Land in Missouri? Homestead community?

Hello Everyone,

I am looking to the future wanting to pick a spot for my "last" home. A place to grow old.

This quest has me looking at affordable land. I have narrowed the search down to Southern Missouri, Eastern Oklahoma and Northern Arkansas. My vision is an off grid homestead with like minded, but not too close, neighbors.

I have seen a few parcels that are fantastic except they are a bit large for what I need and a bit more $ than I want to spend. The thought occurred to me that I may be able to buy a larger parcel and lease or sell lots to right minded folks. I could offer a lease/purchase, rent or buy outright. The price for usable ground would likely be in the $3000 - $5000 an acre.

I have no clue what a reasonable rent would be on, for example, 10 acre parcel. Any thoughts?

What do you all think of this idea? Is there enough demand to make it viable?

Any thoughts on the location? I have visited the region but never lived there.

Thanks Everyone.

S.

Steve Smyth wrote:The thought occurred to me that I may be able to buy a larger parcel and lease or sell lots to right minded folks. I could offer a lease/purchase, rent or buy outright. The price for usable ground would likely be in the $3000 - $5000 an acre.

Just a notice on selling parts of land... when you want to sell just parcels of the land you will need to replat it. My parents and I were looking at doing this to some land, I can't remember the price exactly but I think it was about $15,000-$20,000 to do this.

On top of the price, there also may be some random conditions tied to that particular piece of land saying you cannot replat it, or there may be some new laws put into place by the county that adds limitations. For example, in our county any land that is platted after the 1980s can NOT have both a septic and well on it if the land is less than 5 acres. Well that's a problem because the land we are looking at is 4 acres, doh! BUT it was platted before this law came about in the 1980s... so it is grandfathered in and we can build both well and septic on it as long as we don't touch the plat like we originally considered doing.

I wish it was a simple process sharing land with people, but unless you're rich and can just buy outright... it's not simple and there are plenty of traps set for you.

Of course you're still free to lease it as you like, but I do not know the laws with this and wonder if it would involve some form of replatting.

Rebecca Blake wrote:

Steve Smyth wrote:The thought occurred to me that I may be able to buy a larger parcel and lease or sell lots to right minded folks. I could offer a lease/purchase, rent or buy outright. The price for usable ground would likely be in the $3000 - $5000 an acre.

Just a notice on selling parts of land... when you want to sell just parcels of the land you will need to replat it. My parents and I were looking at doing this to some land, I can't remember the price exactly but I think it was about $15,000-$20,000 to do this.

On top of the price, there also may be some random conditions tied to that particular piece of land saying you cannot replat it, or there may be some new laws put into place by the county that adds limitations. For example, in our county any land that is platted after the 1980s can NOT have both a septic and well on it if the land is less than 5 acres. Well that's a problem because the land we are looking at is 4 acres, doh! BUT it was platted before this law came about in the 1980s... so it is grandfathered in and we can build both well and septic on it as long as we don't touch the plat like we originally considered doing.

I wish it was a simple process sharing land with people, but unless you're rich and can just buy outright... it's not simple and there are plenty of traps set for you.

Of course you're still free to lease it as you like, but I do not know the laws with this and wonder if it would involve some form of replatting.

Thanks for the input.  I have subdivided property in the  past and am familiar with the process.  

Unfortunately,  the idea doesn't seem to be generating much interest.  

Are you still looking to split land.  I'm trying to do some research on Missouri.

Tara Sanders wrote:Are you still looking to split land.  I'm trying to do some research on Missouri.

I am still looking around. The idea was not as popular as I expected so, I have switched my search to smaller parcels. As much as I would like to live in a little 100 acre Permie mini community. I cannot afford to pursue it without a solid couple of folks to team up. Depending on the parcel, I could buy it, divide it and sell a couple of parcels on contract or a lease/purchase arrangement.

Otherwise, I am back to looking at 25-40 acre parcels.

Looking E.-S.E. of Springfield has yielded a number of nice spots. After looking about I noticed that quite  a number of the "homesteading" personalities on YouTube are within 150 miles of Bull Shoals Lake.

There are so many things to research about an area.  Just read some good comments on MO both good and bad.  I haven't been there.  I'd like land with water and away from electricity but others can be closer to it.  They have a lot of factory farming out in MO so I'd have to check that and then fracking, etc.  I don't know the areas though.  Doing some research.  I like cooler places but outwest has forest fires and they spray fire retardants and chemicals and I can't handle that sort of thing.

Hello.  I purchased 10 acres with 400 feet of riverfront on Niangua River near Lebanon Mo about 4 months ago.  I have started the process of just starting the process.  .   Earth bag or cob buildings are big considerations for sure.  As are rain harvesting systems...perhaps solar.  Garden and game.  Definitely looking for good people who might want to share in what’s to come.  For me I know it is a homestead.  But beyond the appeal of the word itself, I look to learn, build and share the bounty.  (Also have 20 acres near Stockton Lake that my daughter owns).  So...I look forward to getting started as best that a 58 year old software developer is capable.

Who are the other You Tubers around Bull Shoals? I know of Living Traditions, but that is it. We've been in the Ozarks going on three years. It has been an adjustment for us coming from a larger urban area. However, we've found great people here and growing conditions are great under "normal" conditions, which will fluctuate now more and more.

I'm in the same situation and have been looking for land in the same area, NW Arkansas or SW Missouri.

Please check out my permaculture paradise post or PM me. I have access to affordable land here in the MO Ozarks. If found my little piece of heaven here on earth and would love to see other like minded folk do the same! http://onlinelandsales.refr.cc/V3TF9Z6
I'm a real person and the link will help me out. Just pick a parcel and let them know I referred you! I now OWN my own six acres and have a year round garden, eggs and milk. Aside from about two weeks this winter I've had duck or chicken eggs year round and my goats are just now dried off for spring kidding. This spring I'm diving into honeybees and mushrooms. Feel free to PM me with questions but I'm so busy practicing permaculture I'm not always on permies anymore.

Family of 4 - lifetime farming experience, Ozarks natives searching for homestead opportunities
KendraRoark2013@outlook.com

Tara Sanders wrote: They have a lot of factory farming out in MO so I'd have to check that and then fracking, etc.  

As a Missouri Ozarks native, I'm a bit confused by the factory farming comment. The original question was about the Ozarks region which has such poor quality land that factory farming is nearly impossible. Agriculture is primarily family owned beef farms,  followed by dairy farms, and hay production. There are some small meat poultry farms here and there (1 or 2 houses, usually, or pasture poultry) and the occasional farmer who didn't get his bottom land stolen by the government who raises corn or soybeans. I believe the top industry in the region is timber. As for oil production, that is in northern Missouri. The topography here makes it unlikely for oil deposits to be found and if they were, they would be virtually impossible to access. There used to be iron mines dotted throughout central and Eastern Missouri, but most of the ones in the central area have closed.

There are a lot of people moving into the area from more urban areas. Unscrupulous land flippers have been gobbling up poor quality land that has been stripped of marketable timber and selling it in small lots as "homesteads" at up to 4 times the market value of the land. Land without marketable timber or agricultural improvements shouldn't sell for more than $2000/acre in our current economy and if you know how to shop the local classifieds you can often find a property for sale by owner at a lower price. Land with good timber, water, or improvements (buildings, well, fencing, pastures, etc.) will of course cost more per acre. It is harder to find small acreages at reasonable prices per acre, but not impossible. You could also wait to buy, saving money, until the current housing bubble bursts and the market is flooded with cheap properties again and you can afford to buy a bigger property or one with improvements.