What are YOU looking for?

[Grimm]

I have a question for ya'll:

What are YOU looking for in the perfect homestead? If money were not an issue what would you look for in a piece of land with the idea being this would be pasted down and stay within the family. What size? Wooded or not? Climate? Location? Crops/livestock? If you had to rely as much as possible on this piece of land to provide for your family (and future generations) what are YOU looking for? What bullet points are high on your list when looking for land?

Background: This question was sparked when my dad and I were talking about the sister of his childhood friend and the hundreds of acres she inherited from her husband when he passed a few years ago. It is farm land that she currently rents to a commercial farmer and she lives on a small 100 acre parcel and runs her personal homestead with her family and animals there. It is in the foothills and has no woods or trees for firewood etc.

 

[LadyLocust]

I have a question for ya'll:

What are YOU looking for in the perfect homestead? If money were not an issue what would you look for in a piece of land with the idea being this would be pasted down and stay within the family. What size? Wooded or not? Climate? Location? Crops/livestock? If you had to rely as much as possible on this piece of land to provide for your family (and future generations) what are YOU looking for? What bullet points are high on your list when looking for land?

Background: This question was sparked when my dad and I were talking about the sister of his childhood friend and the hundreds of acres she inherited from her husband when he passed a few years ago. It is farm land that she currently rents to a commercial farmer and she lives on a small 100 acre parcel and runs her personal homestead with her family and animals there. It is in the foothills and has no woods or trees for firewood etc.

First facetious answer: 5000 acres, small house in the middle, mote complete with alligators etc.
One thing to differentiate is would it be my homestead or an investment property. Just using the case of your father's friend. For our homeplace, I won't answer all of it because you would have a novel to read, but the short list: NNW, water, growing zone 5 or above, not on a reservation. Those are the big points.

 

[Sourdough]

I know what my idea of perfect or near perfect property is for a homestead. I spent near 60 years looking for it, found it, have lived on it for the last 23 years. Now for medical reasons I must sell it and move.

 

[SLADE]

I think homesteading is great but I feel the younger generation has little or no interest.

 

[Sourdough]

I think homesteading is great but I feel the younger generation has little or no interest.

Youth in Alaska are interested. There are many work options that offer very high pay, and they work two weeks on and two weeks off. That is a sweet lifestyle for some to also homestead. The young lady that bought half of my land is just 30 y/o professional welder, works an even better deal then I mentioned above.

 

[Magus]

Six acres secluded off the beaten path with running water/stream.
two acres cleared for garden Split level house/bunker/storm shelter.
fenced in with 12' prison grade wire topped with razor tape. I'd settle for a camp on the creek somewhere with an area cleared for a little garden.

 

[sonya123]

first "if money was no issue" doesn't usually apply to people that want to have a homestead

that being said, I THOUGHT we found the perfect property: free water coming off the mountain from a spring, on top of a mountain with a great view ( and no flooding ever) , woods, pasture, private road, lots of buildings all for much less than what we sold our city house for
The reality is this: everything was run down and broken, we are still fixing stuff 6 years later, the steep road keeps washing out and destroys vehicles from the endless rain we get here, we have 5 months of winter and the "average" weather you look up for here totally does not match reality which is extreme winters for this far south, and humid wet , or cold and wet summers , except in the few years where it dries up completely in summer and there is dust everywhere

there is no such thing as a perfect property , to me personally, the weather is bad everywhere in the US. It is either too hot in summer, or too cold in winter, too dry or too wet. So you can pick mud, worms in your goats, rotting vegetables and fungus, and mold growing in your house from the humidity, or you can pick surrounded by fires and living in dust with no water

 

[Neb]

first "if money was no issue" doesn't usually apply to people that want to have a homestead

that being said, I THOUGHT we found the perfect property: free water coming off the mountain from a spring, on top of a mountain with a great view ( and no flooding ever) , woods, pasture, private road, lots of buildings all for much less than what we sold our city house for
The reality is this: everything was run down and broken, we are still fixing stuff 6 years later, the steep road keeps washing out and destroys vehicles from the endless rain we get here, we have 5 months of winter and the "average" weather you look up for here totally does not match reality which is extreme winters for this far south, and humid wet , or cold and wet summers , except in the few years where it dries up completely in summer and there is dust everywhere

there is no such thing as a perfect property , to me personally, the weather is bad everywhere in the US. It is either too hot in summer, or too cold in winter, too dry or too wet. So you can pick mud, worms in your goats, rotting vegetables and fungus, and mold growing in your house from the humidity, or you can pick surrounded by fires and living in dust with no water

True that. Nothing perfect.

Not looking for anything. I live in the house my grandparents lived in. If it was good enough for them ...

About 2 years ago I was attempting to negotiate a deal for a 100 year lease at a sweet return so I went shopping for a place I could build a compound for my siblings an progeny. We would have a hard time moving away from the family. We would have to bring them with us.

Found a property of 100 acres wooded partially with arable fields that not too steep for a tractor to maintain. Named stream defining one boundary provides micro hydro energy an water.

On site natural gas well.

So that is what I was looking at to convince the family to pick up and relocate.

That deal never went through but it did answer the question of this thread.

Ben

 

[Magus]

Peace, safety, solitude.

 

[Bacpacker]

Probably something between 25 and 200 acres. Maybe 2/3 wooded. Gotta have springs/creeks on it, year round of course. One creek with enough flow/drop for a hydro set up. Rolling to mountains. Enough semi level spots to produce the food we need. Well above any flood plain.
Highly efficient house and several out buildings.

 

[SheepDog]

140 acres farm and pasture/meadow land plus enough forested land and space to build a wilderness preserve. A high place to build a home, garage and shop.
Total land needed at least 400 acres. Out of earthquake and tornado/hurricane areas below 2000 feet above sea level.
Must be a free state for guns and property/water/mineral/air rights. (air rights to 8000 feet above ground level)
That will provide room to breed and raise 40 head of cattle, 40 pigs, and 40 chickens. It will be enough room to raise crops to feed the animals and a family of four.
Completely off grid and 95% self sufficient.