Hobby farm in Rhinelander??? (Oneida, Eagle: relocating, budget, for sale)

[jesselou]

We are relocating to Rhinelander from Montana, and wondered if someone could answer a few questions. We were planning on buying a house in the country (the one I liked had about an extra acre of land), but a realtor just sent an email saying he thought that since we would be keeping a few chickens and a milk goat (all for personal use, no income) we were considered hobby farmers and probably needed 5 or more acres for city ordinance. Anyone know anything about this? In Montana we only really have rules about these things in the city and certain subdivisions. Hope someone can help! We are supposed to look at properties next week in Rhinelander and would like to know more about this. Tried Googling it, but some of the zoning entries I came up with were like they were written in Greek.

[fxsts]

Hi,
I live in Eagle River. Don't believe the realltor. Call the Onieda County Courthouse in Rhinelander and ask for their zoning department. They will give you all the info you need on having animals or poultry. if you are looking at Rhinelander , the city, call the city office in Rhinelander. They will also be very helpful. I, not too many years ago, kept my horse at my lake home, on a 140x360 ft lot..totally legal in my township. Also, check on the Onieda County home page.. there is alot of info there..ie property assessed values to make sure what you purchase isnt over priced. Just remember, here in vacationland, off water properties in the country takes at least 2 yrs to sell and there are alot of nice places for under 100k in this area....if you need more info, I'd be happy to help.

[fxsts]

Just a note to add what I stated earlier. If you find a place you really like, do you homework.
Go to the Onieda County website and land records. Type in the address of the property and it will give you the assessed evaluation..this is the tax assessment..in Onieda County its pretty close to accurate. i mean it should be what its worth...the realtors in this area are only out for the commission, they will not be looking out for your interests...believe me...the sale asking prices by some sellers are fantasies. An acre of land in or near Rhinelander should be priced between 5k and 15k swamp or subdivision. Housing costs here are 100.00 per sq ft new. There are many, many places for sale..just go to realtor.com and type in 54501 zip. Most are overpriced. You should be able to buy a three bedroom 1 1/2 bath with an acre of land, five yrs old, for around 119k-129k. stay away from places too close to hwy 17, 47 or 8
too much noise and traffic. Look seriously at sugar camp, 7 miles north of Rhinelander. Nice and low taxes. or, in Oneida county, you can build yorself. Up here, you will need a state building permit, a sanitary permit and a county permit. You can do all the work yourself, except the septic and plumbing rough ins for sanitary. You can install your own 200 amp service, just need to sign a its a code installation card, same with gas lines to the outside meter. Material costs, estimate $38.00 a sq ft....ok, enough said

[Drover]

For the record, it's Oneida County. That should make looking up the info a little easier.

[uwsupergirl]

I have lived in the Northwoods of Wisconsin since February 1991. I now have chickens, ducks and a turkey, and used to have 2 goats. I have had the county called on me once for this. I have 3 acres. The rules relating to keeping farm animals is usually determined by the county, unless the city or village or township has their own rules. I live in Vilas, and I am ruled by the county here, since there aren't real defined laws by the township I live in. I can keep animals on 3 acres, but the amount of animals is vague and the county can decide if you have too many or not. They told me I was okay after coming here, but told me I couldn't get any MORE than I had at the time!! I CANNOT keep horses, and if someone had horses in Eagle River, on a lot that small as written here, it was either because he/she was breaking the law and nobody noticed (common up here) or it was before some law changed, I am pretty sure of this. Eagle River is in Vilas County where I live. You must have 5 acres to keep a horse, as I understand it, and most times, nobody will bother you if you have less-BUT, i was told that if a neighbor complains, you could have a problem. You need to find a property you like, and then call the county, and the township, village or city the property is in and make sure of the laws before committing. Sugar Camp is a good area to keep animals, and has quite a few hobby farm type places. To buy property with 5 acres and a decent house, I would budget more than $119k. I would try and spend at least $150k and you would find something pretty nice. (Not on a lake of course) . I agree that most houses are overpriced here, and the market is soft right now. My daughter works for a realtor and he complained that this year has been terrible. I would definitely play low-ball with sellers, to see if you can get a better deal. It seems sometimes that people up here will list their properties up here at inflated prices just to see if some out-of-towner will come along and pay it not knowing any better! I have seen houses go on the market in June, and off the market in September, and this will go on for years before they actually sell the property or just give up. Make sure you have a way to make a living before coming here. It is rough, and even rougher now for our family now that gas prices have soared. We spend three times on gas than we did last year, and we don't have an increase in income to make up for it. We are just now passing (after 15 years) the yearly income we left in Illinois. There are plenty of positives though. Good luck.

[countrygirl50]

You have to look at the zoning areas when you go to buy. I would also look at the neighbors and what they have. If you have rich picky people living around the area you would not want to even have a dog that barks they might call the cops on you even in the country.

[nancinorthwoods]

I just found this forum, and I realize it is a little later than most, but I have a 2-unit condo in the country outside of Rhinelander on almost 2 acres that I am looking to rent. If that is something you'd consider while you are making your buying decisions, let me know. I think the parcel is too small for horses, but the township allows small stuff like goats, etc. (Pelican). Thank you-