Looking for land in Oklahoma, around Norman area

Hi everyone -

I currently live in Tulsa OK and our suburban house goes will be listed in March. We expect it to sell quickly in this type of market.

We are considering moving to Norman, either around Lake Thunderbird, or south of Norman,(possibly Slaughterville or Noble), seeking 5 to 20 acres (depends on how far we can stretch our money and what is available). It must have internet as we both telecommute. We will either build or remodel a house (if one is on the property). Both of our kids are grown so school systems are not important to us.

Ideally, I'd like to build a small home plus 2 tiny homes for AirBnB retreats.

1.) other than realtor dot com and landwatch dot com, where can I look for land available?

2.) due to our late spring frosts and hot summers is it even realistic to think I could grow fruit trees? I'm seeing a lot of no when using Google. Where would I find the native fruit trees such as Persimmon (we have one on the horse property where we boarded - it was super sour even ripe!), Paw Paw, Red Mulberry, Choke Cherry, and wild Plums? Is there anyone cultivating these wild trees or should I just prowl the woods?

3.) I'd like to blend permaculture ideas with a space for wildlife and another area for a cottage garden near the house. I'm only interested in enough veg (that we like to eat) for ourselves, and will donate the excess to a food insecurity group (no market garden for me).

4.) looking for local community (I lean liberal) to meet up with and share ideas and stories.

5.) Any tips on how to buy land such as how to avoid pitfalls, what to know before making an offer, and how to finance through a bank (we have the credit but I know banks hesitate to loan on bare land).

Thanks!

Becky

There is a Central Oklahoma Permaculture group on Facebook, and an Oklahoma Homesteading on a Small Farm group also who might be familiar with that area.

Thanks, I will check those out.

I can't help with your land search but once you get settled I'd be happy to give you some mulberry cuttings. I have both red/black and white mulberries. Mulberry is easy to grow from cuttings. I'm located in Mustang.

You should be able to grow blackberries, peaches, plums, apricots, pecans, hickory, walnuts and lots of other stuff. There's also sand plums if you want another native fruit. It can be harsh here in the cross timbers, but lots can be grown here as well.

Wow! thanks Dwight! If we decide to buy here (we are also looking at New Mexico, Arizona, and Grand Junction, CO), I will definitely take you up on that offer. I'd love both, and the sand plums.

My plan is to look for a property which will remain about 40% in trees; 20% in wildflower and deer feeding plots; and 40% with house, buildings, veg plot, and chickens. I am not marketing for sale so this is to provide for us alone (2) and excess I will donate to a food kitchen.

I've compiled a working list of trees that I would want, but the first thing to do is a tree inventory on whatever property we buy (if in OK).  All invasive Red Cedars will be removed, taken to a sawmill and planed for lumber or for a Cordwood building. I'd like to plan on making a hedgerow for something of a windbreak but also for native birds and wildlife to forage.

For those who might be interested (could apply with some adaption to Texas, Missouri, or Arkansas) this is my working list so far --

Shrubs:
Sand Plum, Chickasaw Plum (Prunus angustifolia)
Golden Currant (also called Buffalo or Spice Currant) (Ribes aureum Pursh var. aureum)
Serviceberry (Saskatoon variety) (Amelanchier arbor, is a native)
Sumac (look at Fragrant sumac (R. aromatica)
Flowering Quince (Common is a native variety - Common)
Red Chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia) and Black Chokeberry (Aronia melanocarpa).
American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana)
Deciduous Holly (Ilex decidua) or Possumhaw

Trees:
Eastern Redbud (Cercis canadensis)
Western Soapberry (Sapindus drummondii)
Black Cherry (prefers eastern OK)
Crabapple Prairifire (Malus x 'Prairifire')
Wild Plum (Prunus americana)
Persimmon ((Diospyros virginiana))
Mulberry (Morus rubra), (Morus microphylla), (Morus nigra)
PawPaw (Asimina triloba)
Pecan trees (look for Shawnee, Stuart, Pawnee, Mohawk, Mount, Paruque and Kanza varieties in Central OK)
Hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)
Kentucky (Coffeetree Gymnocladus dioicus)
Black Walnut (Juglans nigra)

Native Wildflowers: to attract bees and butterflies
Prairie Pusstytoes
Indian Paintbrush
Agastache (Hyssop) Anise Hyssop
Golden Crownbeard
Eastern Purple Coneflower (Coneflower)
Indian Blanket
Wild Bergamot
Basketflower
Maximillian Sunflower
Blazing Star
Aromatic Aster
Blue Sage
Milkweed: Green Antelopehorn
Butterfly Weed / Butterfly Milkweed
Showy Milkweed

We found a lot of these native wildflowers being sold at the
Sand Springs Herbal Affair, Saturday, April 16th from 8:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. ;
Jenks Herb and Plant Festival April 23, 2022 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.;
Tulsa Audubon Backyard Habitat Tour, May 14 (Sat. 9:00 to 5:00)  and May 15 (Sun. 12:00-5:00);
and check out
OKC Flower and Garden Fest, OKC Myriad Botanical Gardens, May 7 Saturday 9:00-4:00

Becky

Thanks for sharing your plant lists!

Having spent some time in Grand junction Colorado I don't know why anybody would choose to live there if they had a choice. It's 100° for 4 months out of the year and water is definitely an issue. I would not pick Grand junction if I was at all concerned that the climate was going to get warmer.

Hi Denise - good to know about Grand Junction. Water is going to be a concern in any of the locations in NM and AZ also and is probably my number one reason against moving there.

Hello,
Not sure if you ever found property or not, but I can give some input from our recent experience purchasing land in OK.

We live in the Yukon area, but I moved here from Norman when I got married. My husband and I wanted to get land, but really had no experience with how to go about that. My dad lives in Kentucky, and my mom lives in Colorado, so we also considered both of these locations. Natural resources were a main focus for us, and we did not want to move anywhere in a growing zone we were unfamiliar with, had water concerns (either lack of or overabundance causing flooding concerns), put us even farther away from family (we also have a lot of family in the OKC metro), or had state or local restrictions that would make it difficult for us to establish our way of life the way we intended. We did not intend to move to the land immediately, so this was a big factor in what we were looking for as it didn't have to sustain us right away.

We started on realtor.com and Zillow just looking in all areas to see what was available, what kinds of listings were there, and just monitored the market over a period of about 6 months. We also started looking on Landandfarm.com and Landwatch.com as they are more land focused. Through that time, we started to refine down the essential things we were looking for on the property, and set a budget for how much we were willing to spend, and the minimum acreage we wanted. We determined we wanted at least 10 acres, and a creek and/or pond on property was important. We also were provided a website by our realtor that showed wells depths that was really useful for us in determining expected cost of digging a well. We learned that it is easier to do a cash purchase, which we preferred anyway so as not to incur debt. This set our max budget, and we just continued to save money as we looked. We did start to really focus in on what we were looking for, and what were our most important features. The closer to a metro area you get, the higher the price per acre, but the farther you get, the higher the cost and difficulty to install things like internet, etc.  

Earlier this year, we took a trip to the areas of the state that we had not really explored much, primarily the eastern half of OK. We identified a few properties that seemed good and made a route to go to the sites and see what it was actually like there. This was an amazing learning experience for us, and we found that things are very different in pictures than they are in real life! We fell in love with the Moyers area just north of Antlers, but as pretty as it was, it is very raw land, with poor road access in general. The Tahlequah area was also beautiful, but it was odd how the land we found there felt even more disconnected and harder to get to than that in the Moyers area. As we drove, we jotted down realtors from signs we saw along the way, and started going to their websites to look at the listings. This turned out to be a good move, and opened up more specific listings that we hadn't seen on other general listing sites. This also introduced us to our realtor who was very helpful in our search (https://www.century21.com/real-estate-agent/profile/travis-pack-P414049860).  

Ultimately, we found our land, and it was perfect. 10 acres in budget, creek, pond, 80% treed, grass meadow, paved road access, and we get super good cell coverage (I was able to use my hotspot to connect to the internet with decent speeds)... We just visited last week to start an inventory of the land, and I am blown away by the natural abundance. Many of the pants and trees you listed are already present and thriving with no intervention on our land.

I think our biggest take-aways were:
1. Research. Research. Research.
2. Patience is the key. Know what you want and be willing to pass on things. Don't get desperate.
3. Be open to areas you hadn't considered. They may surprise you!
4. Work with a realtor that works with you and knows the area. We spoke to a few realtors from listing we found, and none of them seemed very engaged with us except the one we ultimately settled on. He not only spent time with us to answer general questions, but he owned land in many of the places we were looking, so could give really good input on what it was actually like there, pros and cons, etc., and even contractors etc. to help with developing the land once we purchased.
5. Any land can be shaped by permaculture into a thriving paradise, some just take more time and effort than others.

Good luck in your search!

Rl Marler wrote:Thanks, I will check those out.

I have a question. If you both telecommute, why would you want to move near a big city? Land is way less expensive the further you get AWAY from a big city.

I live in Seminole County and am looking at land in the next county south of here. I may be able to point you in the right direction or answer questions you may have.

I lived about four years in Hughes County and now over four years in Seminole County. Looking in Pontotoc County because everywhere seems to be sub-dividing land into small pieces now.