Kat Conn

Thank you very much TJ, Eric, and Myrth for your insights

Yes, I am moving slower on this because I would love this to be my forever home. Over the past few years, I have thought a lot about what I want, what I must have, and what things I'd like to try for fun or to see if it is for me. Unfortunately, I am not able to get the property I originally posted about because it was sold before I could see it. But now I am being notified of new listings.

The market here is very hot, so it probably isn't the best time to buy if I want any equity anyway. However, I just can't seem to stop the excitement of looking at listings and seeing if the spot for me pops up.

Funny story actually, just yesterday I came across a listing for a real "dog" of a house. It had a BEAUTIFUL property of 12 acres, part tillable and part wooded. But the house was missing part of the roof, the inside looked terrible, and it was overgrown. So, I call my realtor. I say, hey, let's go look at this! Maybe if the price on the property is right, I can get financing to fix up the junky house. So, she talks to the selling agent who lets us know it is a hoarder house, but they already have one offer that they are countering. However, the house can't really be saved. So, I'm talking it over with her and we are trying to get creative with how we could make it work.

Long story short, we figure out several solutions affordable to me and could let me make an offer, all involving getting rid of the house and putting a mobile home on the land to live in and possibly rebuild over a longer period of time. Ideas to get rid of the house ranged from having a demo team come in, to having firefighters burn down the house for practice. (I swear, I am so happy I have an agent and a friend who is willing to go along with all my crazy ideas, and even come up with some of her own!!! It is a huge gift!)

Well, I thought I had enough time to go look at this property, but turns out, later that same day while we were brainstorming, they got three more offers and accepted one. So now I like to joke that I can't even buy a house that I'll burn down! LOL

I guess the lesson here is to never give up, and don't pass on something you love if you think you can make it work in other ways. It would have been totally possible for our crazy scheme to work and I would have owned some beautiful land. Unfortunately, I just couldn't beat the other buyers to even see the property in person.

After a lot of thought and looking at a lot of listings (even outside my price range), I'd say that these things are really important to me:
- Low cost of living, low taxes
- Between 5-15 acres of mixed wooded and cleared land
- Privacy (I like neighbors, but not right outside my door)
- Freedom to own livestock if I choose that
- Within a 45 minute commute to work
- A clean, dry, safe place to sleep - I don't really care about the house style or whether it has a lot of bedrooms and extra bathrooms or a really nice sun room, or whether it is a mobile home. A sun room is nice to have, but it isn't what I'm really looking for at the end of the day

Things that would be nice to have, but can be added later:
- Pond
- Outbuildings - shed, chicken coop, pole barn
- Fruit and nut trees that are producing

That's good to know, Teri! I think the community here is so great and supportive of one another, even if they don't always agree. It's a place to share ideas and things we learn along the way. It's one of the things that got me hooked in the first place! And it really opened my eyes to a lot of possibilities out there that I would have never known.

TJ, I have come to see the long game, especially with what I can afford. In some ways, I have options and opportunity. Then I get "analysis paralysis" or wonder if it's really the right thing. I really want my next home to be my "forever home" that I can pour my energy into. The property had so many positive features for me, that I would have really been open to working with the less than perfect characteristics, like the narrow lot and the fact that maybe it isn't quite as large as I'd like. But, I guess it isn't in the cards for me and it can be another person's dream home

Also, it's great to hear that you had so many positive experiences with the homes in your vicinity. It's always so scary (to me) to think about what new neighbors might be like, how accepting they are of something a little different, and the like. Being in commodity crop country, you sure do stick out when you're planting trees on prime plowing acreage! LOL

Thank you Myrth! I have been looking for awhile and I just haven't found the right one. Someday, I will!

Thank you Teri! I hope I can come on here with great news someday, posting a picture of my new land with the title "I'm finally homesteading!" I'd love to share my journey, along with all of the failures and successes.

Thank you all for your replies! I talked to my realtor this morning and found out that it has an accepted offer, so I guess it wasn't meant to be! I'll keep looking, and in them meantime, get myself some more savings for the house that is meant to be mine

Miles, that was a great idea to ask the owners of the adjoining property to sell a parcel. I think that would make me feel so much better. Personally, I would love a nice square lot or something similar, but if it was going to be narrow and long, maybe additional acreage so it felt bigger I will definitely keep that in mind if something similar comes up in the future.

Teri, I have dear friends who recently moved back to Arkansas to be closer to family. They keep asking if I will move there to be close to them, and I would love to! I just don't feel comfortable leaving my current job. Maybe someday it is a place where I can look! And I loved your story. Neighbors are important, and I have come to appreciate the ones I have had. I also like the idea of having privacy and not feeling like we are living on a city block in the middle of the country. I'd love to find a place with that balance where we could be social and help each other, but also have freedom to move around more in our own spaces. My friends who moved actually purchased an acre of land with a home in NW Arkansas near Fayetteville and they love it. They don't plan to have animals, but they love plants and gardening. They actually just put in a pond last summer!

Myrth, I agree about zoning. This area has agriculture rights, while being zoned residential. However, I seem to hear a lot nowadays about the suburban home development in the countryside and the residents love the peace and quiet, but not the animals and farming. I would have had the right to have animals, but I also love to avoid conflict where I can.

I guess I'll just have to wait and see what comes along! I have looked into a few states that I really love for homesteading, including Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, and Maine. Maine might be a bit remote compared to the others, but it's just so beautiful there and I wouldn't mind snow  We'll see what the future holds! Thank you all for your replies and you have definitely given me a lot to think about. I think this community is wonderful, and I have so enjoyed reading through the posts over the past few years.

Hello all! I am a long...long long time lurker who has always had the dream to homestead. I lived in a HOA subdivision and selling my home in the hopes that I would find my dream home. A purchase opportunity has come up and it has a lot of pros, and maybe some cons. Ideally, I'd like to have a garden/food forest, chickens, and maybe a cow. Nothing too big, but enough for myself and family, and possibly a farmer's market in the future.

Pros:
- over 4 acres in my price range in a normally higher-dollar area
- home is in good condition
- has a workshop/garage pole building
- has a three stall stable area
- has established fruit trees and berries

Cons:
- The lot is kind of narrow (about 175 feet wide), and I would be sandwiched by neighbors. It also may make things awkward with the addition of animals. Has anyone had any issues like this, and did you have any complaints from neighbors?
- Surrounded by tilled farmland, and I do not know what kind of chemicals they use. I could plant trees along the property line to help control over spray, but it would significantly narrow the lot even more.

What are your thoughts?