Planning to buy land. Advice wanted.

52% of the townships in Maine are 'UT's.

So property taxes are extremely low [$1 - $1.10 per acre]



There are very few building codes enforced here.



It would be extremely rare for any land here to be lacking mineral or timber rights.

__________________
http://www.mofga.org/

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

One thing to consider.

The first settlers would have grabbed up the very best land. Land that was never logged is probably good woodland but maybe not good farmland.

I'd keep an eye open for an old farm that was let go. If that was farmed by one of the early settlers, it might be one of those parcels that are the best in the area for farmland, with the best sunlight and the best soil.

I'm really interested in this Maine thing. What is the weather like? What zone is it? How about bugs, humidity, and snow?

We paid over $1500 for a survey of 2 half acre plots, $5000 for a survey of 40 acres would not be out of line here.

Personally I would want the land split 50/50, half tillable and half timbered. Cut the scrub and use it for firewood for myself. A small creek or pond in the timbered section would make it ideal. In relation to prices around here, if you could find such a parcel, 40 acres or more, at less than $50,000 you would be crazy not to buy it. You can't touch 40 tillable acres here for less than $150,000. 40 rocky hillside acres can be bought for $50,000.

We have bought two parcels of land here. [so far]

Both already had good surveys, I walked the lines of both properties and everything was well marked.

The only reason I see to have a new survey done, is if you intend to split land into multiple deeds.

Land transfers, title searches and insurance is cheap enough [$200 per property] I see no reason to add extra junk you do not need.

We have one 42 acre property with 1/4 mile of river frontage that we paid $900/acre for. and we have one that is 105 acres but has no river frontage, we paid $300/acre for it. Both properties are 'treegrowth' and need to stay 'treegrowth' for their tax status. We harvest firewood, maple syrup, fiddleheads and mushrooms; our livestock paddocks are underneath the forest canopy; and our garden is of the 'forest-garden' theme.

There is no reason that you can not homestead in a forest.

__________________
http://www.mofga.org/

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

Thats what i would do, just sayen. Should be plenty of it out there.
By the time you get done with cutting and de-stumping acres you might be broke.
Plus the soil of land that has been in fields or pasturage will be more ready to plant.

Crop farming is pretty high-stakes game anymore, but the rewards can be there, if it's done right.

That said, most tillable farmland in the U.S., is priced like gold and farmers fight each other, just to buy and plant more, whenever any comes available.

If this is the case, why are farmers in your area letting the fields, revert back to woods?