I plan to visit the Asheville area for the first time in the spring because it seems like it might be an ideal area for homesteading (
permaculture style) in my
retirement. I haven't been able to find much from realtors about farm sales or the appropriateness of the surrounding area for permaculture/homesteading. Since I am 62, a single female, and new to homesteading, it seems I
should avoid raw
land and start with buying a small farm. I'd also ideally like to buy 3-5 acres - including pastures and woods to be left natural to support
local wildlife. I have the following questions and concerns:
1. Are there currently areas that are good for homesteading/permaculture that are also within 20 minutes of Asheville? From my research, it seemed Madison County had a lot of interesting homesteads, but a realtor told me I should think only of Buncombe County. I also found alarming info online about pollution from power plants in the Black Mtn area.
2. A realtor told me that 80% of the land is uninhabitable, that it's a tight market, and people are coming in and buying large amounts of land. Is that a scare tactic? It would be ideal if I could just visit and get perspective and buy when I retire at 66.
3. I chose Asheville because I understand there are a lot of liberal people who are concerned about the environment and because it is a warm climate in mountains. If it's true that homesteading properties are getting bought out in the Asheville area, are there other locations with similar characteristics that I should also think of that might have better opportunities to buy homesteads (in 4 years)?
Thanks so much for your advice or recommendations!
