buying undeveloped land... would you?

[Stoner4Life]

do you like charge them for going onto the trail? Can you set up a toll booth or like a donation box? Would be cool to make a visitor exhibit/plaque thing with disinformation...like have it say the jesus bones were found near the Stegasauras fossil. Or something.

no waterboy I don't/can't charge. the state highway usually has the right-of-way setback of 200 feet meaning if I want to build the front of the building can be no closer than 200'. I'm lucky enough to have a 75' setback r-o-w with my own driveway being a frontage road as well.

there was some state owned highway frontage to the east of me, too small (.38 acre) of a parcel to sell outright under state law but they were able to deed it over to me (adjoining property) and changed the setback from 200' to the friendlier 75' the rest of my land has.

In turn I allowed them to put up a simple post w/an 'access to trail' sign at my eastern most driveway approach. Bicycle traffic in the summer, snowmobile traffic in the winter.......

 

[supermanlives]

i would be setting up a store, restaurant maybe a gas pump too.^^^^^

 

[Abja Roots]

Like most people said, it depends on you and your situation.

I would buy it, because it appeals to me. However in watching others do it, I've learned quite a lot.

My friends have had to spend almost 30k getting a well put in at their place. It's because it was hard to get up there, they had to dig fairly deep, and the pump and solar panels were pretty expensive. They've also purchased a generator, and had to pay to have roads put in. They also bought two trailers, for temporary housing.

It's definitely been a long and expensive road for them, but it's what they wanted.

I can definitely see the appeal of buying a piece that has already had some work put into it, in terms of septic, roads, power, and water. That's what I'd be looking for.

It really depends on what you want to use it for.

 

[woolybear]

Dang dude!

Builtaforest actually paid attention to the details, shows again how many on here actually are familiar with the process and how many are not.

Is this the secret info they sell in those late nite real estate infomericals?


great info in this thread!!!

 

[MadBuddhaAbuser]

Has anyone had electricity installed, or a solar system for that matter?

What was an approximate cost?

A million variables go into this question. Most importantly how far you are away from existing electricity supplies. If you have poles running near your property you are in decent shape, im getting about 150 foot run and im thinking in the $1,000 ballpark from talking with electrician friends, will get an exacter quote soon. That is for standard house level electricity. also, overhead lines are typically cheaper than underground.

Awesome... How'd they find out about this gravel hustle? Neighbor did it? Approached?

What else is there...

-Selling the timber.

-Selling mineral rights...

-Other deposits?


Things to take off the list:

-Fracking... fracturing the shale below to collect natural gas... It poisons the entire water table.

-Hunting lease... you dont want those fuckers near your outdoor plants!

word. FUCK FRACKING!

depending on your area of the country, you may have a specially valuable type of natural resource. You might have particular type of stone, timber, or even indigenous plants you could dig up and sell to nurseries. It all varies according to where you are.

I'm not sold on buying completely unimproved raw land.Like the gentleman above, who's actually done it has said, buy something with a potable well already, maybe an old building or two.

Septic systems run 25K and up.You could always just have your kids/partner shit in the woods.

Yeah septic in my area is more in the $5,000-$10,000 range for brandest of new. A well is about 10gs as well. i am going to be using water storage tanks hooked up via pump directly to my home to make it through winter, then worry about a well this spring.

If you don't feel the need for septic you could always build an outhouse, research and use humanure(kinda sorta gross but it works) or these fine waterless, non-electric toilet systems--->http://www.envirolet.com/prices.html. will run you about 2 gs, but it is a viable option.

and an added benefit of humanure is the ability to use the compost to heat your water, and connecting it to a heating system in your home. This greatly reduces electricity draw. and if you manage the compost piles well, could totally eliminate the need for a hot water heater all together.

 

[supermanlives]

last solar setup was 35 k another 5 k in windmills for winter breezy weather and over cast days

 

[jack Haze]

last solar setup was 35 k another 5 k in windmills for winter breezy weather and over cast days

What size solar set-up did you have and what was it capable of powering? How efficient were windmills?

 

[MadBuddhaAbuser]

last solar setup was 35 k another 5 k in windmills for winter breezy weather and over cast days

I really love the idea of solar power, but it's still far too pricey for what I would be getting in return. It is slowly making its way down though, and many rebates and incentives to be had, but its still way too much for a completely self-sufficient system, at least in my parts(not the sunniest of areas).

 

[supermanlives]

solar is coming along fine and the technology is really improving.you can buy the panels in rolls now .very cool. i have seen some really cool new stuff.i am looking forward to my eventual return to maine. dont remember the actuall panel numbers . it ran everything i needed tho and was hooked to a genny for backup. the windmills were tiny 400 watt marine ones. dont know their effiency or brand name.all my old paperwork got lost in the shuffle

 

[GP73LPC]

i thought you could get into a decent system for around 15K

 

[Yes4Prop215]

just got a call from my real estate agent on a property with 15 acres, 3 bedroom house on very nice foundation, 2 septic systems one for the house another for future possible home site....it already has a really nice well with high quality mountain water and has PGE hooked up.....thats at least around 40-50k worth of infastructure upgrades that have already been done. only thing it needs is rain gutters and a couple grand worth of sheet rock and paint.......praying that i can close this deal this is my dream home..

 

[Builtaforest]

To reiterate: for vacant land need elec run in, septic, well preferred already installed. Preferable to just pass up all others til you find that nice one, these things are 6month+ affairs not 2weekend warrior sessions, with good financing(cash, rural areas sometimes have credit unions with special homestead loans, trad banks see very little value on vacant land)

Off-grid power is a pipe dream for fulltime livin unless no options. Electricity is cheap guys. Not the biggest issue at the end of the day. Same reason why we drill for oil, cost-effective. Solar, wind can be reasonable in dollar cost but not opportunity cost. Otoh, whole house generators can be hooked up super easy, 6kw and up haha, hardwired into breaker and converted to run on ng from the city hookup or propane from outside tanks.

Sorry no paragraphs.. Iphone3 lol fml

 

[santamartagold]

Dislexus- quit being useless.

To everyone else- Damn! theres some GOOD info in here... I will have to re-read this thread again.

If anyone else has anything to add...

After some googling, I was thinking of looking a Wester NC or Easters Ky? But I have brown skin and KY scares me a bit... I am currently in FL and may just go North FL.

If it's W. N.C., You may wish to look around Hayesville, N.C. It might suit you. But you may not have a number to go with your street address name. It's cool, laid back, spaced, geographically half way between Fla and North.

 

[santamartagold]

I had an interesting conversation this morning regarding buying land.

It reminded me of this (and some other) threads.

It fascinates me how some people claim to know everything in theory about the process of buying land. . . . .

. . . . . but never actually have done it.

Fellas it's just with our plant - you can read as many books as you like but once you actually grow our marvelous plant it's still going to be different in many variations!

Strainhunter - Are you referring to me? You got me, I cut and pasted oooops! I confess as an academian only. And my feelings are hurt strainhunter, to think I looked up to you.

 

[In~Plain~Site]

Yeah septic in my area is more in the $5,000-$10,000 range for brandest of new. A well is about 10gs as well. i am going to be using water storage tanks hooked up via pump directly to my home to make it through winter, then worry about a well this spring.

I can see that,once the site has been perked and improved for a standard receptacle tank(1250 gal.)/drain field/gravity-fed system.

I was the unfortunate to replace a failed sand-mound/pumped system.

Slap my ass and call me mary after footing the bill on that one.Just down the road a piece, they have wetlands to contend with....price point all over the place.Been on that D-8 making a path before.

Not as anxious to start vast projects that require my absolute participation through to completion as I once was.

Some thorough due diligence may be enough to disuade many of you from attempting it.


What was the question again?

 

[Stoner4Life]

I can see that,once the site has been perked and improved for a standard receptacle tank(1250 gal.)/drain field/gravity-fed system.

I was the unfortunate to replace a failed sand-mound/pumped system.

Slap my ass and call me mary after footing the bill on that one.Just down the road a piece, they have wetlands to contend with....price point all over the place.Been on that D-8 making a path before.

Not as anxious to start vast projects that require my absolute participation through to completion as I once was.

Some thorough due diligence may be enough to disuade many of you from attempting it.


What was the question again?

my septic for commercial use was bid @ $5,150 just two yrs ago, I have perfect sandy soil and level land. The restaurant just a few miles away has clay based soil, it was 15 yrs ago that their mound style septic system cost them over $50K, today it would cost 70K to replace.

it's really based on soil and 'lay of the land' as to cost here in northern mn. dealing w/septics encroaching on wetlands is tricky and expensive.

 

[Bazarocka]

Straw

Straw

Sure does, and sure will. I'll be looking to pick up something in the country, to build a straw bale home on - for use as my primary residence.

Think I would go for about 30 acres "outback" somewhere,,,or maybe something in the side of a mountain,maybe semi earthen submerged....I dunno, nothing fancy....Maybe look something like this.

hey why not.....lol
(Im gonna be in the side of that mountain somewhere).

 

[bagend12]

After watching what a friend went through when he bought his undeveloped land I would have to say no if the intention was to build a home eventually. If I just wanted it as an investment and a place to run away to for camping/hunting than sure.

My friend got a deal on 20 acres in a remote/rural area. He spent another 100k getting utilities back there, getting a well dug and having septic put in.

 

[ronbo51]

I do small time consulting for people I know or get referred to for real estate deals. I just advised my last peeps to scrap building the dream house and buy existing. For slightly over 100$/ sq ft they are buying a palace. Huge modern house, nice secluded wooded lot. You cannot compete with existing housing right now, and you shouldn't fight that fact. If you are like me and can fix anything think: house bad, land good= most value. If you can afford it go: house good, land good, like our buddy prop 215 is doing. And the opportunity for owner financed cash type deals has never been better.

 

[one Q]

This thread keeps getting better. Thanks for all the great input. Keep it up...