Michele Messina

Okay folks.  I have the property in question now!!  Woohooo. 18 acres in Buckholts, TX.  
There is a small cabin on it.  It is livable, but not the finest quarters.
I'm looking for somebody permaculture/organic minded who would be interested in leasing out either that cabin or another space where they can put a tiny home or RV along with either a couple acres.  
I'm also open to the idea of somebody renting more or most of land - the only caveat is that I have to maintain an agricultural evaluation on the property (cattle, bees, wildlife exemption) - so if somebody wanted to lease out the entire property, they would have to commit to maintaining this.

If somebody is interested in this you can send me a message here or email me at micmessina@naturesacres.org.  I'm not on here all that often, so it's best to use the email.

James Bradford wrote:...to answer your specific questions:

Michele Messina wrote:

- What kind of land would you like best?  

High ground west of I-35 ... there are reasons, we can discuss later  

Bare land, heavily treed, sparse trees, trees surrounding the leased area?  

Heavily treed ... Texas is freaking hot, climate is like the edge of a desert.   Trees are so much more valuable here than anyone realizes.  You'd be better off in a Mexican prison than an RV in Texas with no shade.

- What are some things you would be concerned about if you were considering leasing out a space like this for homesteading?  

My biggest concern is always:   "Will the owner be able to afford the property long term?"  permaculture takes time ... 3 years to begin to see any decent amount of value coming from the plants you start.  You have to work your way through pests, drought, and giving perennials time to root in.   Meanwhile the value of the land around here is doubling every 5 years or so, and being bulldozed to make room for more suburbs.   The owner has to be COMMITTED and financially viable.

- What are some things that might make this especially appealing?  

Having the land donated to a charity who's charter is to restore it as a wildlife sanctuary and never sell it.

- If you were interested in such an endeavor, what would you be willing to pay?   500/mo  ... no utilities needed, but only if I happen to not be able to find someone who understands how valuable my presence is.

- What are some things I have to watch out for?  

Septic is the county's way of preventing this sort of thing.   You will have to flip for a commercial system, and then the county will be all up in your business about how many "homesteaders" you have.   Research all the laws and requirements concerning the septic systems.   Its a national agenda to keep people like us out of the countryside.   Don't be naive about that.

Thanks for the feedback James.  If I move forward, I will definitely oversize the septic system to allow for growth.

Thanks for the feedback folks.  I haven't been checking in much, but it is nice to see the responses.
I'm glad to report that I have found some land and I'm under contract......but not sharing anything until it's a done deal - trying to avoid getting excited until this is done.

Hello folks.

I am looking to purchase property in the next 6 months in Central Texas - within an hour of Taylor TX.  This will be my eventual homestead, but that won't be for another 7-10 years.

I would like to lease out 1 or 2 chunks of maybe 4 acres each out to some folks for them to homestead (organically).  I believe permaculture minded folks would be the best - I'm confident they will respect the land and do no harm.

This would not come with any buildings, so the tenant would have to bring a tiny home or RV, however I will have whatever infrastructure is needed installed (electric/water/septic).  

I already have a normal subdivision rental house and I have fantastic tenants - I hope they remain happy enough to stay there until they are ready to buy a house of their own.  I want to replicate that success for this endeavor and find the perfect tenants that end up being my neighbors/community when I eventually move to this land.

Being honest, my primary motivator is to generate some income to offset the interest I will be paying on the property.  However, just like with my rental property, I want to work with folks in ways that benefit both of us.  I want both sides to feel like they are getting a great deal!  Even better if we can improve society as a whole.

I would like to get feedback from you folks.....

- What kind of land would you like best?  Bare land, heavily treed, sparse trees, trees surrounding the leased area?
- What are some things you would be concerned about if you were considering leasing out a space like this for homesteading?
- What are some things that might make this especially appealing?
- If you were interested in such an endeavor, what would you be willing to pay?
- What are some things I have to watch out for?

Even if you'll never be in the position to do this, you feedback would be appreciated.  It will help me find the best property that will meet my needs and make this little dream come true.

If you are seriously interested in this, please send me a message.  In the best of circumstances, I could find folks who are really interested in this and we could search for the right property together and figure out the desired homestead areas together so that any clearing, driveways, and/or setting up of utilities could be done thoughtfully with an end user in mind.

Thank you in advance!