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Old 08-02-2011, 01:28 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,778 times
Reputation: 10

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Hey, I'm a city boy who wants to buy some hilly rural land in the south, to plant a diverse subsistence farm (more like a huge garden) for my family to live on for a couple generations. I am 28, I only have a few thousand dollars so I am interested in buying the land, not a house. I can scrape up about 7,000 today.

Would it be possible to buy 3-6 good hilly acres in North Alabama for that kind of money? How stringent are zoning laws in your state? Building inspections? Do child services come to your property and take your kids away because you don't have gas heat in the winter? Do your neighbors complain when your sheep wander off your property?

My plan would involve roughing it for a few years, possibly operating as a dump to build up some compost for a while.
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Old 08-03-2011, 06:10 AM
 
87 posts, read 139,850 times
Reputation: 98
You may want to contact Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network Alabama Sustainable Agriculture Network. They have a lot of expertise (or can connect you to the folks who do) in the type of farming you are looking for. There are a lot of very small farmers who would welcome some help right now if you'd like to come stay in the area for a while and scout a bit. Room and board might be provided...and some FUN work in the SUN is guaranteed
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Old 08-07-2011, 11:17 PM
 
Location: Madison, AL
168 posts, read 311,135 times
Reputation: 217
Why are you looking at northern Alabama? You sound like a perfect fit for northwest Arkansas in the Ozarks. I'm not kidding.... I've spent a lot of time there and love it. Up until recently you could get acreage in NW AR for well under $500/acre when buying a farm.

Land in the southeast is just too expensive. Anyone looking for prime farmland wouldn't even consider this area.... western Kentucky is probably the closest "cheap" area for prime (180+ bushel/acre for corn). And for someone like you looking for a place on the cheap..... the Missouri/Arkansas Ozarks best fit what you are looking for. What is your motivation..... living on the land is not easy!
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Old 08-09-2011, 04:24 PM
 
3 posts, read 5,778 times
Reputation: 10
Default not ez

Thanks for replying. My motivation for getting onto the land is that I want the kind of independance that isn't available in the city. I want to buy some land and build real value into it with a food forest, and by the time I am too old to do that hard work, I will have a sort of ecosystem supporting itself, giving me food.
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Old 08-15-2011, 08:13 AM
 
6 posts, read 12,169 times
Reputation: 12
Make sure there are no deed restrictions. I live in the county, outside of city limits, but incredibly I am unable to have any animals on my property. Didn't realize this until months after I'd brought my home.
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Old 08-25-2011, 08:30 AM
 
3 posts, read 5,778 times
Reputation: 10
Default laws n crap

I just bought a book called Dirt-Smart about buying rural land, for city boys like me. Its got lots of stuff about restrictions, neighborhood rules, easements, hidden flaws in the property, inaccurate acreage numbers, timber rights that were sold off years ago. Do you all think I need a lawyer to be a first-time buyer of country land?

I'll definitely be going to the country clerk's office a lot and renting a place in-state while I scope properties.
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