Areas in country for best value acreage

We lived in Cary Plantation , Too small to be compared to anything I know of. Aroostook county is very rural and doesn't have much but it is nosy. I have no problem with rangers or sheriffs, I am just saying I don't need them nosing around. In Maine You will have to deal with LURK and other agencies when you move there, it is just part of what we delt with.. In other parts of the country it just does not happen. This and others, are reasons to choose drier places over Maine. Maine is fine if you don't mind those things. Missouri is also zoning and regulation free in many places, a big bennefit and very green.

Jason

If you had the opportunity to spend some time (live for awhile) in various states, you'd learn more than the average person has the opportunity to do when simply considering a purchase there.

The Ozarks are fantastic. I've always favored Arkansas over Missouri for it's more (in my opinion) scenic beauty, but now that I've been in AR for 2 1/2 years, I feel Missouri beats it hands down. (Taxes, laws, etc, although the people are equally wonderful) AR is still prettier, but MO is the better, all around place to live. Better than I've found anywhere else yet, and I've lived in many states, as well as overseas.

The Wandering Quilter's Life in a Box!

I have a friend who moved to TN in Dec. He is a traveling salesman so he could have bought in KY just as easily. He is the kind of guy to research everything and he picked TN over KY because KY has much higher taxes.

__________________
-Paul

"If women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy." -Red Green

East Texas is more green and cheap land in some areas. West Texas has cheap land but you have to fight to get water.

__________________
Ted H

You may all go to Hell, and I will go to Texas.
-Davy Crockett

Like they say value depends on a lot of things for shear beauty the west coast any where with a veiw of the water same for the east .Heck Manhatten would be a great place if you could get everyone to leave.
Love the unpopulated desert country of UT NV and CA.
Love IL for being in the center of my work.
My hearts in Alaska

Anybody ever see a chart of land value per unit of corn or hay? Something lik that would be a great help!

Your question is about affordable areas, and I agree with other posters that cheap land can be had, and lots of it, in areas that are dusty-dry, not located near utilities, not on good roads or even any roads at all, inaccessible or otherwise encumbered by such things as easements, sold-off mineral rights or air rights, in dirt-poor school areas, etc.

Now, let me ask you what you mean by affordable? When I make the largest investment decision of my life, I not only want land that has none of the above drawbacks, but I also want land that as close as I can predict will appreciate in value over the years. Otherwise -- and especially if I must take out a loan to buy it -- I am simply pouring money into a depreciable asset.

Let's say I find some $200 an acre land on a decent road that needs no improvement in infrastructure, but it is in a remote county and after 15 years is still only worth $200. I have lost money, even if I paid cash, because inflation itself has exacted a price on that investment. It has lost value by inflation.

Don't ever count on finding that kind of land, anyway. More likely, your cheap land will need power run to it to be worth any more than it is now (at a cost of $100-plus a FOOT), will need to have at least a driveway (dozer work here with a medium dozer is $65 an hour; gravel is $300-600 a load depending on area), will need a well or other water source (public water piped in runs about $20-$80 a foot depending on location), etc.

It is all relative. My land is basically flat, and right next to a subdivision. I live in one of the top 2 income areas of the Southeast, and there are 20,000 jobs paying $40,000-100,000 a year coming here over the next 5 years. Unemployment is 3%. I could get $5,000 an acre for it now, but I will get far more as home lots when I subdivide the farm in my retirement, 20 years from now.

To me, that is a far more affordable and wise investment than buying $1,400 an acre land available in the way northern part of my county that is all hills and trees, and hard to find water on...and will be worth $1,750 in 20 years time.

__________________
Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

Get thee to a Traders Guide! They're a newspaper type ad magazine that sells for a dollar. You can find them at gas stations and grocery stores. It comes out on Thursdays.

2 story 4 BR house on 37 acres, $95K (Grantsville)

50+ acres, free gas, 3 BR mobile home, 4 ponds $149K Lewis County

62 acres new barn, public water $139K near Ripley (no mention of electric and definitely no dwelling)

Those prices are a lot higher than they were two years ago when we were looking, but they're still reasonable.

__________________
Our homestead-in-the-making: Palazzo Rospo
Eating the dream

Respectfully I disagree.

I paid $900/acre, and across the road my SIL paid $300/acre. We have a well maintained road, power, phone and DSL right at the pavement. No easements.

And it is not dry.

__________________
http://www.mofga.org/

http://www.mofga.org/Programs/FarmAp...2/Default.aspx

I have 54 acres for sale in Wisconsin at $3300/acre on the Barter board. Like anywhere else, land prices go up the closer you get to a big city.

WOW

__________________
http://www.mofga.org/

http://www.mofga.org/Programs/FarmAp...2/Default.aspx

Thanks I'm going to pick one up this week.

It all depends on what you want.My DH and I bought 30 acres for our retirement not to retire on.Because land prices are on their way out of sight in our area.When we retire we will find land in a more affordable area. It is not remote and is becoming more "metropolitan "by the day.But in the 5 years we have had it the price has tripled (or more because we have access to city water and sewer.)

Thanks to everyone for the replies. I'm looking for something with 3 - 5 acres of decent tillable land with the rest (whatever I can afford) in hardwoods. That's the ideal. Right now I'd be willing to settle for anything with good sun exposure that's decently fertile. I want to be able to have a lot of fruit trees, bushes, perennial berry crops, etc. I would prefer to have four seasons. I lived in the desert. I don't ever want to do that again. I don't know what Maine is like. What kind of growing season do you have? How cold does it get in the winter? I'm not afraid of the snow; I grew up in a snowbelt region of New York State. I'm just getting tired of the long winters.

I'm getting kind of discouraged about the whole thing. Like one of you said, you really have to live in a place to know what it's really like and you really, REALLY have to be able to see property you're thinking about buying in person. I just don't know how I'm going to be able to do that. I have to keep working and can't get away to look at land that is in some other state. We are financially able to make a purchase this summer but have no way of actually being there to make a decision about any particular place. I guess a lot of people are in the same boat.

That's right, if you can see what you want, you will get it.

So to get started, get a vision of what you want, price, type and amount of land, animals, garden, house or build, etc. You don't and can't work out all the details, some you just won't know about, but what you do want, get it clear in your mind.

Then you will have it before you know it. It will be the most fun you ever had.

Enjoy,

Alex

__________________
Thou art That

We spent one vacation driving out to look at land in Idaho.

We decided that it was too dry and not very pretty.

It was an entertaining vacation, actually. Land shopping is an entertaining enough past time!

What state are you living in now?

central NY

Cheap does not equal value or affordability. Land prices follow the laws of supply/demand and general area ability to pay. There is always a REASON or reasons for the price being what it is, and that is what I tried to point out yesterday. Remember: A-l-w-a-y-s.

As far as cable TV, high speed internet, water, phone, etc., we got all that in the front yard, too. That was not my point.

When I came here, land in my TN county was $1,000 an acre. That was in 1990. It is now north of $3,000 and climbing. Cross the state line at the south of my county into Madison County, AL, and land is $6,000 and up. There are reasons.

Oh yeah, TN has other benefits. Like no state income tax.

I agree about shopping for what you want. We made a list of must-haves, and we got most of them if not all, plus a few bonuses.

__________________
Jim Steele
Sweetpea Farms
"To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing." -- Robert Gates

DO NOT, Let desert land scare you. There is water.

The nations largest hay ranch is in Nevada. On BMT Land with NO water. Yet they do dang well year ronud producing a great crop.

They get their water at cost like most the rest, just in a differant way.

Look at Denver Colorado and Tampa Bay Florida. BOTH HAVE WATER SHORTAGES. Both from bad managment and OLD tech.

I know some old boys in Oklahoma that seen more ice then they have seen in a life time this winter. Yet they are STILL going to suffer from the drought of a life time.

Land prices due follow the rule of supply and demand, JUST NOT for the same reason.

Some soft ware tech may have much more WANT to have that 10 acres then a small EFFICIANT farmer will. That soft ware tech may hire out a mowing service like mine ot even go buy a good mower to keep it all looking nice. The small farmer thinks how well he could have made a nice living working for him self. Not getting rich, but get buy with no boss.

I do not feel for either. You have to fight for your place. That simple.

I am doing it now.

I asked a while ago about starting over. I think I found the place. St Pete Florida. The wife and I love it. We spend the day with a boat Survay guy and thin we got our new thing.

We are told you can not make it with what we want. YET, The folks that due make it here do it every day. The ones that do not make it work6 days a month and tell ME how it will not work.