Steve Fammerton

I have been renting a hydraulic splitter for about $100. for 24 hours. I get some help and 2-3 people can split enough wood for all winter in 24 hours. So much nicer then hand splitting ! Well worth $100.

A couple of thoughts on your comments and ideas.

The reality is real estate cost money. You are shopping for a commodity you do not have enough money for.

You have some money making industrious ideas, you could try studying them and the industry, get a job in them, learn the trade and learn the industry then you will know what it takes to make it work. How much land, out buildings, water, labor. People will invest in real legit business that have a real legit plan. Study business proposals. I have know people that did this and have heard of a good number of stories of success doing this.

Another potential angle. You do have enough money for land in many parts of the world. From Mexico to the bottom of South America 10k would by a decent spread of raw land in many areas. 10K would also support a year or more of rural living in these countries to see where would be a good place to live on the land. These places usually do not have much of an economy so many people leave for part of the year and make money elsewhere. You have US citizenship you have what it takes to do that.

Robert Tiller wrote:I am on my own and would be stuck back on the streets as a filthy bum if I cant pay the debts for some reason.

Someone mentioned “self fulfilling proficiency” this sounds like one to me. Not a very good one. I have been without money or a place to live before, all it takes is a gallon or two of water and small amount of soap to stay clean. You have earned and saved money on your own I don't think you will turn into a "bum" in one lost deal.

I think what you are referring to is "Ringing" a tree. Usually bad actors do this to kill trees on public lands to harvest them next year. It doesn't really help dry them much just kills them.  I think it helps people pretend they are not harvesting live trees which is illegal in many places. Standing tree do not dry well because the roots can still hold and soak up water.

To dry trees I cut them down and cut them into rounds then stand them on edge. The more air and sun around the wood fibers the faster they will dry. Also stripping the bark off when it is lose will help dry it,

Real estate is a commodity that gets bought and sold every day at market value, the industry has appraisals down pretty well. If you add a bunch of things you think are valuable to a property it doesn't mean it is worth more or will sell for more.

What you are talking about is non-commercial garden and livestock things. They do not add a significant value to a property. Sure people might say nice fruit trees and chicken coop a pay a couple grand more but not 50k more. At 50k more you will price yourself out of the market, people at that price point will be looking at bigger homes and acreage.

I have seen properties sit for years and years for people asking too much. I guess they don't need to sell and like the constant nuisance of strange inquires from Nigeria or similar places.

A couple of negative aspects of cel towers I know of.

I used to work with some guys in the cel tower industry they all told me about the older guys(late 30s-40s) in the industry were getting brain cancer. Being close to the towers is not good for people. Also each time they change the technology 4G,5G,,, it is different waves with unknown hazards to the human body. In the future 10-20 years these towers will probably have satellites. Satellites can have some very intense radioactivity. When I installed small ones they always stressed -Do not stand in front or near them when they are active-, this was coming from rednecks. I have heard or people who worked around large ones that would toss eggs in front of them a laugh about them being cooked in a few seconds.

The resale value will be greatly diminished. I know you said your “forever” place but odds are and you never know. The leases are usually 99-years(or some other long-term length) non-transferable. That makes these properties very hard to sell. Not many people want a property with a chunk they cannot own that is emitting radioactive stuff.

As you mentioned earlier you will have to sign off 24/7 access to this part of your/their property.

Also you will find many negative dealings people have had with cel/tower companies. Not getting paid, difficulty getting paid, changing terms, etc. When the tower companies have mergers, sell, go bankrupt you are left with more uncertainty from who ever takes control of the contract you are trapped into.

Just a couple of thought from what I have heard about people dealing with this.

Ted Abbey wrote: What I am offering to folks who are hard scrabble, self starting, not a bums is freedom. I understand that there are qualified individuals looking for a place to apply themselves, but for one reason or another, don’t own land on which to work. Freedom from the circumstances which prevent them from realizing their dream of living on and working with the land.

Trying to read thru the philosophy and find an actual agreement or expectations I see - You are offering "freedom" to work on your land ? I see you have some older campers and out buildings that could be cleared out and slept in.

How much work do you expect someone to do to sleep in one of these out buildings or campers ? Do you offer meals ? if so how much work would it take for one of your workers to eat 3 meals a day ?

I get you have some out buildings to sleep in(with some "clearing out") but I am confused by the offer of "freedom" in exchange for labor.

Hi Ted. You have your basic requirements listed "not a bum", "hard scrabble, self starting",, etc.
What are you offering ? How much compensation per hour ? What kind lodging ? How much work do you expect per week for the lodging ?

You have listed that you have hot water, lodging and will "run you down the road." if people do not fit your requirements. To be honest it seems like you are looking for working servants you don't need to pay. I would imagine maybe your postings is just lacking the other half of an agreement ?

John Wolfram wrote:

Steve Fammerton wrote:The issue with this stuff is if it is worth money it is not a secret.. You have a lot of other bidders, real estate sharks and others trying to get this stuff for investments and resale. You might get a 20% discount for jumping tru hoops but not much more. The "get land for pennies" is a myth. Everyday millions of people get up, search and compete for deals.

The online tax sales are brutal with investors all over the world going after the same properties. The smaller in-person auctions tend to be much better because it isn't worth the hassle for most real estate sharks and investors to show up when there are only a handful of properties available.

Also, Robert has an advantage in that he's probably not interested in the same properties the investors want. In other words, he's probably not looking for a cookie-cutter 3/2 house in the burbs, or land suitable for driving a combine over, so the competition will be less.

I looked in to the tax liens in Colorado before. If you win the bidding competition for the lien, then you have to wait 3 years to seize the property. Most tax liens get paid off by the 3 year make so the investors make the 12% annual interest. So in the end most people(in Colorado) do not get property from it just 12%.

For me I wanted to buy some land not play financial games and tie up land money. Then if I "won"(I was able to seize the land) I feel like the karma and morals involved of taking someones land for not paying taxes is not something I wanted to aspire to.