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A Farm of My Own:  Help! We want to start looking for our farmette!  |
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kitchensqueen
True Blue Farmgirl
521 Posts
521 Posts |
 Posted - Apr 09 2007 : 12:08:19 PM
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So the husband and I have been talking about it, and we'd like to try to buy a house with a little land next summer at the earliest. We're interested in 5-10 acres with an established house. We're likely going to be looking in and around Dane County, Wisconsin. But where do we start and what do we do? We know what we want-- at least 2-3 acres of tillable land, an acre or two of woods, a house that is pretty much move-in ready, and water.
It all just seems so confusing... the goal is to have the land so I can start farming it organically, but we want to be close enough to a major urban area because the husband will still for the most part be working off the farm.
And we can't spend a ton of money, under $200,000 but preferablly under $175,000. With taking on the farming venture, we want to minimize debt... plus we'll need to purchase a vehicle at the same time since we don't currently own one. We're thinking extended cab pickup (room for kids in a few years and hauling capability) so any input on that major purchase would be much appreciated too.
Is this a realistic thing to do?
http://apartmentfarm.wordpress.com
Now Open!: http://shadetreestudios.etsy.com |
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Bluewrenn
True Blue Farmgirl
1122 Posts
Erin
Texas
USA
1122 Posts |
Posted - Apr 09 2007 : 12:23:19 PM
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Start looking now - it took us a year to find the property we ended up buying. Locate potential properties online and then work on looking at the properties on the weekends. Read the papers from the area where you'd like to move, and don't be afraid to look at something that might be slightly different than what you thought you'd like. We ended up looking at and falling in love instantly with a property that we'd initially rejected from its online listing.
Also, if you can, look at the property during different times of the year - or at least after different kinds of weather - ours was really dry and hard this past summer because of the drought, but since the rains this Spring, it's changed a lot. And we got to see how much water it really holds and what the pastures look like after some rain. We've had to install a bunch of culverts to handle the flooding and will have to do a lot of maintenance on the property to get rid of the gulleys that the rain has created.
Once you find a property you think you'd like, talk to the neighbors, the townspeople, etc. Explore the area while you are deciding, and check out the schools, etc., if you have kids. We LOVE our area and while we haven't actually gotten a house on the property yet, we have already started getting involved in the town functions. We've made lots of new friends and have gotten lots of great advice from our neighbors. It's made getting the construction started much easier.
Definitely check out the water situation. If your property is not already on the water line, check with the water company and make sure that you can get a hook up. The people across the street sold part of their property off to a family member but neglected to find out if they could get a hook up. Turns out that they can't, given the water company's current well situation, and while they can always drill their own well, it's going to cost them about $20K extra. And if the water company doesn't get another well set up in the near future, it may take them years to get onto the water line. If that ever happens. So check it out both on the property AND at the water company. (Sometimes the hookups are moved if no one's on the property, so checking the public records may not be enough.)
As for a truck, well, I'd recommend a used one, but keep in mind that a newer truck may get better gas mileage.
My Homesteading Journal http://toomyvara.livejournal.com
My craft journal http://bluewrenn.livejournal.com
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Edited by - Bluewrenn on Apr 09 2007 12:27:29 PM |
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shelle
True Blue Farmgirl
404 Posts
Shelle
oklahoma
USA
404 Posts |
Posted - Apr 10 2007 : 2:53:48 PM
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I agree that you should start looking now. Just so you can see what is out there and if you can actually afford what you want. I would sit down with your DH and make a list of what you want and need in a house and property before you go looking too.
Shelle
http://janzenfamilyjournal.blogspot.com/ |
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Lavender Cottage
True Blue Farmgirl
273 Posts
Ellen
USA
273 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2007 : 06:11:15 AM
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Hi Amanda-some very good advice given. I don't really have anything to add but I wanted to wish you all the best in your search. Keep us posted-there should be some lovely weekends coming up soon for you to start your drive arounds.
Ellen |
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kitchensqueen
True Blue Farmgirl
521 Posts
521 Posts |
Posted - Apr 12 2007 : 2:01:24 PM
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We've started looking online, but trying to find a decent real estate web site that sells farmettes (2-10 acres) is proving difficult. I found about 6 within a two-hour drive of Madison through United Real Estate. Anyone know of any other good farm realtors? We'd like to get a place one to one and a half hours from Madison as my husband will likely be communting into the city daily for work. And do I have to worry about zoning? We're planning to organic vegetable farm and own some livestock. And I worry about qualifying for a mortgage-- we can't take on more than $200,000 and we have good credit, but not stellar. And how much should we have for a down payment?
http://apartmentfarm.wordpress.com
Now Open!: http://shadetreestudios.etsy.com |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
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A Farm of My Own: Help! We want to start looking for our farmette! |
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Help! We want to start looking for our farmette!
