Advice On Buying Amish Farm

If you do inspect the farm please give us an update - even if a couple of months in the future.

Cindy, why don't you ask the seller if they will install some of the things you need as a deal sweetner. Many Amish have very large families and many of them build houses and do the kinds of things you want done. I would expect to pay for wiring and pipes but much of the labor may be discounted.

Cindy, I just wanted to mention something - it may matter to you, it may not.

In PA, many of the Amish farmers have either sold off building rights to their land or bought farms that already had building rights sold. You might want to find out if all the rights to the land are intact. It may not matter to you now but, God forbid you ever wind up in a situation in the future where you have to sell your farm, it would be a good thing to know.

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Anne
Give me a sweet home set among the trees,
With friends whose words are ever kind and true.
-Phoebe Carey-

LONE PINE FARM
Barnesville, PA
Boer goats, Angora goats, Eclectic mix of poultry

I don't know what you mean by building rights. Would that show up in a title search?

I never thought about asking the seller to help. That's a good idea. Especially since he is having trouble selling and already owns another place. This place is close to my family and they are friends with this Amish family. The economy has just nose dived in their area and people are loosing jobs.

I am hoping to go and look the place over in a few weeks. I am also waiting to sell my house, but the market is recovering here in Arizona and expected to start up again by August. I am a firm believer that if it is God's will, it will work out for the best. I just wish He would give me a hint at His plan for me....! :-)

Let me know about that building rights. I want to check that out!

Thanks.

Cindy

Likely more properly called 'development rights'. It works through land conservancy organization to where they buy the rights from you. You can still sell the property, but the buyer has to live with that restriction as it is a permanant part of the property deed.

Usually there is some aspect the owners wants to have protected, such as being a scenic view or a watershed.

Say you want to protect farmland from commercial development. This is a method of doing so.

I would be surprised if it has been done on this particular property.

I can't answer all of your questions, but we moved into an Amish home. We ended up putting electricity to the house after a bit, but only did 5 outlets. The fridge and the computer were a must for us. The cost for hooking up and just 5 outlets was minimal. Then we had an electric pump installed in the well.

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Only by His merciful grace,
Marci

Come check out our store full of homesteading kitchen supplies!!
Amazing Graze General Store

Not at all sure of this, but I'd also want to check that certain things aren't exempted for Amish on a religious basis, but enforced on you. Electrical or plumbing codes for example. Where an Amish owner is exempted from say having indoor plumbing, but you a non-Amish will be required to install it.

Like I said, I am not at all sure of it, but I'd want to have it clear in my mind so I wouldn't get socked with some sort of no occupancy condemnation on the property once I bought it.

if you can get a cellular phone signal
you should be able to get internet access too,
look into cell modems

Cell modems. Is that something I can run a laptop off? I call my cousin's cell all the time and she is about 3 miles away. So know there is reception close.

I had not thought about Amish exemption and will check that as well. You never know how states write laws. I am sure if anyone gets caught breaking the law - it would be me!

I am secretly hoping they have electrical wiring in the walls. But if not, you are right, I could get by with just a few outlets. And I liked that idea of running them behind the baseboard.

Thanks - I have a whole list of things to look for when (if) I get to go see it in a couple weeks.

yes re cellphone internet and laptop. I used a cord to hook my cellphone directly to my laptop (was cheaper, regular cellphone bill plus 39 a month unlimited internet). but you can also buy a card that goes directly into the laptop pcmia slot that works off cellphone towers. it runs around 59 a month. verizon and sprint are main players (search for evdo online).

My sister and BIL are fixing up a place across the ridge from me. She can get Verizon and their Internet access fine here, but not there consistently. When the trees are bare, she can, but not when they have leafed out.

Perhaps take a cell phone with you and see what type of reception you get on the property when you look at it.

I don't know if all cell companies do this but my step mother just calls her co. when she goes on vacation somewhere and changes her "base zip code" or something like that so there is no roaming fees while out of state. Just a thought while you're visiting the property and family.

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You only get what you allow

Exemptions are typically only given to schools because they have religious instruction. Homes and barns have to follow the regular building codes which may be different than the area you are currently live in.

You can call the county the house is built in for information about their building codes. WI has a standard building code, but I don't know if all states do this.

deb
in wi

In PA Amish farmland is being encroached by urban developments like condos and malls. The cost of land has skyrocketed because land is limited and the city wants to grow bigger and it is under these conditions that selling "development rights" occurs. Farmers sell the development rights to speculators, but they retain the ownership of the land for farming. I would think most speculators buying "development rights" would also have a contract that gives them the first right to buy the land..

It is highly unlikely that you will see this in Missouri as the land is plentiful and relative cheap (in comparison to PA). It would also show up in a title search.

deb
in wi

You can also buy an antenna and repeaters to bring better cellular signal into the house.

There has been some discussion in other forums whether this is legal, but I've had our VZW rep help us choose this equipment for an executive so I wouldn't hesitate to do it for my own house.

deb
in wi

My husband and I recently purchased an Amish farm in NEMO (northeastern Missouri). Prior to that we have stayed on vacation property a short distance away. The home has indoor cold water and bathroom facilities/tub/stool. Wood burning furnace and stove. No electricity but power is available on the property due to an English prior owner.

As far as internet is concerned, we have been running off a US Cellular wireless modem for the last year with little difficulty in the area. Not the fastest on earth but better than no internet at all.

As for sanitation, the rule for Over The Hill type of plumbing is that the outlet flow must travel 100 feet on your property without encountering another property. As long as you are dumping your waste gray or black water for drainage at that distance or farther, you should be okay.

We are planning to keep the wood burning furnace and use a wood burning cook stove for additional heat and cooking. If we add electricity, it will be minimal, solar, or diesel generated. Hot water will probably be added using an on demand hot water heater and LP gas.

Our plans are to keep it simple as much as possible and become more self sustaining.

Should be a snap for two middle aged newbies.

I think you need to look at all the utilities that you want and see what they would cost to install. Electric can get expensive if you have to have poles installed. Also does the house have ANY electrical outlets? In some Amish communities new homes must meet local code and that means it must have electrical outlets and lights EVEN if no power is ever brought to the property.
Same for plumbing, but it will vary by community. Usually Amish are very picky about who is living near them and the community will by a farm that is still usable as a farm, why are they letting this one go?

Adding utilities, heat to a 2 story home can be expensive, just know what your cost are going to be. Also find out what is required to get an occupancy permit! Some communities have Amish exceptions but if you buy the home the home will need all the updates before you can move in. EVEN if you want to live without power. In our area Amish get away with outhouses, no one else can.

DONT assume "amish built" means quality when it comes to homes. While some can do fantastic work, A lot cant and put up what they can with the help thats available.

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Gary in Central Ohio

I would come.

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He who thinks he knows, doesn't. He who knows he doesn't know, knows.~ Joseph Campbell

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeMrK...AE7062ADE5A19C

Agratainment is popular in some areas heavy with tourist. Keep in mind while most want to learn the ways of there great grandmother, but also want A/C .

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Gary in Central Ohio

Yes please!!!!!

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