Free 3 bedroom home on 85 Acre Farm

rstid · #1 09/16/10, 07:37 AM

Free 3 bedroom home on 85 acre organic farm.

Our small Western PA farm (Beaver County) is looking for a young family who would like to work with us in exchange for the right to live in a comfortable 3 bedroom home on the farm. We are looking for a reliable trustworthy young family that has some farm or livestock experience and has enough outside income to pay for their own living expenses (food, clothing, utilities, etc).

We expect you to work 2-4 hours 5 days per week and 6-9 hours one weekend day per week (March through November) and 2-4 hours per day during the rest of the year. You will be entitled to share in the bounty of our farm (vegetables, eggs, lamb, beef, etc.) and you will have free use of our hunting and fishing opportunities. The home is in good repair, well insulated and heated with an external wood fired boiler. While we have a very private setting, we are not remotely located and we have excellent local schools.

We are interested in establishing a long-term relationship and view this as an opportunity for the right family to become rooted in a small farm life style.

YOU MUST HAVE IMPECCABLE REFERENCES AND DEMONSTRATE YOUR WILLINGNESS AND ABILITY TO CONTRIBUTE TO OUR FARM.

PLEASE FORWARD ALL RESPONSES TO:
PO BOX 186
East Palestine, OH 44413 email farmer12@gmx.com

Nomad · #2 09/16/10, 09:32 AM

I sure wish I had been able to find something like this 30 years ago. Nobody wants an old broken down Nomad. I guess I can understand wanting someone young and vibrant who they know won't drop over and be able to do the work. Of course back then I wouldn't have had a regular income that would allow me to do it, so I would have lost out then, too.

Nomad

Navotifarm · #3 09/16/10, 10:12 AM

This is a really well-written barter ad. How did you arrive at the number of hours relative to the value of the house rent? And how will you keep track of them? Do you have some kind of sample or draft contract you'd be willing to share?
Housing is normally a person's greatest expense. If you could find a quick strong man like a prison guard or warden who would have a big paycheck zeroing in and lots of free time, he could really crank out the work and might make a deal to sell fresh produce to his employer. Do you have an over-ride or commission or bonus as incentive to your worker? What if you get a city wimp who read the books but had no practical experience? I wish you the best of luck and hope you find somebody competent and honest.

NickyBlade · #4 09/16/10, 10:25 AM

This ad was on here before... posted by a different user name.

Nomad · #5 09/16/10, 12:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NickyBlade

This ad was on here before... posted by a different user name.

I must have missed it. I watch these pretty closely, especially if they are in PA. I see the responses are to go to an Ohio address. I wonder if they commute?

Nomad

Lyra · #6 09/16/10, 12:25 PM

Being from Pittsburgh, I would say there are a few red flags to that post including the Ohio address.

Madame · #7 09/16/10, 12:31 PM

Hmmm...19-29 hours a week of work in exchange for room and board. Seems a bit pricey to me.

Jan Doling · #8 09/16/10, 12:50 PM

Maybe the spouse could have the outside job and the stay-at-home parent have the farm job? That would allow one to be a farmer in exchange for housing and perhaps do sharecropping, too?

crispin · #9 09/16/10, 12:59 PM

I would guess that it is a real post. It is also posted on a few other forums

http://www.themodernhomestead.com/e1....php?4521.post

http://www.pasafarming.org/pasa-clas...e-ea88e747a99b

Heritagefarm · #10 09/16/10, 01:17 PM

http://forums.homestead.org/forum_posts.asp?TID=19164

Nomad · #11 09/16/10, 02:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madame

Hmmm...19-29 hours a week of work in exchange for room and board. Seems a bit pricey to me.

It says someone would be able to share in the bounty of the farm. That should balance the scales a bit. I hate being too old for these opportunities. My daughters could really benefit from such a thing.

Nomad

ErinP · #12 09/16/10, 10:27 PM

In my part of the world, you work about twice as many hours (aka, a "job"), get the house, usage of the property (as well as a few outbuildings) a work vehicle, utilities AND a good income!

Personally, working 20-30 hours doesn't stack up to just rent!!

ErinP · #13 09/16/10, 10:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by crispin

I would guess that it is a real post. It is also posted on a few other forums

http://www.themodernhomestead.com/e1....php?4521.post

http://www.pasafarming.org/pasa-clas...e-ea88e747a99b

Probably because anyone who jumps at this kind of "opportunity" isn't going to have much experience and they turn over help on a regular basis.

But that's just my guess...

Yvonne's hubby · #14 09/17/10, 12:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Madame

Hmmm...19-29 hours a week of work in exchange for room and board. Seems a bit pricey to me.

Oh, I dunno, I once took a job on a farm that paid 10 bucks a week and room and board. I had sunday mornings off and seldom worked past dark, but had put in at least an hour before daylite. It seems kinda funny now, looking back on that summer so many years ago, I cant even remember his daughters name anymore.

Yvonne's hubby · #15 09/17/10, 12:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ErinP

Probably because anyone who jumps at this kind of "opportunity" isn't going to have much experience and they turn over help on a regular basis.

But that's just my guess...

I have a feeling that anyone who jumps at this "opportunity" will have plenty of experience soon enough.

bloogrssgrl · #16 09/17/10, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nomad

I sure wish I had been able to find something like this 30 years ago. Nobody wants an old broken down Nomad. I guess I can understand wanting someone young and vibrant who they know won't drop over and be able to do the work. Of course back then I wouldn't have had a regular income that would allow me to do it, so I would have lost out then, too.

Nomad

If I had a room without a leaking roof to put you in, we would take a seasoned farm hand in a heart beat. But alas, the house needs too much work, and we don't have the time because of other farm needs, but if we had some help around the farm, maybe we could get the roof done, but we have nowhere for the help to stay becasue of the leaking roof...

Are you getting dizzy yet? We are.

Nomad · #17 09/17/10, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bloogrssgrl

If I had a room without a leaking roof to put you in, we would take a seasoned farm hand in a heart beat. But alas, the house needs too much work, and we don't have the time because of other farm needs, but if we had some help around the farm, maybe we could get the roof done, but we have nowhere for the help to stay becasue of the leaking roof...

Are you getting dizzy yet? We are.

I'm not so much seasoned as I am aged. And I come with a lot of baggage. Three females and nine cats. I'm looking for my own small place, but having no luck due to having to do a lease to own for almost a year. But I plan to have something by next August and finally be able to quit looking. I hope you get the roof fixed. A house that isn't weather tight will deteriorate pretty quickly.

Nomad