Forums:

What is a fair price per acre for land?

Posts: 1

posted 7 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I am looking to own land around the Washington DC, Virginia or Maryland for under $4,000.00 per parcel. I am interested in building a tiny home on wheels or homestead tiny house.

Peter VanDerWal

pollinator

Posts: 596

Location: Southern Arizona. Zone 8b

I like...

posted 7 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

The price of land varies tremendously. You can buy lot plots of Arizona desert for a couple hundred an acre, I've seen land in Oregon go for $10,000-$20,000 an acre.

There is an old joke in real estate, the three most important factors for price are "Location, Location and Location".

Asking what the right price is for land is a bit like asking "how long is a piece of string", the right price for land is whatever the buyer and seller agree to.

My opinions are barely worth the paper they are written on here, but hopefully they can spark some new ideas, or at least a different train of thought

Robin Caudle

Posts: 9

posted 7 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Seems a little like a old thread but I will give my 2 cents.

My in-laws bought there 1 acre lot for $14,000 about 10 years ago. I bought 2.5 acres about 12 miles from their lot for $10,000. I have been looking for land for my son in MT and I find large lots from 20 acres to 27,000 acres for prices between $1,000 to $10,000 per acre, most of which are miles from civilization while others within city limits run between $10,000 and a couple million just for small quarter acre lots.

All in all, no such thing as a fair price, its just what you are willing to spend.

Frank Giglio

Posts: 37

Location: Thorndike, Maine

posted 6 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Two lots down from me here in Maine.. 165 acres for $150 k. Small cabin grid tied and a big lot heavily cleared maybe 10 years ago or so...

Mark Brunnr

gardener

Posts: 1236

359

I like...

posted 6 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

In a couple weeks I'll be flying out to NE Washington to check out Stevens County, and see how the limited pictures on the real estate sites and Google Earth maps compare to the real thing. I figure this is a good time to see what the conditions are like compared to when it's warm and sunny.

Most of the offers Ive looked at are for around 20 acres, and prices vary from $1500 to $5000 per acre based on raod/utility access and probably slope. Then you have to add on the cost of a well, after confirming the county will allow it and whether you will even find water- topographical maps suggest some of these properties are 2000' up from the valley where the paved roads end...

The holy trinity of wholesomeness: Fred Rogers - be kind to others; Steve Irwin - be kind to animals; Bob Ross - be kind to yourself

PEP - BB10 Badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by gir bot

James Freyr

steward

Posts: 4837

Location: West Tennessee

2438

I like...

posted 6 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

My wife and I purchased land back in the summer in rural southwest tennessee and paid $1750 per acre. I think fair price is a perception of the buyer, one what one buyer may think is too expensive another may find fair. We think we paid a more than fair price. The going rate for land in the area was closer to $2000/acre. I looked up the history of the parcel and learned that the person we purchased the land from bought it in 2001 and paid $2400/acre for it. Land values for the area aren't what they once were, so it happened to be a buyers market, much to our advantage. We didn't try to "beat them down" on the price. We simply made an offer, and accepted their first counter offer, as we thought it was more than fair. The land had also been on the market for twelve months, again to our advantage, and I think the seller also "just wanted to be done with it". I should also mention, the bank (it's Farm Credit, as no other bank really wants to lend money on raw land) appraised the land value at about $2060/acre. We certainly feel like we paid a fair price, actually we feel like we got a bit of a good deal.

"Study books and observe nature; if they do not agree, throw away the books." ~ William A. Albrecht

jim dee

Posts: 74

posted 6 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

@mark tudor

Looking forward to a detailed report of Stevens Co.

And surrounding areas if you hit it.

JD

Tom Worley

pollinator

Posts: 96

Location: Ozark Border

I like...

posted 6 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Lots of really excellent information provided. Even within the midwest it's going to depend largely on the type of property. "Rougher" land- more hills and hollows- is going to be cheaper. Land on shallow soils is going to be cheaper. Land farther from major urban areas, limited electrical or sewer availability, or with less blacktop frontage, is going to be cheaper. Timbered land is generally going to be cheaper than open pasture or rowcrop.

My benchmark is the family's hardscrabble farm bordering the Ozarks- 200 acres, maybe 1/3 in hardwood forest, mostly along watercourses. Mostly pasture, but enough fertility that you easily do a diversified farm (in fact, that's what the family's been doing since 1949). That's running about $2000 - $2500 an acre. Acreage more suitable for rowcrop is going to cost more, areas suitable only for pasture are going to cost less, areas only suitable for forest and a few meager wildlife food plots are going to be the cheapest.

Mark Brunnr

gardener

Posts: 1236

359

I like...

posted 6 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

jim dee wrote:@mark tudor

Looking forward to a detailed report of Stevens Co.
And surrounding areas if you hit it.

JD

Well JD, the closing date for my 20 acres is in 8 days! Final price was $50k/$2500 per acre which I think is good considering the property location and features. Stevens county is beautiful, big mountains all around (although the weather made it hard to see much past a mile or two) and enough access to business between Kettle Falls, Colville, and Chewelah without being overwhelmed by urban sprawl from a bigger city. Spokane is close enough that you can make a trip there without a problem- southern Stevens county is just north of it, but if you are at the north end then the trip becomes more like a half day excursion. Being farther north, the days are much shorter in the winter and much longer in the summer. Near the winter solstice, the sun had set by 4pm, which in southern California it sets around 5pm. But during the summer solstice, the sun is still up at 10pm, so the shorter summer growing season benefits from a lot of sunlight each day.

I looked at a variety of properties, and the weekend that I went out was about perfect for my goal of seeing varied winter conditions due to terrain. Several properties were at the base of the mountains, near the valley floor, and others were 1000-2000 feet higher up. There had been a warm spell about a week or two before when it got up to 50 degrees in the valley, and since then the temps were in the upper 30s at the valley floor. So along the valley there was no snow during my visit, but starting about 1000 feet higher there was a definite snow line where it had stayed below freezing. Light rain in the valley became snow as we traveled to locations. Even with 4 wheel drive, some properties were tough to reach on the plowed private roads. Logging trucks turned some into a massively muddy mess, others were dangerously steep and twisting next to severe drops, so going down them at maybe 5mph was required due to the packed/frozen snow. Something to consider as it adds 30 minutes to the drive back to a paved road! At one property, we got stuck in the front yard trying to back up 40 feet to turn around, the snow was packed enough that the truck would slide sideways as we tried to turn around. Had to pull out a camp shovel and dig up some dirt to toss over the snow to get traction. Another issue is water, the wells in these areas are around 450' deep, with water at 250-300' and acceptable but pretty low flow rates. Considering it costs around $50 per foot to drill a new well, and there's no guarantee you will hit usable water after paying for it, that's a very expensive risk on top of the property cost if the goal is to live there and not have to haul in water from town using those tough roads in winter. Some people go that route, filling their truck up with all the water they drink, and I guess rely on rainwater storage as well.

Two properties that were right off a paved county road had no issues with access, but the noise was a problem. There aren't a lot of main roads in the area, and since these properties were further south you ended up with a regular stream of heavy trucks going by on their way from the mills, Canada, or Spokane. Even at the far end of the property it was jarringly loud. At the other end of the county, maybe 5 miles from Canada, another property with well and power installed was also right on the road for easy access, and hardly any traffic in the area as it's rather remote. But the trailer on the property was infested with pack rats, and had trash all over it which would involve filling up several big containers to take to the dump, like those 6'x8'x40' containers. The owner had a mortgage to pay off, and had turned down offers for less than asking, so this was an expensive choice that would require a lot of cleanup to get it back to a usable state. Making the trip to see properties in person was really valuable, as you wouldn't have a clue otherwise about the various gotchas. The real estate web sites are designed to sell property, you need to see it yourself to know if it will work for your needs.

I ended up making an offer on a pretty flat parcel in the valley not too far from Spokane but a little over half a mile from the paved county road so you don't hear any traffic. Access to the road is very good, with several other homes on the private road which was in good shape. Well logs (something to check if a person plans to dig one) on the county's web site showed everyone in this immediate area had wells about 100' deep with water at 70' with really high flow rates. So a well with plenty of water for another $5000 seems very likely, and the property is in a district managed by federal rules on water rights, while other properties were in the state regulated areas which are up in the air due to the Hirsh decision, which is going to impact residential exempt well use in Washington state, especially in the fast-growing areas near the west coast. So when I install a well for plant irrigation that will be no problem, and Stevens county allows for an owner-built exemption that lets you bypass the permit/inspections/fees for building a house with certain conditions. The only thing I will need to do is convert some of the property from timber zoning to residential and pay the difference in the property taxes. Timber zoned land has almost no property taxes- this 20 acre parcel costs $1.20 per acre per year, $24 total- because the county gets tax money when timber is harvested by the mill that buys it. Residential zoning increases the tax rate to the owner instead. So you convert say 1-2 acres and you can then legally build on that residential property.

The holy trinity of wholesomeness: Fred Rogers - be kind to others; Steve Irwin - be kind to animals; Bob Ross - be kind to yourself

James Freyr

steward

Posts: 4837

Location: West Tennessee

2438

I like...

posted 6 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Congrats on your land purchase Mark! Sounds like you've found a really nice place.

"Study books and observe nature; if they do not agree, throw away the books." ~ William A. Albrecht

Martin Bernal

Posts: 103

posted 6 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

all prices are fair in the marketplace.

Un Jung

Posts: 2

posted 6 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Bryant RedHawk wrote:Since in my day job I'm an Arkansas Level 4 (senior) Appraiser, I think I can give some advice on this subject.

There are several different types of land, each with its own valuation process.

Commercial Land is land that is for business use it will have the highest per sq. ft. value. I've seen this type go for as much as 1,000,000 and acre. and the value per acre does not drop by volume buying.

Residential Land is what you find in most housing developments, price is set by roads, water, electricity, sewage availability and type of houses built in the development. High end homes mean high end prices.

Rural land is "out in the country" living, prices will be lower depending on utility services available if you have all the utilities (like in a housing development) expect a higher price.

Farm Land is land with a history of being used for food production, this is lower in price than Commercial land but is usually priced at a higher rate than Rural Land.

Timber Land is land expected to have harvesting of trees going on, again it is lower in price than Commercial land but profits can be made so it will be higher in price than Rural land.

Location is always a key factor this can be broken down into State, County divisions. Land in California, New York, and other high density states will be higher than states with fewer people per sq. mile.

Suitability of land for use type is also a factor. Swamps and wet lands will be priced lower than pasture, or crop field land. Mountainous land will also be lower priced than flat land.

In most cases for 2016 land purchases, land that will be suitable for our particular uses will be priced from 2,000 to 5,000 per acre.
This is land that is: 1. undeveloped or "Raw" = no road in place, no electric in place, no water in place, no sewer system in place.
2. Marginal land = land on the cusp of being suitable for development. This would be land next to a swamp but not in it, land that has no flat area, etc.

Land prices are dependent upon several other things, such as; owner desire to sell, Weather history (in an area prone to floods, tornadoes, hurricanes and so on, prices should be lower than comparable land with out these hazardous histories).

Example: Where I live we have had two EF-4 tornadoes in a three year period, this has created a situation where many "buyers" are no longer interested in moving to the area. Land values are dropping because of this one factor.
The land surrounding our place had a 2008 value of 20,000 per 5 acres or 4,000 per acre. The current value of this same land is now 2,000 per acre.

Land value is very much location dependent, you can research values in your area by talking to a realtor or by going to the Assessor's office and asking one of that offices appraisers.
Keep in mind that Taxable value will be lower than Sale (Market) value but it should be within 20% of Sale or Market Value.
Researching Land Values is always the best way to make sure you aren't over paying for land.

Finding out of your state has a practice of selling tax delinquent land through a State Land Commissioner or other office is a great way to buy acreage on the cheep. Usually these sales are by public auction for a price close to the owed taxes+the assessor's valuation. HI......quick Q: I inherited my property. So I can't complain. Love it. 36 acres. Rural. Small town. Biig cities 45 minutes. Forestry Dept said....oh yeah...get so and so cut pine. Then we'll cut FIRE LANES, guide you with reforestation. YEAH. Now they tell me 30 acres of land is wet land. Can't do nothing. Can't plant pine. Even said...I cant walk on it! I don't know if this policy has changed with new president. BUT...IS THE VALUE OF WETLAND ZIP? There was no mention of WETLAND on my parents 1985 deed. Now, I MUST declare it if I sell it.

Mike Haasl

steward

Posts: 15369

Location: Northern WI (zone 4)

4759

I like...

posted 6 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Un Jung wrote:HI......quick Q: I inherited my property. So I can't complain. Love it. 36 acres. Rural. Small town. Biig cities 45 minutes. Forestry Dept said....oh yeah...get so and so cut pine. Then we'll cut FIRE LANES, guide you with reforestation. YEAH. Now they tell me 30 acres of land is wet land. Can't do nothing. Can't plant pine. Even said...I cant walk on it! I don't know if this policy has changed with new president. BUT...IS THE VALUE OF WETLAND ZIP? There was no mention of WETLAND on my parents 1985 deed. Now, I MUST declare it if I sell it.

Hi Un, I think I pulled your question out of Bryant's quote. So the family land you inherited is "wet" and the forestry department says you can't do anything with it or even walk on it. hmm. What state are you in?

I'm guessing that unless you own a federally recognized wetland, the state would regulate your wet woods (if they even would regulate it). I'm pretty sure if you own a federally recognized wetland it would not have been a surprise to you.

The value of wetland varies by the regulations on it and the recreational opportunities in the area. If you can cut wood on it legally, then it has timber value. If it is good hunting land then it has recreational value. If some part of the property is dry enough to legally build a house on, you have more value.

SKIP books, get 'em while they're hot!!! Skills to Inherit Property
Come join me at the 2024 SKIP event at Wheaton Labs

PEP - PEP1 badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Ash Jackson

round wood woodworking - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by paul wheaton

animal care - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Nicole Alderman

woodland care - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Nicole Alderman

tool care - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Dave Burton

natural medicine - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Barkley

dimensional lumber woodworking - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Barkley

natural building - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Barkley

electricity - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Barkley

Food Prep and Preservation - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Ash Jackson

metalworking - sand badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Ash Jackson

Mark Deichmann

Posts: 137

Location: Maritimes , Eastern Canada

I like...

posted 6 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

On wetlands, the restrictions are new in our area too. Watercourses and wetlands. This also restricts placement of septic tanks/fields because of certain minimum distances to watercourses( could be just a ditch or spring) and wells.

Thats why I have to get a certain parcel approved with well and septic now before things get even stricter. Its due to the environmental issues so many people are concerned about. It also makes it a challenge to sell land with wetlands. Just like having buried oil tanks did a few years back.

I you have wetlands on your land you need to work on planning around that and do whatever work needs to be done , as these restrictions will likely get stricter in future.

We are also putting in any culverts required. This already requires a permit and inspection.

I am avoiding some of the headache by hiring contractors who have certification to do the work and know how to get approval from DOE. Its a hassel and an expense but at the end of the day we all appreciate environmental control and clean water.

On land prices: in our area the prices are depressed. I have been looking at 100 acre woodlots, most of which have been "masacered " and the average is aroun $ 500/acre( for the 100 +)

Mixed woodlot and open field or even , in some cases, open field will average about $1,200. CAD so thats pretty reasonable.

By knowing a bit about the soil conditions in areas , some cutovers or woodland can be converted to mixed use( permaculture) land. Other areas would be too acidic.

As pointed out by many hear , there is a lot of variation in price and quality depending largely on location and current use.

Would be nice to see more posts with pricing and availability from more areas!

SANY0419.JPG

Let the land inspire you!

tom kehl

Posts: 1

posted 6 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

fair price per acre for land,

Well your looking North up to Grand Rapids,MI. Try looking in the "Area: of Frout Port it is East of Grand Haven,MI It is a arming area low population good roads old farms Price = $1,500/$4,000 Power in the roads. Good Luck

tom kehl

Mark Kissinger

pollinator

Posts: 242

Location: Dolan Springs, AZ 86441

posted 6 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

In NW Arizona, rangeland north of Kingman is available for an assessed value of around $1,100 per acre for "open range" land, zoned A-R, which means you must build a 'cattle-qualified' fence around anything that you don't want to be accessible to free-range cattle. Water is an issue, with drilling a well running around $30K, with no guarantees of finding drinkable water. Since the tracts of land are checkerboarded into 1-mile squares of BLM land and privately owned "ranchettes" it's really a sweetheart deal for the 3 or 4 large cattle companies in the area to get "free" rangeland for their cattle. Most people living in the area buy their water and truck it in because a water well costs a minimum of $30K, and does not have any guarantee of finding water, or that water will be potable due to high mineral content.

I inherited 3.66 completely unimproved acres, but I have never received any offers larger than a low-ball of $1,800, all of which have come from land speculators.

At one time, I had considered setting up an experimental water-collecting greenhouse system for distilling fresh water from the air, and to use passive solar to distill brackish water.

Unfortunately, such grand ideas are for a younger, more fit generation than I, so I am going to sell the property at a good price to someone who has the wherewithal to develop it (Lots of wind and sun available for power).

I think that it could be a lot more productive if managed better for growing native desert grasses and other native forage plants. Also, rainwater harvesting would increase the productivity a lot. I just don't have the physical ability to do it myself anymore.

Let me know if you're interested in this High Desert Rangeland. [ mrkhermitcrabee at gmail dot com ]

Jesse Blaine

Posts: 3

posted 5 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Old thread but a great thing to consider.

We buy and sell land all over the country and can tell you it varies quite a bit. Location of course matters, but the also the development on the land. Drainage, fertility, timber, water access, road access, proximity to "civilization", land taxes, etc etc etc.

The best thing you can do is check out market values are to use zillow and landwatch. Make sure to use appropriate filters to see what land is listed for with the characteristics you want (size, location, etc). You should be able to see comps.

When you're looking to buy then make sure you buy from a discount land seller. These are sellers that buy properties that people don't really want and then sell them at a discount. There are so many properties available around the country offered at a huge discount which would make the entrance to homesteading and permaculture much more inviting.

https://epiclanddeals.com is one.
https://landmodo.com is another.

There are many out there.

Buy land...they're not making any more of it.

Norma Guy

Posts: 124

Location: Ontario, climate zone 3a

I like...

posted 5 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

We searched for a few years on several websites, such as landwatch.com. What we were looking for was within a fairly small budget, unincorporated land where no building permits are required, and next to nothing for taxes. You need to go pretty far up north to check all three of those boxes in Ontario, and that's where we ended up. We paid CAD $187/acre, and about CAD $68 annually for property taxes.

You need to consider your own abilities and resources when you're looking for cheap land, and consider what you're getting at that cost. We have:

No access to utilities (we don't want electricity, but will have to drill and maintain our own well, compost or burn waste)
No public road (which means no plowing or maintenance - if it washes out, we will have to rebuild it, and if it snows 10 feet we either have to clear it or rely on a snowmobile)
No school district (if we had kids with us full time we would have to home-school)
And if we don't get help from the logging company, we will have to approach the Ministry of Natural Resources to get approval to put in culverts/bridges, and then pay a contractor to put in what they say we can put it
We've got mosquitoes and black flies that would make me run for my life if I wasn't wearing a bug net and leather gloves between late May and mid-September, which is pretty much our entire growing season
Our only neighbours are bears, wolves, moose, squirrels, beavers, snowshoe hares and grouse... and millions of slugs
We've got soil that is 3 inches deep, on top of clay
We've got endemic black knot
And the threat of forest fires, like the Lady Evelyn fire that had us glued to the fire map this summer, hoping we wouldn't lose everything
Within a local economy that is driven by logging and summer tourism

We saw all of these things as challenges rather than deal-breakers. If our budget had been greater, and we weren't concerned with being regulated out of our dream lifestyle by building permits and high taxes, there would have been much less challenging pieces of land we could have chosen - better access, better soil - if we were planning to maintain a lifestyle that could also afford bigger taxes and more government scrutiny. Our only other alternative would have been abandoning family completely and moving much farther away, which we didn't consider an option. If we were much older, less physically able, and more pessimistic about this plan, it may never have begun. My grandma is calling me an adventurer now, and It's probably a nice way of saying she thinks I'm mad :P

You will need to decide what is an absolute necessity for you, and what you can live without, and what your budget is, then search, search, search! You also may need to decide if your "dream" lifestyle is 100% achievable, or whether you will need to compromise and be happy with 70% of your dream, and just make a life you can believe in.

Greg Mamishian

Posts: 499

Location: Rural Unincorporated Los Angeles County Zone 10b

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Where we live buildable land goes for about $300K to $1M+ an acre.
Emphasis on the word buildable as there's cheaper land on which you can't build.
We bought relatively cheaper land sold as unbuildable and found a way to build on it.

"Fair" is what anyone is willing to pay.

S Bengi

pollinator

Posts: 3826

Location: Massachusetts, Zone:6/7 AHS:4 GDD:3000 Rainfall:48in even Soil:SandyLoam pH6 Flat

554

I like...

posted 5 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Just got 1.8acres for $18k

Iterations are fine, we don't have to be perfect
My 2nd Location:Florida HardinessZone:10 AHS:10 GDD:8500 Rainfall:2in/mth winter, 8in/mth summer, Soil:Sand pH8 Flat

Meg Mitchell

pollinator

Posts: 205

Location: Gulf Islands, Canada

I like...

posted 5 years ago

2
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I think it will vary quite a lot depending on location, state of the land, etc. I could get quite cheap land if I moved out East but it could mean a much shorter growing season. I could also get cheaper land by moving further away from cities and more out into the bush, but for small growers hoping to rely on a market garden, that could limit your income. As a small grower you probably want to have access to farmer's markets with customers willing to pay higher prices for organic produce, rather than selling your produce in bulk to a processor or another largeish company. (Joel Salatin's book "You Can Farm" goes a lot into this. The profit difference between selling regular corn to a mill versus selling blue cornbread at a chic farmer's market can be enormous, but the effort involved is not that different. Rich folks call this "vertical integration".)

You can also get a pretty steep bulk discount on land, I think. I don't really like to look at land in per-acre terms because from what I've seen, it is a LOT cheaper per-acre to buy 100 acres than to buy 10 or less, even given the same level of services (water/power/internet/roads). If you're willing to live on an off-grid property without those kind of amenities, it will absolutely lower your cost. If you can shell out for 500 or more acres then the price drops even further from there. The demand for large, off-grid properties is just a lot less than smaller on-grid ones, so land price doesn't scale proportionally.

My current area is somewhat close to a couple of metro areas (although not without barriers since we're on an island), and we've seen 12 acre properties for about 300k CAD, which is cheaper than it has been in the past. However, I have a friend on the east coast who bought a 12 acre property for about 100k.

when you're going through hell, keep going!

natural medicine - air badge (verified skill)
Skill verified by Mike Haasl

Jacob von Heddmann

Posts: 2

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I bought land last week at $850 for an acre in New Mexico, half hour west from Albuquerque.

Gail Jardin

Posts: 357

posted 5 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I can only find land for about 3k per acre, a little discount for cash up front instead of land contracts. I see large 100+ acre parcels for as low as 2K an acre but could never afford that, lol. I'm hoping to find something more affordable but I doubt it.

Efren Turner

Posts: 37

Location: Mendocino County, California, 9a

I like...

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

michaelson alexander wrote:Grateful for this thread. Can anyone from CA/Northwest give any price ranges? Thanks everyone.

California:
~$10,000 per acre for ~40 acre of hilly land. ~$17,000 is the average price per acre of CA farm land*. A lot more for small parcels. Less in boonies, a lot more toward the Bay Area or LA.

California is extremely expensive and has a high demand for housing and farm land.

*: "With an average price of $3.2 million, the total value of over 114,270 acres of farms recently listed for sale in California was $2 billion" https://www.landandfarm.com/search/California/Farm-for-sale/

James Black

pollinator

Posts: 365

posted 5 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

In my area there is a 47 acre empty lot of prime farmland for sale, agricultural zoned. about 30 acres cleared pasture, the rest wooded. The asking is $249,000 (a bit over $5,000 per acre. A nearby (to us) 2.43 acre building lot directly on the road, heavily timbered on a slope is on the market for $37,000, or a bit over $15,000 per acre.

For comparison in same area: 27.3 acres, $1,150,000: Turn-key horse farm with 6 bedroom, 5,400 sq.ft. home, located 7 mins to downtown Saratoga Springs. Two barns: 32 stalls, wash stalls, laundry, tack & feed room, spacious lounge & office. Caretaker’s apartment. 80x180 indoor arena, 10 turnouts; several with automated waterers. 2 outdoor arenas: dressage and jumping, round pen area, and 1/2 mi. dirt riding track. Versatile property ideal for rehab/training ctr, boarding operation or private equestrian estate.

john mcginnis

Posts: 315

posted 5 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

What a multivariant question.

* Before even talking about land, discuss in your mind as to what is your purpose? Not some vague 'homestead' but orchard, silvaculture, market garden, ranching. What do you think your primary use is. Colonial farmers were always concerned with what was to be their primary cash crop. You should too.

* Then look at the market for the going rates for the products the land will primarily produce. Can that arrangement support the financial burden?

* Deduct the costs for improvements. Can the property start immediately for intended purpose or will there be a 2-3yr cycle of no production to get it to that stage?

Factor all that in and you have a fair idea what the land is worth to YOU. The seller may have other ideas. Work around them, or look elsewhere. It is tragic to see people who purchased, improved, and sold out because either they ran out of capital or realized too late that the land they bought is unsuited to purpose.

Colby Tyson

pollinator

Posts: 130

Location: KY

I like...

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Paid $2,180/acre for 27.5 ac in rural/farmland Robertson County Kentucky (Northeastern KY)

Topography varying +/- 150ft. or so, hilly with 2 creeks that start on property, one main ridgeline w/ 50x40 tobacco barn (in need of 3 posts replaced, slight roof damage, etc) Barn has 200A new electric box installed with a light and outlet, city water goes to a frost proof hydrant about 80 ft off the road alongside entry drive. 4 or so acres wooded, rest hay fields/berries/wild flowers. 8" cedar posts with decent amount of wire fencing intact for horses, etc already installed every 20ft or so around entire perimeter and wooded areas.

Just let it grow already

Jimmy Grundy

Posts: 2

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I've got some aspirations to buy some acreage here in Australia, but boy oh boy some of the prices are insane. One area you could pay up to $200,000 per acre, the property is 100 acres - so $20M, but this does back onto a lot of freshwater. I think the cheapest I've been able to find around my area is about $10,000 per acre.

Jessa Hunt

Posts: 18

Location: North Central Kansas

I like...

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I browse the Zillow listings about once a month, have for the past year or so. I have a few requirements, and I just poke around the map and look at things. Obviously, the man price factor is Location. Closer to metro areas you end up with inflated insane prices. Any time I see what 'ought' to be a nice bit of land for a low price near or in town, I wonder what's wrong with it.

Which is important to pay attention to. One of the lots I'd fallen in love with, within budget and against protected woods, I find out after someone tried to buy it and it went back on the market - it's an incredibly steep lot with no current access from a road. Probably building costs are prohibitive.

Another lot I thought was amazing, turns out it's "recreation only" so no permanent residence. Another was "wetland" and not buildable, period. Then there was a lovely collection of acres for a nice price - but it was zoned for Farming only, no residence.

So price depends on a lot of things. Location may be key, but BUILDABILITY is kind of important. If I can't legally live there, then it doesn't matter how cheap it is, it's worthless to me.
I hope to find something close enough to still commute to work within a year or so. Eh, we'll see.

Travis Johnson

pollinator

Posts: 4958

1194

I like...

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I think the biggest question is: what does the land have on it?

We are selling our Homestead here in Maine, and it seems like a lot of money, but I am not sure homesteaders realize how much work, time and money that took to get this far. It took me 11 years to clear the land of trees, install the fences, and build the barn. That is the really hard work kind of stuff.

So it depends on what people want to do.

Do they want to do the hard stuff like that, and take a decade to do it?
Or start off with that stuff being done, and concentrate on getting the orchards, gardens, and other stuff that allows them to be 100% self-sustaining?

I do not think there is anything wrong with either method. I do think sometimes people's expectations on what they can get done in a given amount of time is not really accurate, and I see that quite a bit with half-completed homesteads and I wonder if maybe they would not have been better off to start with a started homestead, and then add the elements that they love, like getting the orchards and gardens growing, instead of trying to do all that AND build their house.

Myself: I am the opposite. I like to get things started from the beginning, and then once established, I start losing interest.

Barbara Martin

Posts: 71

Location: Southside of Virginia

I like...

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

The price for anything is what the market will bear, being "fair" has little to do with the value and/or price. The attributes of any real estate you seek will determine the price. Decide what is important to you and know your budget; that will, by default, bring you to a "fair-to-you" price. Sure hope you find a piece that suits you!

Stefanie Chandler

Posts: 26

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I am now at odds with the man across the street. He is on the down hill side of the road. The owner up hill from him let the drainage ditch and culvert fill in and now the water goes out on to the road. I have a culvert and under the drive that leads to the same culvert. He has started coming across and digging small trenches across my drive. The rain makes them erode so I took my shovel and started digging the mud out of the ditch to fill the trench; he came at me pushed me out of the way and tore the shovel out of my hands and walked off with it. It was not even his land
Location is important but don’t forget the drainage and the neighbors.

john mcginnis

Posts: 315

posted 5 years ago

1
Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Stefanie Chandler wrote:I am now at odds with the man across the street. He is on the down hill side of the road. The owner up hill from him let the drainage ditch and culvert fill in and now the water goes out on to the road. I have a culvert and under the drive that leads to the same culvert. He has started coming across and digging small trenches across my drive. The rain makes them erode so I took my shovel and started digging the mud out of the ditch to fill the trench; he came at me pushed me out of the way and tore the shovel out of my hands and walked off with it. It was not even his land
Location is important but don’t forget the drainage and the neighbors.

That is classified as assault in most states. Treat it as such and call the police.

Once you let someone get away with that kind of behavior they will continue to do so -- forever.

James Freyr

steward

Posts: 4837

Location: West Tennessee

2438

I like...

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Stefanie Chandler wrote:I am now at odds with the man across the street. He is on the down hill side of the road. The owner up hill from him let the drainage ditch and culvert fill in and now the water goes out on to the road. I have a culvert and under the drive that leads to the same culvert. He has started coming across and digging small trenches across my drive. The rain makes them erode so I took my shovel and started digging the mud out of the ditch to fill the trench; he came at me pushed me out of the way and tore the shovel out of my hands and walked off with it. It was not even his land
Location is important but don’t forget the drainage and the neighbors.

That's terrible Stefanie! I feel for you. I do agree with John's post above and I think if this guy is not held accountable, the bar has been set and he'll now think he can treat you this way and get away with it.

"Study books and observe nature; if they do not agree, throw away the books." ~ William A. Albrecht

Hisham Husseini

Posts: 18

posted 5 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

In my orchard, 1 square meter is worth $430, an Acre is worth more than $1.5m.

Abbey Wilson

Posts: 11

posted 4 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I paid 1,000 per acre! At a steal I had to get 40. The other land I was looking at was 4

Travis Johnson

pollinator

Posts: 4958

1194

I like...

posted 4 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Raw land is always cheaper by volume. 40 acres is going to be cheaper per acre than 4, but 400 acres is going to be cheaper than 40.

When I calculate my taxes per acre, I do not calculate such things as houses and such, Like my land has 2 houses, a sawmill, and an 8 acre gravel pit, along with plenty of fields and forest. I conclude that the taxes are $29 per acre, and they are, averaged out no matter what is on them. I figure my Grandfather pays $25 an acre. I do it this way so I can see how taxes rate in different towns on a consistent basis.

As in the article about GERT, when I figure in my Net Worth, I do calculate the value of my land, wood, mineral resourses, houses, livestock, barns etc to get a better idea what I am worth overall. This also allows me to get a debt-to net worth ratio too. That is nice knowing because it motivates a person to reduce debt, or allows them to take pride in where they are debt wise. (I am currently at 9%. If I sell my homestead, I will be at less than 1% in debt. With these kinds of numbers, I can make intelligent choices).

B. Rey.

Posts: 15

Location: Upstate N.Y.

posted 4 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

Well, in the area of upstate NY I'm in (Commuting distance to Albany) a good price for bare land is 1k/acre, with farm land going for 2k+. We paid 120k for 97 acres that is mostly clear, with about 10-15 acres of mature hardwoods and the rest being abandoned farmland that we are slowly bringing back.

John F Dean

master steward

Posts: 6652

Location: southern Illinois, USA

2370

I like...

posted 4 years ago

Number of slices to send:

Optional 'thank-you' note:

Send

I was browsing through this thread and recalled a conversation I had with an attorney. Of course, as this thread has proven, there are many potential approaches to obtaining an answer. His approach, regarding farm land, was to determine what the payments would be. If the potential income did not cover the payments, dont buy it.

At my age, Happy Hour is a nap.

We kept yelling "heart attack" and he kept shaking his head. Charades was the tiny ad's idea.

Alan Booker's Spring Terrace Webinar Recording

https://permies.com/t/223970/Alan-Booker-Spring-Terrace-Webinar