1600 acres for $400,000 - 1 hr east of Colorado Springs, CO

hi all,
i am always on the look out for homesteading type properties, and i have come across this one that other may want to know about.

here is a 1600 acres (960 deeded, 640 state leased) about 1 hr east of colorado springs. that is ~2.5 square miles of land! and its at a price per acre that is really cheap!
there is a small house on the property, and it would need some work, but its totally livable. there are a few wells, and water is into all the pastures. (although i would do things differently!)

when we originally saw the property we were thinking this would be great for a cattle/lamb/chicken or turkey rotational grazing operation.
maybe a few (2-4) families could live there and cooperate to make a nice little hamlet. multiple families would really help with things like trips to town and work around the property much easier.

it is technically close enough to commute to a day job in COS, and about the same distance to a decent market to sell products.
dont get me wrong, its out there. the southern property boundary is the el paso county line and only a property or 2 away from the lincoln country line, but i am sure others live further out.
i havent been able to find anything even close to this price per acre that is within commuting distance to a job (60 mins) or markets.

we have seen the property, as well as spoken with the owner and realtor, but i am in no way monetarily tied to this property. i am just posting it in hopes that more permaculture type people move to the front range.
did i mention hollistic management international has their international office ~3 hours away in Boulder!

this could be a great opportunity for someone ready to jump.

http://www.landsofamerica.com/colorado/land-for-sale/1600-acres-in-El-Paso-County-Colorado/id/1037569

Interesting! Looks like it has water. Would need to be sure of the water rights.

How long is the lease of the government land good for and what is the cost per year?

Plant lots of trees and it would be a great place!

Miles Flansburg wrote:Interesting! Looks like it has water. Would need to be sure of the water rights.

How long is the lease of the government land good for and what is the cost per year?

Plant lots of trees and it would be a great place!

as i understood it, the small ponds you see are "livestock watering reservoirs" and are permitted (on record) with the state.
there is 1 (maybe 2) wells on the property for all the animals watering needs. water is even piped under the paved road and into the eastern most section.

the "school section" (eastern most 640 acres) is basically a perpetual lease from the state. last i heard the fees were ~$2400ish.
at the time that you no longer want this land, the next person must buy out all of your range improvements (water, fencing etc), THEN they still have to pay the state fee. i didnt get an idea how much the improvements are worth, as we were trying to buy the land without the leased section. i would guess $15k minimum.
i was told that once you have a state lease like this, they rarely change hands. where else are you gonna be able to control a 640 acre parcel for $2400 a year.... no where i have seen

the land isnt as flat as someone people who have been out east of colorado springs think.
there is ~150 ft drop from the highest to the lowest part of the property and there are plenty of small hills and valleys on the land.


i also wanted to add this video here: