Becky’s Guide To Buying Land, get the eBook here.
Where Is A Good Location For A Homestead
How far out of town should your land be? For a few people the farther out the better. But for most people you want to be a reasonable distance from a town. One criteria that I use is an hour away from a big box store. We like to pick a small town that is outside a big town or small city.
What I mean by small town is 3000 people or less. The building codes will be easier and you’ll get the small town way of life you want, and you’ll be within driving distance of a big town with all the modern conveniences. Shopping, hospitals, and jobs.
I’m going to give you a secret secret piece of knowledge that’s a gem; here it is; you want building codes to be lenient. Some counties are sticklers with building codes. One way to find out what counties are easy to build in is to find a local civil engineer and ask her what counties have lenient building codes. I know this because just by sheer luck I bought my property in a county with lenient building codes. I found out when my engineer told me that. As a first time home builder I didn’t have any problems with the building inspectors for my cabin.
So don’t forget to check that, believe me those engineers know because they’ve built all over. It will make your life way easier.
Now that I know this if I ever bought land again that is something I would check out. The location of your property can make a difference in how easy it is to build your house.
A little bit of time and leg work goes a long way into your future. The secret to success is asking the right questions. (That’s why I wrote this eBook, so you’ll know the right questions to ask 😉
List of rules for good land location:
Inside county with lenient building codes. As apposed to counties that are by the book sticklers on ever code.
Within an hour’s drive of a big box store and hospital.
No more than a couple miles off a paved road. Bumping down a long dirt road everyday gets old quick.
In a county with low property taxes. Every county is different on the amount of property taxes they charge, try to choose a county with the lowest ones. In all honesty that is going to be a poorer county, but who cares if it’s a poorer county, you’re just looking for some land. High property taxes is a deal breaker for me personally.
Nice weather and a long growing season.
Be near a river but not in the flood zone.
You’re not just looking for any land. You’re looking for specific land.
You’ll be very happy homesteading!