Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Location: Stuck on the East Coast, hoping to head West
4,640 posts, read 11,930,296 times
Reputation: 9885
Advertisements
Quote:
Originally Posted by JONOV
You still haven't stated what your goals are as far as self sufficiency and preparedness.
A large yard with expansive vegetable garden? A ranch? Etc...
I want to spend around $200,000 for a homestead (less, if at all possible). The property would be large enough to grow enough food for 5, but small enough that those 5 can defend it and take care of it.
The property would include a move in ready house that has a bedroom and shower on the first floor.
Food: I plan to grow would include beans, tomatoes, cukes, lettuces, squashes, possibly fruit trees if I can figure them out.
I don't envision growing corn or grains. I'm very concerned about fertile soil. My previous house had land that needed lots of rehab to grow anything. In the end, I gave up and did container gardening.
Animals: chickens and goats
Ideally, I'd like to be close to fishing
Close enough to an economic center that I can commute for some type of job if I had to. Within 1/2 hour drive to 24 hour medical care.
Low crime.
Low property taxes.
Gun friendly
Internet (requirement) because I plan to expand my online business
The property has to have more than one way in or out.
As few property restrictions as possible
I don't particularly care about things like museums, shows, or zoos
I want to spend around $200,000 for a homestead (less, if at all possible). The property would be large enough to grow enough food for 5, but small enough that those 5 can defend it and take care of it.
We spent $75k to buy 150-acres of woodlot with river frontage.
Then we spent another $50k to build our house.
Living here, gardening, raising chickens and pigs, shifting our home to solar-power, etc. We have spent an additional $50k in making improvements and customizing.
I would NEVER tell any realtor that you plan to spend $200k. They will try to hook you on buying a place for $250k.
Instead say that you do not want to spend over $100k.
I have never really like realtors, but moving to Maine convinced me to be extremely wary of them.
I want to spend around $200,000 for a homestead (less, if at all possible). The property would be large enough to grow enough food for 5, but small enough that those 5 can defend it and take care of it.
The property would include a move in ready house that has a bedroom and shower on the first floor.
Food: I plan to grow would include beans, tomatoes, cukes, lettuces, squashes, possibly fruit trees if I can figure them out.
I don't envision growing corn or grains. I'm very concerned about fertile soil. My previous house had land that needed lots of rehab to grow anything. In the end, I gave up and did container gardening.
Animals: chickens and goats
Ideally, I'd like to be close to fishing
Close enough to an economic center that I can commute for some type of job if I had to. Within 1/2 hour drive to 24 hour medical care.
Low crime.
Low property taxes.
Gun friendly
Internet (requirement) because I plan to expand my online business
The property has to have more than one way in or out.
As few property restrictions as possible
I don't particularly care about things like museums, shows, or zoos
That's a really tall ask. The closes you could get in North Carolina would be a mobile home, or otherwise you'd have to live further away from either an economic center or decent healthcare. ANd I don't think NC is unique there...anywhere you go land with a decent house on it is expensive. IF, as Submariner did, you build the house after acquiring the land, it might be cheaper.
ANd I don't think NC is unique there...anywhere you go land with a decent house on it is expensive. IF, as Submariner did, you build the house after acquiring the land, it might be cheaper.
IF the county allows you to build without spending hundreds of thousands, and it'd be a lot more expensive overall than buying and older house.
Right now, most counties will NOT.
Building anything that qualifies as a "house", which would appreciate as such (versus dumping money on a structure you can't sell as a house, really, barn, shed, shack, tiny house, hunting cabin, and likely isn't even legal to occupy full time) is considerably more expensive than buying existing one.
Few counties that would allow small semi-primitive cabins (which would be very expensive per square foot price) or just whatever you want...ain't going to be near jobs or good healthcare. Btw, on any home, you're going to get insurance quote way above the structure market price....because they base on current construction costs per square foot and it's whole lot more expensive than existing one.
It's mostly people on fixed income who can afford to live in the kind of places which allow to build whatever. Many of these places....I've been to them (without naming names here)....I think getting the virus is more fun than living there, honest (nasty climates and bugs).
Beware of land-sellers, they're a lot worse than regular realtors. Lots of land scams and just selling lots to out-of-staters with tales of honey rivers.
Last edited by worldcitizen10; 03-31-2020 at 02:03 PM..
"The Long View"
+ natural resources, especially water, recommend areas east of the Mississippi
+ access to railroad and or navigable water
+ hydropower
. . .
A good candidate is rural land in the TVA watershed, near a small town, that was or still is connected via railroad or navigable water. And that has a hospital still operating.
. . .
The assumption is that when Flying Fecal Fanblade Fusion occurs, there will be an interruption in foreign trade, fossil fuels will become scarce, frugal transportation will be predominantly rail, and hydropower will be most reliable even post-SHTF.
If you don't have it, can't make it, can't trade for it, you'll do without it.
A man with a year's supply of food will outlive a man with a year's supply of money.
A man with two year's supply of food will be king.
Sounds like West Virginia may be a good fit. There's water, some good land, timber, prices are lower than many areas, still close enough to commute to some very large cities.
Good hunting and fishing, not as much government as some. Lots of oaks and other nut trees already there.
Sounds like West Virginia may be a good fit. There's water, some good land, timber, prices are lower than many areas, still close enough to commute to some very large cities.
Good hunting and fishing, not as much government as some. Lots of oaks and other nut trees already there.
Might be worth a look.
But hard to find usable land, a lot of steep slopes. Good flattish usable land is taken. And is often going to be in the flood zone. Especially anywhere close to "jobs and healthcare". With OP's requirements they'd have to be close to Morgantown most likely (and Martinsburg/panhandle would be more expensive). Water supply in that area could be easily compromised by fracking activities which are very heavy there. Will be hard to find land/house without CC&R/no cattle restrictions anywhere close to jobs and healthcare. In the panhandle and Northeastern WV, which is kind of close to DC, it's CC&Rs all over and more NOVA type of mentality also. Distances might look close as crow flies but these are loong drives on windy roads.
And internet....is going to be tough, let's just put it this way. Even cell signal can be a challenge, with all the mountain ridges.
Last edited by worldcitizen10; 03-31-2020 at 05:16 PM..
$60k for 15 acres, power, water, sewer, looks like some decent level ground, hardwood forest, not far from Morgantown.
The house is small, but that's easily fixed.
I wouldn't discount West Virginia without at least taking a look. That internet search took all of 30 seconds. Imagine what you could find if you look.
$60k for 15 acres, power, water, sewer, looks like some decent level ground, hardwood forest, not far from Morgantown.
The house is small, but that's easily fixed.
I wouldn't discount West Virginia without at least taking a look. That internet search took all of 30 seconds. Imagine what you could find if you look.
Uhuh....
If one is going to be searching on Landwatch....let's just say crook'o'land of landwatch scams...good luck.
They tell ya all about the parcels, yeah. Online it all looks good'n'cheap, yeah, sure.
Not sure if you been to WV. Do you realize what internet situation is there?
And more than one way in and out, good luck with that in mountain terrain....
Mineral rights don't mean a thing also, in fracking area, they'll just take you to court and win and you wake up next to the rig.
60K parcel also will put the OP well out of his budget, if he wants to build not a hunting shack.
And water? Aside from fracking, does one realize a lot of places in WV have no water and have to haul? Because if they drill there's none or it's gone in a year, and multiple bad wells are typical, because of fractures in the rock water is gone. I've seen plenty of 300-400ft dry wells.
Last edited by worldcitizen10; 03-31-2020 at 05:36 PM..
Avoid cold (the north) and dry (the west). Seek moderate temperatures and humidity (for shade, growing food perhaps). Sounds like the south and east, and those coasts.
Remember that there are parts of the West with a dry pleasant climate and plentiful (enough) water......
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
