Building a Cabin
Frugal Homesteads put up a “how we built our cabin” post. They used the trees on their property and this will be helpful for anyone looking for a little inspiration and guidance on building a cabin on their property. They also put up a video montage of the construction which explains the use of machetes to remove the bark from the logs, what the floor looks like, and more.
Frugal Homestead’s Guide to Buying Homestead Land
The Frugal Homesteads blog is a great source for those interested in homesteading and self-sufficiency. The author, Dillie, has a great post on what to think about when shopping for your land.
You Can Even Buy a Bar with Contract for Deed
Times are looking good for business buyers looking to buy with a contract for deed. Click here for a read about a Detroit bar owner who financed a portion on contract for deed.
A Followup to the WSJ Article About “Green Acres”
A couple of days ago we found the WSJ article that detailed the migration of city dwellers to the country. The author of that article is actually living the country life. She wrote in her Friday article:
People tend to romanticize country living, and that’s a mistake. Property is needy. When my neighbor proffered a chainsaw as a housewarming gift, I thought it was generous, charming — and that I’d never use it. The seasons soon taught me better. Weeds choked the grass in the summer and leaves smothered the driveway in the fall. Snow took its place come winter, and spring meant cleaning up all the residual mess. I’d taken a leave of absence from WSJ to write a book about a small Irish pub in town, and funds were tight without a steady salary. To save hiring pros, I bought a lawn mower, a weed whacker, a leaf blower … and then a powerful snowthrower. My male pals from the pub taught me to use them. The first time I pulled the starter cord on a chainsaw and it roared to life, my stomach lurched. And then I felt free.
Weekends became consumed by maintenance – and this was only two acres. My hands and back ached and my fingernails were always wrecked. When I tugged off jeans and slipped into an evening gown for a party or work event, I was constantly covering scratches or poison ivy with makeup. I waited to feel resentful. But the opposite happened; the more I learned to do, the more I wanted to do. Some sage and oregano left behind by the previous owner inspired a larger deck garden with potatoes, broccoli, kale and more. Now I’m planning a bigger, fenced-in garden on the ground.
Read the article and learn she is a fashion writer from Manhattan. If she can do it, so can you. No one could be more unprepared as a her, and yet she is doing fine…even loving the move.
She can be your inspiration as you gird up your loins for a move from the rat race to the country pace.
Get on the Bandwagon!
Pay with Ammo found an interesting article in the WSJ that describes a movement among city dwellers to quit the rat race and move to the country, living off the land and living simply.
As PWA notes, this will naturally lead to higher prices for those of you shopping for land.
1.25 Acres in Elko, NV No Reserve
Contract for Deed Used for Restaurant
If you are in the market for commercial real estate, now is the time to make an offer for using a contract for deed:
Advice on Contract for Deeds
Just a quick note:
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09304/1009362-30.stm
“Issues in Every Raw Land Deal” Part 4
Continued from a prior post:
7. Roads
Most of the cheap raw land on eBay lacks a paved road leading to the property. Assuming all it has is a dirt road, find out from the seller if the road can be used by two-wheel drive vehicles year round. Also, check with the map and the seller to see if the lot’s road access has actually been constructed. Sometimes, what is on the lot map, is a road that is “expected” to be built in the near future. If that is the case, assume the worse. Assume that no one will build it, and factor in the cost of building the road yourself or, perhaps, in a partnership with neighboring landowners.
8. Electricity
The cheap raw land on eBay almost always lacks electricity. If power lines are within 500 feet of the lot, the local utility may be able to run power to the new lot for free, with a cost of $10 to $20 per foot after that. Otherwise, if getting on the local electrical grid isn’t an option, then solar, wind, or diesel generators may be your only choice.
Installing solar power to a house should cost between $25,000 and $100,000, based on the size of the residence. For a single room cabin, you may be able to get by with a portable solar charger that should cost between $10,000 to $15,000. Wind power should cost between $10,000 and $50,000 to install, again depending on the size of the home. For both wind and solar options, the climate of the location will play an important role in your decision. For example, if wind isn’t constantly blowing over the property at a speed of at least 8 mph, or if the sun rarely comes out in winter, take those elements into account when making
your energy production decision.
“Issues in Every Raw Land Deal” Part 3
Continued from yesterday. A part of an ongoing series.
5. Vegetation
Some people can handle a property covered only in sagebrush. Others demand heavy forest. Be sure to understand what is on your property. Pictures are invaluable. A rule of thumb: the less green vegetation on the land, the less a parcel should cost.
6. Zoning
Each piece of property has likely been approved by the local government for only one particular use: residential, agricultural, etc. The zoning determines what you can build on the property. If you plan on building a permanent home, it is important to confirm that the property’s zoning will let you build on it. For example, many governments limit property that has been zoned “agriculture” to one home per 40 acres.
The seller should provide you with a “certified copy” (a copy made by the government agency of the original document and which is stamped with a seal on the front or back as being a “true and correct copy”) of the ordinance or zoning map. This tells you the zoning for the property.
You may be able to get zoning information by calling the local planning board or zoning department and giving them the parcel number. Many counties also offer the zoning information for a particular lot on their websites.