Lake Tahoma area but have not been everywhere.
Does anyone know anything about the following areas:
Burnett Resevoir
Apalachia Lake
Lake James
Watauga Lake (Eastern TN)
Price Lake
Trout Lake
Bass Lake
Fontana Lake
Santeetlah Lake
Hiwassee Lake
Chatuge Lake
Nantahala Lake
Lake Glenville
Cedar Cliff Lake
Bear Creek Lake
Wolf Creek Lake
Tanasee Creek Lake
Lake Toxaway
Fairfield Lake
Sapphire Lake
Lake Jocassee
Is land going to generally be cheaper in Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, or North Carolina?
I have a few more questions I am sure, just thought I would start it off with this. I tried searching through the forums to answer some of my questions but really have not found much. I am hoping there are a few people in here who can help me with some of these areas. The Lakes that I have listed are just the ones that I have found on Google Maps. Obviously if I am forgetting some, let me know. I was just looking for lakes that had mountains nearby.
Trout Lake, Bass Lake, and Price Lake are all federally owned through the National Park Service/Blue Ridge Parkway. They are part of Cone Park on the outskirts of Blowing Rock, a pricey resort community.
I'm not familiar with all the lakes you listed, but in general, you are not likely to find undeveloped land in your price range close to a lake.
We just bought 12 acres last year outside of Murphy, NC. I am also currently helping my brother look for some property, so I've learned a lot. If you want to be on a lake, expect to pay dearly for it. Also, almost any property you do find on a lake will be in a subdivision with restrictions, and most likely governed by a HOA. Undeveloped, unrestricted land is quite reasonable and is easy to find, and taxes are unbelievably low (in Cherokee County anyway -- our taxes last year for 12 undeveloped acres was just a little over $200)! I don't know if you've been to landwatch.com, but that's a very good place to start, with lots of listings and seems to be updated almost every day. Good luck and happy hunting!
We just bought 12 acres last year outside of Murphy, NC. I am also currently helping my brother look for some property, so I've learned a lot. If you want to be on a lake, expect to pay dearly for it. Also, almost any property you do find on a lake will be in a subdivision with restrictions, and most likely governed by a HOA. Undeveloped, unrestricted land is quite reasonable and is easy to find, and taxes are unbelievably low (in Cherokee County anyway -- our taxes last year for 12 undeveloped acres was just a little over $200)! I don't know if you've been to landwatch.com, but that's a very good place to start, with lots of listings and seems to be updated almost every day. Good luck and happy hunting!
Awesome, thank you for the information. 12 Acres for $200 a year taxes. That's not bad. I wonder how much it goes up once you start developing. My goal is eventually to build an off-grid cabin/earthen home depending on the location/soil/etc. The goal is eventually just an off-grid place to stay in the mountains. I have purchased land in Alaska before (talk about cheap) but eventually it just became a decision to live up there and work on it which I could not afford to do.
Right now I live in Texas but will be moving to North Carolina in the next couple of months. I will be there for at least two years and feel that this is enough time to find land, buy it...and eventually work to reach my goals.
What source of information did you end up using to find the piece of land you ended up purchasing if you don't mind me asking?
I really don't remember which site I found our property on -- I used several. Landwatch.com, northgeorgiamountainrealty.com and landandfarm.com are three that I remember right offhand.. I just Googled my key words, like "land for sale North Carolina" and plenty of realtors and websites come up. Landwatch is my favorite, though. We knew the general area we wanted, which was the NC, Tenn, Ga tri-state mountain region, and had no preference about which of the three states we bought in. The problem with that though, is that very few realtors are licensed in all three states, which affects their ability to pull MLS listings for you. We did eventually find one, though, and here's a hint -- she was MOST appreciative that we did our own research ahead of time, and all I had to do was e-mail her the MLS numbers of the properties we wanted to see, and she had a package of information waiting for us at her office when we got there. I can imagine it's very frustrating for someone to expect a realtor to drive them all over three states looking at property! All we needed her to do was to get us addresses and we handled it from there. Of course, since you know you want NC, that won't be an issue for you.
As far as how building affects your taxes, I don't know, but if you zero in on a county you like, you can pull up the tax records and look for comparables there.
Alaska -- talk about amazing! My husband and I watch all the Alaska shows -- Buying Alaska, Building Alaska, Alaska: The Last Frontier... We are all for adventure, but that's just a little too cold and remote for us! We have lived in South Georgia our whole lives, so when it gets below about 40, that's enough for us!
You need to look into building codes. I don't believe most of NC allows houses like that. There was an older poster on here who ended up in TN due to NCs restrictions.
I really don't remember which site I found our property on -- I used several. Landwatch.com, northgeorgiamountainrealty.com and landandfarm.com are three that I remember right offhand.. I just Googled my key words, like "land for sale North Carolina" and plenty of realtors and websites come up. Landwatch is my favorite, though. We knew the general area we wanted, which was the NC, Tenn, Ga tri-state mountain region, and had no preference about which of the three states we bought in. The problem with that though, is that very few realtors are licensed in all three states, which affects their ability to pull MLS listings for you. We did eventually find one, though, and here's a hint -- she was MOST appreciative that we did our own research ahead of time, and all I had to do was e-mail her the MLS numbers of the properties we wanted to see, and she had a package of information waiting for us at her office when we got there. I can imagine it's very frustrating for someone to expect a realtor to drive them all over three states looking at property! All we needed her to do was to get us addresses and we handled it from there. Of course, since you know you want NC, that won't be an issue for you.
As far as how building affects your taxes, I don't know, but if you zero in on a county you like, you can pull up the tax records and look for comparables there.
Alaska -- talk about amazing! My husband and I watch all the Alaska shows -- Buying Alaska, Building Alaska, Alaska: The Last Frontier... We are all for adventure, but that's just a little too cold and remote for us! We have lived in South Georgia our whole lives, so when it gets below about 40, that's enough for us!
Ha, yea...Alaska is a pretty amazing place. I hadn't really seen the Alaska shows until I got back the first time and then I just got hooked on Gold Rush, Bering Sea Gold, Flying Alaska, etc. If I had to choose a place in the World to have a summer home...I would honestly say Alaska would be it...but unfortunately it's really not feasible until you retire (unless you just have a massive amount of money you want to spend. I was able to find almost 14 acres at one point for less than $1k per acre. If you are ever interested in it I would push you over to the "Over-the-counter" land sales website found here: Over-The-Counter Alaska Land Offerings
I am only 28 years old and have not been able to save as much as I would have liked to start an adventure like that. Anyways, North Carolina is where I will be at over the next few years and I love the Blue Ridge Mountains.
As for the other stuff, I appreciate the help on the website list. I will go ahead and start keeping an eye on things through those. That is really awesome that you were able to find pretty much everything on your own though and gives me a lot of hope. I grew up in the outdoors and would like to get back to my roots. Having a somewhat modern place will alleviate any issues my significant other might have also.
You need to look into building codes. I don't believe most of NC allows houses like that. There was an older poster on here who ended up in TN due to NCs restrictions.
Really? So NC could restrict off-grid building? I will definitely have to look into that. I mean considering I am originally from Texas and will more than likely end up there...I suppose Tennessee is technically closer and therefore more feasible. I will definitely look into it and report back with my findings. Thanks for the info!
Really? So NC could restrict off-grid building? I will definitely have to look into that. I mean considering I am originally from Texas and will more than likely end up there...I suppose Tennessee is technically closer and therefore more feasible. I will definitely look into it and report back with my findings. Thanks for the info!
And I think he/she was responding more to your concept of an "earthen home" than the concept of being off-grid, assuming that means not connected to the electrical grid.
And I think he/she was responding more to your concept of an "earthen home" than the concept of being off-grid, assuming that means not connected to the electrical grid.
Yea, good call. I would want to be completely off grid. Looks like I will have to do some more research on the various counties. I will post my results here.
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