Buying inexpensive land is still possible.

I wanted to let people know that for over 10 years (off and on) hubby and I looked for land. We were willing to pay 1k an acre, and we wanted ideally 5 acres, no more than 10, no less than 2. (In fairness, we actually purchased in 2020 because of an influx of cash as a necessary worker) Our other criteria were:

place with 4 seasons, prefer dryer
water rights (surface, ground, existing well or multiple)
Appropriate for earthbag structure (dirt good, building codes gonna work for our off grid home plans)
if zoned, zoning would allow us a homestead and all that entails (animals, small business, accessory dwellings, barn)
on a road (dirt ok)
within max 1 hour of a med/large town (at least 2 traffic lights, department store, hardware store, post office, a couple of restaurants)
within 4 hours of a decent city (Has a mall and several shopping areas, full hospital)
(power access not necessary as we plan to generate our own)

Well guess what? We found it on a property auction site auctioned by a private seller at our 1/k acre price (including taxes, registration, and site fees). We own it outright without a mortgage. We will have to drop a well, but the neighbor has one and we knew it was drinkable water, and at approximately what depth before we purchased.  I could see their property was developed on satellite and county records told me they had a well and how deep. They also told me how much I could expect to pay in property tax per year if I didn't move right away.

If you think you can't afford land, here are some thing to keep in mind:

Learn to read maps and use Google maps/earth and County GIS... these are invaluable tools

Don't stay within a narrow radius if you want the best deals. Be willing to move.

Physically explore places, take road trips, go Woofing and otherwise check out different climate zones and how friendly areas are.

Know your needs, goals and expectations before purchasing

Shop around. Have patience. Educate yourself.

Save up. Have a budget. Don't overbid on properties if you use auctions- know your cutoff price beforehand.

May the Odds be Ever in Your Favor :)

Instead of a well, can you consider Rainfall collection?
My signature below has a permies link.
Great outcome for you with that land.
What are you basic plans?

Congrats!

Definitely know your budget!

Be flexible on size, land OFTEN comes with a bulk discount. Last piece of property we were looking for 5-10, ended up with 80 for less. This time it is 160. Most mortgages are limited to 10 acres or less. Larger tracts are hard to finance, especially those that are mixed woods and pasture/farmland.

As someone who has a relative who has been trying to sell a small piece of property for literally a decade now...
my hint is to make an offer!
a cash offer. Not a "can I pay you a little bit over the next five years I promise I will" offer.

The relative would take half of what they're asking if someone would just make them an actual, here is the money, offer.

John C Daley wrote:Instead of a well, can you consider Rainfall collection?
...
What are you basic plans?

Nevada (or our county) does not allow rainwater collection, and with a climate zone of BsK (cold, high desert like Mongolia) it probably woudn't net us much. I'd rather focus on hugels, mulch, swales, and shade to use the natural water for plants and livestock.

Basic Plans are full permaculture homestead with multiple income streams and fully off grid house. I expect to start multiple businesses in town and hire people to operate them as well as bring in some appropriate and niche tourism. Systems on systems on systems, and my backup plans have backup plans. ;)

The very short term plans are fence property to keep cows off, drop well, set up shipping container to house household goods, move things, sell tacoma home, retire early, dig septic for rv, move to property in rv, build homestead.

Vera Stewart wrote:As someone who has a relative who has been trying to sell a small piece of property for literally a decade now...
my hint is to make an offer!
a cash offer. Not a "can I pay you a little bit over the next five years I promise I will" offer.

The relative would take half of what they're asking if someone would just make them an actual, here is the money, offer.

But is it listed anywhere? People can't offer if we don't know it is available... ;)

R Scott wrote:Congrats!

Definitely know your budget!

Be flexible on size, land OFTEN comes with a bulk discount. Last piece of property we were looking for 5-10, ended up with 80 for less. This time it is 160. Most mortgages are limited to 10 acres or less. Larger tracts are hard to finance, especially those that are mixed woods and pasture/farmland.

If you can scrape together that kind of cash, you absolutely get a better deal going bigger. We were not gonna wait another 10 years.

I will also mention that the well is going to cost us a bit over 20K. Still a bargain considering at the end we will have just cell service, property tax, internet, vehicle(s), and healthcare for bills. Gert all the way.