location,location,location

sneaky_pete · Jan 21, 2005

( going up to Bastrop this weekend to hopefully buy 20 acres asking price is $2925 per ......it's in the boonies just far enough that we might have to pump in sunlight ....PERFECT! .. 1 lane road with grass growing up in the center in places, nearset phone line post is 2 miles away... couldn't fit me better if I'd ordered it made that way ... 5 - 6 acres of pasture - the rest mixed oak & cedar with just a couple of big pines. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

Good luck on your purchase, sounds like nice land for a great price. If it makes you feel better, wooded land (mostly Post Oaks) in my area is going for $15-20,000/acre.

mikim · Jan 21, 2005

OK ... so here's the plan ... I buy this 20ac for 3k per acre then move it to your county and sell it for 20k and retire early! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

JerryG · Jan 21, 2005

Mike,
That really does sound like the perfect place.

BigGary · Jan 21, 2005

Well Pete, a house lot (1 ac.) in our area of central MA. brings about $100K. Twenty Ac. of decent land would be in the $250-300k range provided it can't be subdivided for some reason.
Then they build a 3000sq. foot Mcmansion on it (the 1 Ac.)and the taxes are $5-6000/year.
Cool huh! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

JRobyn · Jan 21, 2005

This piece is still for sale next door to me in central TN. Asking price is $98k.

mikim · Jan 24, 2005

It's not quite off grid ... we do have elect ... but it's the last pole .. at the very end of the line ... btw .. we got it. The paperwork is in the title company's office as of noon today. Should close on it by the end of Feb. (my math was off in the previous post though .. it was $2975 per ac. ... it's what I get for trying to work in my head) Here's a quick pic of the entry going into the property. The previous owner used it as a deer lease and cut a drive in just to reach to his deer stand & camp trailer. At the road it's mostly cedar - but in the middle and back are big oaks - a couple of big mesquite and a few pines. Wife says we now have enough land to warrant buying her a Mule like Jim & Kathy have ..... JIM ! .... looks like ya gotta buy another one /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif (she'd like to pick her color) /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

jinman · Jan 24, 2005

Very nice! Don't get "locked-in" to the Mule though. There are lots of possibilities and you want to make sure you test them all.

I looked at your cedars and my eyes started burning and I think I'm gonna sneeze. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif Just kiddin'. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif I am a little allergic to them. Wait 'til you see my posty-oak woods in April. I have just enough cedar to have something green to look at in the winter. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Purrrrr-fect. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

sneaky_pete · Jan 24, 2005

( Wait 'til you see my posty-oak woods in April. I have just enough cedar to have something green to look at in the winter. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif Purrrrr-fect. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif )

Jim, Do you know what other kinds of trees will grow well in our sandy soil? I too have a ton of Post Oaks, some Water Oaks and elms, but no cedars or much of anything else. I would like to plant some other varieties but the sand the Post Oaks love is too much for a lot of other kinds of trees. My neighbor has tried Magnolias and some others without much sucess. I tried my County Extension Agent but they have no specific advice for sandy soil. Any ideas from your experience?

Pete

jinman · Jan 25, 2005

( Jim, Do you know what other kinds of trees will grow well in our sandy soil? )

Pete, thinking of my stomach as usual, I'm tempted to say peach trees. Those Parker County peaches are sure good. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

About 10 miles east of me there are lots of native liveoaks, but I have none. In Denton, sycamore trees grow like weeds in sandy soil, but I (thankfully) have none. My girlfriend has red clay down about 3' and then white limestone sand. She has a maple tree that has grown very well. Along creeks and low creek and river bottoms, there are lots of pecan trees. There are also lots of cottonwoods, but they get big and dangerous, plus I hate that springtime cotton. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

I like red oaks and pines, but both of those will probably be in stress in our soils. I know this isn't much help, but if you look in old established neighborhoods, you can probably see what trees have survived the best in your area. Those are the ones I'd choose. Crape Myrtles are almost universally a good choice, but they don't make very good shade. I'd still choose them over Bradford Pears for decorative trees just because they bloom in late summer when not much else is blooming.

This ramble hasn't helped much, but it's tough to find a good tree here. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

sneaky_pete · Jan 25, 2005

Thanks for your thoughts. Out here there are mostly Post Oaks and Cedars. I might try some Burr Oaks; I had some of those at my last place (in a different county) and they are very nice trees, great shade, and supposed to be tolerant of soil conditions. I've heard of a nursery in Stephenville that specializes in native trees, so one weekend I might have to make a run down there.