Well, the landlord calmed down about making us move. So, we have more time to find our own land and make a move.
Still, it made us realize that the Darlin' Man's retirement date is creeping us on us and we have to find something soon.
So, I have started doing a search online in the area we intend to move to.
We were looking at Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
After looking at gun laws, property laws and property taxes, population density, proximity of such things as chemical plants, nuclear power plants, etc., plus military bases/posts, we finally sorted things out to Vermont.
Nothing against the other two places...we also included property prices, agricultural laws, zoning, business laws/taxes and so on and so forth.
THEN, after settling on Vermont, we had to figure out the specific county.
Different counties have different property taxes, zoning laws, etc. I even got down to the nitty-gritty of checking crime rates, school graduation rates, number of government assistance recipients, number of police officers, etc.
I went to the local papers site online and read up about each county.
Yeah, I put in a lot of time on this.
NOW I am looking at property ads online in the county we finally chose.
Our parameters are kinda picky. First and foremost, the property MUST have it's own water. Two water sources are better than just one. We were hoping for a fast running stream/brook or river bordering the property so we could explore the possibility of a small hydro-electric power source for the homestead/farm.
Second, 10 acres is our absolute MINIMUM. More land is better. Some woods, some open. AND the land must be able to be classified as *organic*, in other words, no pesticides or herbicides used on it for the past 10 years.
Third, since we aren't going to have the time to build, there has to be a house.With our limited budget, we are okay with a *fixer upper*. But the house has to have "good bones". No falling down shacks or one of those new constructions that are poorly built. It has to have at least one bathroom and two bedrooms.
Yeah, the land search is going...slowly.
When I go to Vermont in August, I hope to have a "Top Ten" or at least a "Top Five" list to go see.
Right now, I have found exactly TWO properties to look at.
Ouch.
Once I get up there to look over whatever properties we find, a visit to the local Agricultural Extension office will be order. I need to ffind out which of the properties I am looking at will be best suited for our needs.
Gardening, livestock pastures, hay, etc.
A search for land is NOT easy.
But, when we are done and finally living on our land, it will be well worth the effort.
Lamb,
ReplyDeleteSounds as if you've been hard at work prior to your visit. I will be doing the same later when the time is right for us. I hope you truly find what you want.
gurl - i spent 8 yrs trying to find the perfect property/land. i knew in my heart that i would find the exact right place.
ReplyDelete"if you build it, they will come"
that's kind of the thought i kept in my head. but i changed it from the movie quote to :
"if you will it, it will find you"
and it did. it will come to you - you will find it. i just know it! good luck!
your friend,
kymber
I know that you are looking for houses that are already built, but........
ReplyDeletehttp://coyotecottage.com/exteriorshots.htm
http://www.truthistreason.net/14-x-24-owner-built-cabin-wloft
http://www.countryplans.com/keller.html
These are the best plans for small,inexpensive structures that I have looked into. These are just suggestions. The first and second were built in Cold climates.
It's hard to do property search because you need to find a property that fit to your budget, with amenities, location, and will to your self before making a decision in buying property.
ReplyDeleteYou might try talking to the local chamber of commerce and the guys at the feed store. They may know people who are thinking of selling property, but would never actually list it for sale. We found our first farm that way - some land that the family hadn't farmed in a generation or two and was thinking about selling since the grandkids didn't really want the land either.
ReplyDelete