Homesteader/caretaker reality check

I'm looking for a reality check.

We're making a decision whether to buy 160 acres of a neighbor's property here in California. It's generally steep terrain, on a river, with 3 or 4 established buildings/homes, a very small orchard and an ancient and tiny vineyard. No utilities of any kind. The nearest full-time neighbor by road, is probably a good 4 dirt-road miles away. It's an hour to the nearest town and that town doesn't have a stoplight (although you DO have to slow down.)

We can't move there for the next 4 or 5 years at the request of our youngest son. This wouldn't be a problem, but the land is on a railroad line (defunct) and strangers sometimes walk in along the line and break/steal things from the buildings.

So, I thought what we need is someone who likes the middle of beautiful nowhere, wants to homestead and would be willing to trade scaring off strangers (dogs?) and help with care and maintenance of the buildings/space for the right to live in one of the buildings and homestead on part of the land.

Of money, there'd be little to none, unless we can come up with a way to create it. If the land makes money and the homesteader materially helps with that, then they'd have a share, of course. Ranching's a possibility, as is fishing tourism or even a railroad-buff-ghost-town sort of a thing. Someone once suggested a retreat center, as it's so remote. I kind of like that idea.

So, give me the reality. Would this be attractive to folks who want to homestead but maybe can't afford their own land, or would I have an ice cube's chance in he!! of finding someone decent? What should I look out for, or look for?

The likelihood of finding someone compatible with this situation will greatly help us decide to go for the land. If folks think it's highly unlikely, then that'll likewise be taken into consideration.

Let the advice fly! :yeeha:

 

I see it as a basic respect issue, not who's ruling whom. He is extremely respectful of us and we try to return that consideration whenever possible. It's just simple respect... well, that and a careful weighing of the importance of desires. (Oh, and he's a teenager, not a very young child.)

We homeschool, so we've become really attuned to their learning needs. Our current location simply suits his learning directions in terms of available area-of-interest opportunities more than out in the beautiful nowhere would. (yes, he's tried the beautiful nowhere for a time.) I respect the time and thought he's put into the reasons for why he would rather stay where he is for the moment and we decided that at this time in his life, it really *is* important for him to be here.

Plus, he's my last baby and in four years he'll be out of the home so I prefer to treasure this time together. The first fourteen went like the wind. Four more will be like nothing.

Sure, I could go presidential, demand he goes where I want 'right now, mister!' and he'd do it. The fact is, I don't have to and don't particularly want to. I'm willing to wait. It doesn't harm me. It suits his needs. As an unexpected side result, it's created a complete change about his feelings on our moving away. He's now very happy to go and spend parcels of time with me out on the land. We agreed to the best current solution for everyone.

Thanks, however, for looking at the problem from another direction. It would indeed be a solution to cut out of our current place immediately and go rural.

 

:haha:
Uh, no storks! I only wish!

You make a good point. I was thinking that if someone was living there, there'd be dogs. Folks usually respect fence lines when there's a barking dog bouncing on the other side of the wire, especially if it looks like someone is around. I certainly wouldn't expect anybody to be there every minute of every day of course. Even with the best garden, a body needs sugar and the occassional cup'a joe.
Good to spell it out though. That's a reality check for sure.

Keep 'em coming...

 

When he turns 18, he'll do as he needs to do. College, army, start a business or trade... That's part of the reason we decided as we did.

I think when he's grown, he will want to spend some time visiting with us on the homestead, but building his own life will come first, and that's how it should be.

Any grandkids now, THOSE will be mine for at least a good part of every summer! (well, once they're past toidy training, anyway.)

 

Thanks Kathleen for the suggestion to find a retired couple. That might be just the ticket.

BooBoo's suggestion is a good one, but I'm not sure an RV much bigger than a dumptruck could get down that mountain road, and the only power we'd have will be generator or eventually solar. Most RV's are pretty huge, aren't they? I suppose they aren't all enormous, though. It's definitely something to consider.

'Unregistered' suggested renting to a neighbor ranch, which we might do. The range isn't fenced yet - which seems to encourage the neighbors cattle to come on over anyway. Do you think I could get back-rent from them?

Dave, I'll ask the current owners if they'd be willing to move their land to Wyoming before I buy, but I don't think they'll be up for it.

Great ideas and awareness issues from everyone so far.
I knew I'd find great advice here!
Keep it comin'! :yeeha:

 

The nearest line is probably a good 6 miles away, at closest.
We'd probably put in a closeted (to keep down the noise) diesel generator if electricity really seemed to be the crucial point. It's been mentioned a few times, so that might be important, hmmn...

Solar?

When we're on-land, we run off of Alladin lamps and a small gas generator (finally!) for the power tools. Otherwise, we like it quiet at night so you can hear the coyote. Okay, and the neighbors' cows that have come to visit...

Electricity. A possible problem. Okay.

 

May I ask what your wife does?

We would eventually be looking into Satellite service, and strangely enough, the cable line is slightly closer than the electrical. Go figure.

Sounds like a good combination to me! Although I think I'd add an affinity for long stretches of quiet, but still an affinity for many differnt kinds of people. Now, to find it... :haha:

That's exactly the attitude I think I would want. As folks were writing in with their advice and thoughts on this, it occured to me that I want someone who'd love the land as I do - and that could be difficult if the land never became theirs. So maybe I should consider, after a certain portion of years and if the fit is good, making some of the land theirs or at least a life-time free-lease. I mean, I used to be caught in the fix-a-rental-have-the-landlord-sell-it cycle and it was awful. All of my wonderful work and all I got was to enjoy it for a short time. I can understand that frustration completely.

I need to think long and hard about that, too. At first, it was just babysitting with a few odd jobs until we could be up there full time. Then, I thought that as we would be trying to turn the land into a supportive concern (trout farm? beef or sheep ranch? Alpacas? exotic organic veggies? Quail ranch? fishing camp? Homeschooler camp? Camp for innercity kids? etc, etc.) that if the 'babysitter' were to materially participate, then they would get part of the profits, or maybe own part of the business. When we do well, THEY do well! If the right-fit person or family comes along, anyway. Does that make any sense? Would that be attractive, or maybe TOO attractive? I want someone who would be heart-involved, but am I giving the baby away with the bathwater? Somebody reality check me, please.

Good luck with Florence! ...but if it doesn't work out...

 

Oh, sorry. Right. The property's on a good-sized river, so first thought was a Ram pump for animal and ag purposes. (Hydro might be a good power source too, as the river's always flowing.) There's at least one developed spring that the houses run on now, might be a few more springs, but they're undeveloped as of yet. We have springs up hill (on land we own that butts up to this land, but we're far enough uphill that we never get 'strangers'), We use a solar pump on one spring and it's worked well. We could always run a mile or so of line to bring the water down from the top-most property (where it's most abundant, not counting the river of course.)

It might not be, but it certainly won't be later. A twist I haven't mentioned is that there's a mean-spirited city fellow who's also interested in the land. If he gets it, he'll have to go through our land to get to it, he'll never let go of it and he'll give us difficulty about our easement on it. He has a history of this unfriendly behavior. (He's not a neighbor anymore.) The people who own the for-sale land want *me* to buy it, so they're holding him off for a while so I can gather my resources and commit. It's now or never for this particular spot - that butts up against our land on three sides, is on the river on the fourth side, has three or so houses in very good condition, has the flatest areas we've seen on the mountain so far and is next to BLM land on two or three sides... Gorgeous.

I think that if we were to forgo it, we'd regret it later.