I have just been thinking - crowdfunding to buy land?

Has anyone thought avojt using a gofundme page to get enough money to buy land with?

I am aware that most of us here are very proud people. Like I say it has just been running through my brain for a few days now.

Not on the gofundme, but I'm running one campaign at the moment:
De Landgenoten is a Flemish organisation that is set up specifically to buy land for organic agriculture with EU organic being the minimum standard but if you come with a business plan only just meeting the law, you'll not receive any help from them (most are bio-dynamic people in the board).
Land isn't easy to sell to people if you don't promise a big return on investment and agriculture is not gonna give you a big return, if any, on investment.

Tommie Hockett wrote:Has anyone thought avojt using a gofundme page to get enough money to buy land with?

I am aware that most of us here are very proud people. Like I say it has just been running through my brain for a few days now.

I think it is a good idea in concept and morality, but I am not so sure that it works well. I have never tried this method, but from the number of replies on here from those who have, its not been all that successful. I think it is because so many people "want a few aces" of their own, so to help fund another person's dream, when their own gets dashed, plays into that. For us that do have land, the requirements of land ownership and the demanding funds to do earthworks projects, sowing crops, and raising livestock are so high in comparison to the profit made (if any), there is little left for land generosity.

Not that I do not give to charity, I do, but the ones that are so dear to my heart (Teen Challenge for instance) has so many needs of their own that even as much as I give, I wish I could give more.

But there is another aspect that is often overlooked and that is the equity invested in a property. My father and Uncle are great examples of this. They were given the land my Grandfather owned free and clear as an inheritance, BUT they never appreciated what they got. Parts of it they sold off to the highest bidder, built houses and sold them, and never farmed. In contrast I BOUGHT the farm off them, and I am glad I did. I have a lot of equity and investment in it, and I respect it more because of it. I think the more a person struggles to get what they really want, the more it is appreciated.

Travis Johnson wrote: I think it is a good idea in concept and morality, but I am not so sure that it works well. I have never tried this method, but from the number of replies on here from those who have, its not been all that successful. I think it is because so many people "want a few aces" of their own, so to help fund another person's dream, when their own gets dashed, plays into that. For us that do have land, the requirements of land ownership and the demanding funds to do earthworks projects, sowing crops, and raising livestock are so high in comparison to the profit made (if any), there is little left for land generosity.

Not that I do not give to charity, I do, but the ones that are so dear to my heart (Teen Challenge for instance) has so many needs of their own that even as much as I give, I wish I could give more.

But there is another aspect that is often overlooked and that is the equity invested in a property. My father and Uncle are great examples of this. They were given the land my Grandfather owned free and clear as an inheritance, BUT they never appreciated what they got. Parts of it they sold off to the highest bidder, built houses and sold them, and never farmed. In contrast I BOUGHT the farm off them, and I am glad I did. I have a lot of equity and investment in it, and I respect it more because of it. I think the more a person struggles to get what they really want, the more it is appreciated.

I agree with you whole heartedly about the sweat equity and appreciating it all tge more. It was really just a thought. It is one of my biggest dreams to own land that I can turn into a homestead. Sometimes it seems like that is very far away though. And I have been thinking on it over the past few days and this just popped into my head. I figured I would get yalls opinion on it. Anyway on a side note I get to go home today at some point (I work oilfield) and My wife and I found an acre with an old building on it for sale for $800 so we are going to jump on that. It is zoned commercial and the location isnt good for a farm, but I am thinking of maybe flipping it or something... I don't know what to do with it yet but I can't pass it up for that price.

I don't personally have experience with this but I agree with some of the other replies. People want a piece of the pie or to know what they donating too. I have had some friends try a "crowd source" thing before as well, didn't go very well. lots of opinions and too many chefs in the kitchen so to speak. I dont care how much yoga you do....people will be people! We bought ours the old fashion way, saved and paid. I suspect your in an area where land is cheap via your 800 dollar acre, good job by the way! awesome deal! I would save that oil money and make it happen. P.S. if you got a loaded family will give you lots of money via the internets I'll take it all back...lol

Congratz on your one acre

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Tommie Hockett wrote:Has anyone thought avojt using a gofundme page to get enough money to buy land with?

With donating to a cause, it's that's feeling of philanthropy that makes one feel good helping those in need. With crowdfunding products, it's personal entertainment/use that fulfills a want. In most cases, someone is more likely to donate to a need, or to a personal want they can benefit from.

If I put up a gofundme page with the main idea being "I want this 20 acres of land, it's my dream to homestead!" I can see the following reactions happening from potential donators:

1) This guy wants me to pay for his dream? No thanks.
2) There doesn't seem to be much a business plan, so I doubt the land will be developed properly.
3) That's a nice piece of land, I think I'll buy it for myself.

The difference between donating to a cause and the idea you have, is that disaster relief needs money, while homesteading is a choice. This means people are less likely to donate to your page unless you are facing bankruptcy and homesteading is a new start for you or something.

Hope you don't take this as offensive either, as it's not meant as such, but in my area oil workers get $60,000-70,000/year starting salary. If I were to try to get donations for land around here while saying that I'm an oil worker, it just wouldn't happen. Your situation could be completely different, but I'm just trying to explain a perception that a potential donator may get when reading the gofundme page.

Despite what I put above and what has been said by others so far, on the internet some people will donate to anything even if they don't get anything tangible out of it. But, I think crowdfunding should be a last resort and you could likely find better ways to purchase land. How much land are you wanting to buy for homesteading?

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Tommie Hockett wrote:It is one of my biggest dreams to own land that I can turn into a homestead. Sometimes it seems like that is very far away though.

I decided to go this route. The short of it is:

1) Find a farmer that has some unprofitable corner of land or an abandoned farmyard while showing how you being on the land is profitable for them. (ex. $ Rent, Work, Resources)
2) Save up money to buy the surrounding land
3a) If you only want an additional few acres, subdivide
3b) Buy the entire quarter/parcel of land and rent out anything you don't need.

I'm going for 3b, but as you'll likely understand, that's feels like a long ways away and a lot can happen in that amount of time. Not much you can do when land around cities is the right size for homesteading but is $10,000 an acre and land that is cheap out in the rural areas is all bundled together which makes it expensive.

I just had a guy stop in here today and ask about a house across the road. It is ours as it belonged to my Late-Grandmother, but it is not hospitable at this time. It has a new kitchen and bathroom, and might be used if it was not fall, but to move into a home this close to winter would be asking for trouble. Maybe in the summer.

Still I have to admit that the guy had the fortitude to stop in and ask.

It might work better for an intentional community, or for a non profit, but I don't see it really kicking off into high gear without some place for the dream to land in the donor's minds.

Since you work at a place with half decent pay (I'm guessing oilfiled wages are similar in Texas as in Alberta), I would suggest saving your cash, limiting your spending dramatically, and putting the focus on looking for the dream piece after you have enough together for a decent down payment.  

After 3 years of focus I was able to put the down payment on my 40acre property in 2012.  I've kept the focus on and it will likely be paid off this coming spring.  

Hey guys and gals. Sorry it has been a few days since I posted. I don't have great signal at the house. Anyway I feel that I should clarify a common misconception. Most people think that if you work oilfield you are eithe A.) Trash or B.) Rich. While it is true that if you work the rigs you make good money I don't work on them. I am basically a janitor of the oilfield. We are the bottom rung. Which doesn't bother me I am proud of what I do. However we have wierd hours we work 14 days on amd 7 off. When we are out our hours aren't gauranteed, we may get 30 hours a week or 80 hours a week. I make anywhere between 35k to 45k a year. Anyway thats neither here nor there. I just wanted to clarify that. But onward to other subjects land in my area ranges from 7 to 10 grand an acre because we are... qouting a realtor here "smack in the middle of horse country" . So that acre that I was telling yall about... turns out the listing was posted wrong on the internet. It said for sale but it was only for lease. But that is ok also we will just keep on keeping on. I also wanted to say that I am not going to try this idea because at the end of the day it wouldn't feel like my land. It is the same reason I haven't asked my brother in law for a loan. I was just curious to see if any one had done it and what thier experiences/success/failure had been.

Tommie Hockett wrote:Anyway I feel that I should clarify a common misconception. Most people think that if you work oilfield you are eithe A.) Trash or B.) Rich. While it is true that if you work the rigs you make good money I don't work on them. I am basically a janitor of the oilfield. We are the bottom rung. Which doesn't bother me I am proud of what I do. However we have wierd hours we work 14 days on amd 7 off. When we are out our hours aren't gauranteed, we may get 30 hours a week or 80 hours a week.

That's part of the reason I still posted what I did, because it's not always the same situation for everyone, but people will identify you based on the norm. Thanks for the info though, as I never knew there was a position in the oilfield that varied in hours like that.

Tommie Hockett wrote: But onward to other subjects land in my area ranges from 7 to 10 grand an acre because we are... qouting a realtor here "smack in the middle of horse country" . So that acre that I was telling yall about... turns out the listing was posted wrong on the internet. It said for sale but it was only for lease.

Personally, if land prices were over 8 grand per acre here, I'd move - if I was seriously interested in homesteading/market gardening/permaculture. Unless there was some compelling reason to stay there.

It's getting harder here to find good deals, but they do come up. An Example after a 5 minute search. Usually it's the places just outside of a small town that don't have basic utilities meaning that typical residents don't want it, and even though it's labeled as a farmstead in most cases, it's not really enough to keep more than 2-3 horses on for the average person. It's not like you'd have to move out of texas, as I'm sure other areas in the state would have land cheap enough to help you live your dream sooner.

If I'm giving money to a crowdfunding campaign, I look at two things.  

1. what's in it for me (because I'm a greedy little so and so)
2. what's in it for my community (online or physical).

Buying land isn't really enough for me to want to give money to.  Getting land is the easy part - keeping it and keeping it productive in a way that helps the community is the hard bit.

If I was to donate money to someone who wanted to buy land, I would need to know they have a good track record.  But then, by the time I hear about them, they already have land gifted to them.  Like Dan Jason of Saltspring seeds.  He has an excellent record of acclimatizing different varieties of plants to the West Coast and selling the seeds.  He did this for years on other people's land, decades I think, and then someone gifted him some land.  


Paul Wheaton had a crowdfunding campaign to buy land, but again, he proved first that he was capable of doing great things with it.  But he does talk in several places and podcasts about what made his Kickstarters so successful.  

Hey Jarret,
You're good buddy I run into that all the time. We stay here for a couple of reasons. The main one is that both of our Mothers are getting up in age and we help take care of them. The other reason is that for a long while my wife thought that God had built a wall around the Texas side of Texoma lol. But we have been talking and she is coming around. I had an interview with a company in Oklahoma and she said that if I got hired on we could start looking around for land up there. Land can go for around 2 grand an acre up there if you know where to look!!! I would personally love to move to Arkansas but since we are just now ok with an hour away I will take baby steps haha.

R. Ranson
You have some good points. And I appreciate it. As I said ot was just a thought and wabted to see if abyone had ever tried it and if they succeeded or failed. I don't think that I will ever try it. For the reason that has been stated I don't think it would completely feel like my own land if I had someone else pay for it....... Now having said that, if I had some unknown rich uncle kick the bucket abd leave me all the riches you wouldn't hear me complaining roflmbo

Hi guys.  This is from a few years ago:
https://fundly.com/blueberrygirlsmiracle

Just thought I'd share, since I remembered the campaign and always wondered how it worked out.  Seems like raising funding was an issue, and the gals ended up going a different route (food forest on an established farm).

I've no idea what happened ultimately.  Hope they're doing well.

Hello!

I'm in the same spot and was thinking the same thing, which is how I came across your post here. I think co-creating a specific model that people could be a part of, or have some type of "ownership" in could have great potential.

Wishing you all the best! Hold on to the vision of land being possible! I'm not sure where you are, but I'm in Canada!

Many blessings!

I was also doing some thinking on this

Talking with individuals that may be interested in investing what they want is a return on investment,  so if loaned 50k they'd want 55k back for their monetary risk
Thinking on the crowdfunding model it seems that following Paul's kickstarter model may prove effective but I really see the way into this being more of a CSA model in which your crowd of investors would get a share of the crops the land produced, basically youd be in debt to your future income on the business
So then,  what's a reasonable share and price/share and when someone invests up front, how long is their share good for? 1 season? 2 seasons? 3 seasons? Every single season you ever have? If it's less than all, WHAT season do they get access to? Your first season of meats and annual veggies? Or your 10th season with the above and fruit and nut yields?
If you're giving a portion of your crop to members who paid in advance, how much can you give away while maintaining a decent standard of living off of current sales?
Do investors assume risk of failed crops?
If you have partial failure do you give what you have to investors and forego any profit or living for yourself or askbincestors to wait for next year to keep Bill's paid?
With traditional mortgage you deal with bank and title company, with crowdfunding you deal w9th individuals who have their own lives and goals and may not look at a situation in a mathematical/calculating way but instead may be emotional, so with a series of bad years you may be loaning from a mob

Thoughts....

Been thinking about this for a while. A section of land is 640 acres, 1mile by 1 mile.

If I had a section of land that I could get for $500 per acre, I would need $320,000.00 to buy the whole thing.

Breaking it down into smaller parcels would give you...

4 X 160 acres at $80,000.00 each  , 16 X 40 acres at $20,000.00 each ,  and 64 X 10 acres at  $5,000.00 each.

If I had to pay up to $1000.00 per acre we all would have to double our stake.

Theoretically a buyer would not have to actually live there but could make arrangements  with other buyers , who will live there, to use their parcel ?

It might have to be purchased in the name of a LLC. Each person would then become a "stockholder".  I am not sure if we would have to actually "subdivide" the section, through the county, or of we could just unofficially divide it up and pull names out of a hat to pick your parcel ? Could we find 64  people who could be neighbors , form a community , without problems? At the least find 16 buyers and just subdivide it , each buyer doing their own thing on their own land.  All of this would have to be OK'd with the county as far as rules, how many dwellings/ people are allowed, how small can a section be divided into , etc.

What if I told you that I know of hundreds of sections that are for sale in Wyoming right now, I am in contact with the owners and they are waiting for me to pick a section and make an offer? Would anyone here be willing to get 64 people together with $5,000 bucks, to buy a section? Are there 16 people here who would be interested in homesteading in Wyoming? Anybody here with $320,000 bucks who wants to be a permie angel?

I love love love the idea of forming a "community " so to speak in Wyoming.  As long as people weren't on top of each other like a trailer park I think it could work pretty damn well, maybe go so far as to say a barter community or something like it. I didnt realize there were so many other like minded people out there. Hey ya'll✌🏼🤙🤟👍🙋‍♀️ I just decided to build "gypsy wagon" of sorts and travel, but all I've ever really wanted was a small huno of rock to call my own to garden, grow veggies, meat, flowers, fruit, etc... but im by no means rich, I dont have great credit and no rich relatives.  I was a single mom who raised two sons and now I have 3 (beautiful)granddaughters. (I'm only 51ish) BTW. I want to put an old claw foot tub on my small little deck and call it a hot tub that I can look at the sunset with a glass of wine in my hands and my boots hanging over the edge while I listen to something relaxing like.... slipknot, ffdp, gobsmack.  LOL but I would sign an agreement to work the land and share what I could of the bounty, help my neighbors with what I have and what I can do, im actually quite handy. And you'll would have an awesome funny chill a little weird but not in a bad way, neighbor.  Gotta have some fun 😜.  Thank you ill be here all week. Well if anyone out there is interested in furthering this discussion feel free, I would love to brainstorm this idea.

Lmao Gobsmack!!! Thats what I get for not checking before I hit submit. Oh and huno...hunk

I would not want to crowdfund with a bunch of random people, just get a deposit and mortgage on the land instead like most people do much safer