advice on buying land
 

Please use this thread to share advice and wisdom on choosing and buying land for homesteading / a bug-out location.

Things to look for?

Things to avoid?

I know very little about buying remote or semi-remote land, so any knowledge and wisdom you have to share on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

Re: advice on buying land
 

:yes:

IMHO:

First priority is natural water...
If you have a spring,creek,river,or other dependable natural water resource(s) on the land you purchase that does not require electricity for accessibility you're 50% ahead of the game right out of the gate.

Artesian wells are an exception,but rare in most areas of the US.

Keep looking until you find a piece of land with natural surface water onsite.

Second priority is totally unrestricted property...no zoning or usage restrictions concerning dwelling(s) built or transported to your property.

Third priority would be property taxes...how much ?

OK...those first two criteria eliminate 80% of all available land for sale in the US at present.

Go for the the remaining 20% ...a bug out heaven if TSHTF is what you should be looking for.

Worst case scenario ?

It takes approximately one acre per person to feed a family should you be forced to grow your own food.
Standing timber is always a plus...firewood and raw materials you already own puts you even farther ahead in the game.

Good luck...that's the short version.

Re: advice on buying land
 

Thanks river rat, I learned a bunch from your post.

Looked up artesian wells/aquifers; fascinating.

Re: advice on buying land
 

Out of flood plain, on a south facing slope is ideal, preferably an area with no zoning codes. Should have a 2-3 acre clearing to have house in center for forest fire safety. Fresh water supply or deep well.

When your close to making the decision, visit the property on a weekday and a weekend and hang out for several hours and into the early evening and just sit and listen. Although my neighbor is about 300 yds away he blares Allman Brothers constantly. It never stops. Maybe he could throw some Skynard or Molly Hatchet in for a little change... but noooo.

Re: advice on buying land
 

At closing, at the title office or bank, when signing the title, contract for sale or any transfer instrument (use a single obliterating line) mark out the word "tenant" and write above it "landloard" or "buyer".

Better yet, require a free simple title to transfer ownership without the buyer identified as a "tenant".




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Re: advice on buying land
 

I was gonna say water also.
If not above ground, at least make sure there is water to be found Underground.
If the land Has no well yet, Have a water surveyor check for possible drill sites.
Very important.

Re: advice on buying land
 

Ok.....got to snicker a bit here over legal advice from a guy that can't spell LANDLORD and doesn't know the term is " FEE SIMPLE"...

YOU don't sign a "title" when buying land.....the deed is from the seller to the buyer....the SELLER signs it, acknowledging THEY are the owner, and transferring the property to the buyer, but there is nothing for the buyer to actually sign.....the buyer ( or his agent, like the bank if a mortgage is involved ) takes the deed to the courthouse, and records the fact the seller sold the buyer the property.......Technically, you wouldn't even have to record the deed.....mere possession of it with you name on it and the seller's name and signature is proof of ownership....just as a 'bill of sale' for a horse.....but the purpose of this record being so IF the seller decides to sell the same property to 10 other people, the FIRST guy to record it has SOME proof the other sales were fraud....OR should the original copy of the deed ( which some people guard like it's VERY important.....heck it must be, the lawyer wrapped it in fancy cover, right ? ahahahahaaaa ) be lost or destroyed.

Re: advice on buying land
 

From personal experience...

Anything less than 4 acres is just a lot to mow, and has questionable use for anything really serious.

Re: advice on buying land
 

:504: Posted by TechGuy:

Right on Bro...though don't forget mowing 3 acres would probably put most people in the hospital unless they hire Julio's Speedy Lawn Care to cut that pesky grass instead.

Anything over 3 acres you need a diesel tractor and a big finish mower to speed things along and get serious.
I cut 7 acres at least once every ten days here at the old bunker.
Takes about three hours tops.
:yes::yes::yes:

10 acres puts your neighbors a little too close for my taste,I'd rather have less house and more acres anytime.
Crap,I'd take 100 acres and live in a camper if the price was really good.

In a SHTF situation the whacked out druggies and stoners will be your first immediate worry.
You're going to need a whopping big hole to bury all the druggies,welfare parasites and gang bangers who had rather steal from you than work.

Plan ahead...buy a decent small excavator or a TLB (Backhoe)...you're going to need it.

:yes::fan::yes:

Re: advice on buying land
 

We bought our land a few years ago. We bought 22+ acres with a stream at the back of the property that was part of an abandoned nursery. Here is my experience and recommendations.

1) Buy it in cash. The deals are better and sellers are really looking at offers not contingent on financing. We saved a fortune because we came to the table with cash.

2) Make sure it "perks". The ability to have a septic system is a huge plus unless you really want to deal with latrines.

3) Look for land that allows a home or structure to be built so as to not be visible from the road. Our home site is surrounded by trees and cannot be seen from any road or any other structures. The driveway is not paved, and there is no mail box. Mail is sent to our other home. I only cleared a few acres. This also helps with noise from generators leading people to you.

4) Look for land that does not flood.

5) Look for land that is not cleared. It is less expensive as many buyers cannot imagine how it looks cleared and are not willing to delve into it to find out. It also allows you to take advantage of the existing trees.

6) Maintain your property. I have had to evict a few hunters before they found the house. I now bush hog some of it twice a year.

7) Run the utilities yourself and run them underground. It is a pain but it gets done right. The only things we did not do were make the final connections to the grid.

8) Have two wells. One for the house and one for the animals/land.

9) Be patient. There is lots of land for sale.

Re: advice on buying land
 

Also make sure you survey the area to see what is around. Avoid areas where there is active strip mining and coal power plants as they can pollute ground water and river water. Be sure to research if there is any proposals for new construction, say a new highway?

I know out here in Texas they are planning on building that north american union highway so you want to stay away from that.

Re: advice on buying land
 

Re: advice on buying land
 

We bought and built on 2 acres prior to my 'conversion' so to speak. It seemed like a huge amount of land at the time, but now it cannot possibly hold all that I want it to.

Started of with a POS cub cadet mower. Even with 2 acres of ex pasture if was a real problem. Bought a Kubota BX2350 24hp diesel with front end loader with a 60 inch finish mower belly deck. Best equipment purchase ever. Probably should have sprung for the backhoe option though. Went from 4 hours to mow the yard to 2 hours with the kubota. Could mow faster IF the ground was smoother, black clay is some really sorry and bumpy SH&*.



Longer term we are looking for 10 to 20 farther out.

Re: advice on buying land
 

your right on ta that about what i did when i got my place 15 years back , why do you have to mow all your land , the part i don;t mow has turkey an other game birds there for hunting

Re: advice on buying land
 

random thoughts for the quick list...

look for:

security
separation distance from major cities or towns for security purposes

property with seclusion from prying eyes from public rights of way

low-key access points from public right of way

water
independent water source available with non-mechanical or electrical requirements for extraction

fuel
standing timber for means of fuel for heating and cooking

food
at least a few acres has to be farmable

if possible, property that adjoins a national wildlife refuge, state park or other large public property that provides for free range of animals crossing from that property to yours, or you crossing to it to hunt or gather

fishing access within walking distance (no more than about 5 miles one way)

Re: advice on buying land
 

:offtopic:

I hear ya mtnman...though I could very easily be pushed into Colonel Kurtz mode if the big hole gets filled up with bodies too fast.

" You must make a friend of horror...or horror is truly your enemy"

Gotta hand it to Kurtz...he got results.

Ah...the smell of napalm in the morning and the screams of low life thieves coming from the tiger pits I dug last month.
Smells and sounds like victory...

We'll need a few extra pikes this week mtnman...any gas in the chainsaw ?

:rofl::coolbeer::rofl:

Re: advice on buying land
 

Thanks all for the great advice and replies.

One thing I'd like to throw in there that I recently learned about elsewhere is mineral and resource rights of your property. Sometimes mineral rights (or other similar rights) were sold off a long time ago to someone else, and aren't included with the property.

Basically this means that whoever holds those rights has the right to come onto your property as they please and dig for oil, other minerals, etc.

Also sometimes it is not the right to come and prospect for things and drill/mine, but just a percentage of the profits should you happen to find something of value on your property.

Personally I would NEVER buy property like this.

@Morgan The Goat: Amazing picture there, must have been incredibly surreal to behold.

Re: advice on buying land
 

the title search performed by the title company will reveal all recorded reservations and particulars on a property...

while i would agree that owning the mineral rights to a property is great idea i wouldn't necessarily not buy a property based on that alone...

i have one property where the federal government reserved the oil and gas rights and i'm pretty sure i'm sitting on a natural gas cap...but you can still derive income from this...for example when an oil company contracted out siesmograph work to be done as private property owners we demanded a fee to shoot across our property...twice...which they paid us...if they ever drill on our property its considered routine to pay the owner of the surface rights a monthly fee to access and cross the property...

i really hope they drill a well one day...it won't be like winning a lottery, but it would be substantial monthly income...

conversely, i own another property that has oil and gas rights but i know no oil company will ever search for or drill there so they have no financial use to me...its too remote as well as other considerations...

so really i think a person needs to weigh everything...

Re: advice on buying land
 

good luck finding property with intact mineral rights in texas. Not gonna happen.

Some states are better than others....

Re: advice on buying land
 

+1

I read deeds all day long (well when I'm not readong GIM)
NOBODY lets their mineral rights go- EVER.

Re: advice on buying land
 

Why bother with mowing? Why not just have some goats near the house and cows farther out? Mother nature's lawn mower....:565:

Re: advice on buying land
 

I was on the run when making a quick post, so chill.




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Re: advice on buying land
 

mtman wrote:
"Not if you plan on hanging the bodies on pikes as a warning to others!"

I find it hard to believe the good people on this board would say such things about putting bodies on holes, or burying them in trenches.

What a waste of humanity.

I know I'm a newbie, but I feel I must set you straight; first into the smokehouse, then on the table.

:s9:

Re: advice on buying land
 

Just don't tell the ladies where the steaks came from. :wink:

Re: advice on buying land
 

Louisiana is an exception to the rule on Minerals, even if you reserve Minerals, if they are not in use (Producing), they revert to the surface owner since minerals are considered to be a "servitude" under the Mineral Code which is derived from the Civil Code':553:

I draft deeds as a Notary in Louisiana and mineral rights are different in Louisiana.

Re: advice on buying land
 

My criteria:

1. Located near a support network of able-bodied friends/family
2. Reliable water source (spring, stream, well)
3. Soil and climate suitable for low-maintenance agriculture
4. At least 1 acre per person in household (3 acre minimum)
5. 50% wooded and 50% cleared
6. Bordered by National Forest if possible
7. Make sure it isn't in a "tornado alley" or prone to flooding / earthquakes / volcanoes / astroids.

:15_1_70v:

Re: advice on buying land
 

recreational land - house/cabin on skids
separet compost toilet - no septic
good south exposure for solar
trees for heat/cooking/hot water
once decision is made, don't look back, look forward
lots of good advice, esp. spending a little time there first and of course water