Looking for semi-retirement land

[Sigarms]

ANY location I wanted to move to would require a minimum of a 1/2 year rental nearby, so that I could "learn" the location.

VERY sound advice.

 

[newbury]

<snip>
1) Don't want to be in an area where you need a permit for everything. I have been a licensed general contractor (electric, plumbing, framing, drywall, finish... Etc.)for 30 years... I don't need a punky 25 year old telling me I'm doing it wrong.
2) I'm planning on cutting up, lifting, and moving an existing 1br 1bath cottage (600 sq ft) to the site and put it over a basement. (Hence item #1) I've built and lived in the 6000 sq ft mansion, "downsized" to the 3400 sq ft house, and now the Mrs and I plan on living simply and being able to go fishing and traveling w/ our travel trailer to see the beautiful sites of the U.S.
3) Must have available water supply (well, community, etc..). Living in the high desert, we had 2 500' wells go dry and I hauled water to fill 3000 gal storage tanks for about 12 years until we finally got community water at a cost of $25K. Don't want to do that again!
4) Electric.. Maybe.. Depending on cost /availability.. Can go solar.
5) Minimal 2-5 acres (depending on how private), max acres ???
6) here's the real hard part.. Around $50K max.

Am I seriously unrealistic? or do you guys know where this secluded, spectacular, dream property is located?

Maybe if we did we wouldn't tell you, don't need more neighbors.

1) Basic permits can be good to rule out the cardboard shacks of people building on your lot line.
2) Can you make it a little smaller and put it on an equipment trailer (AKA tiny house)?
3) With a good rain catchment system, bio toilet etc. you could probably get by on less than a foot of rainfall/year
4) Go solar
5) If 6) is for land $50K will buy many places

I believe you can find pretty much what your looking for anywhere in the US except for the south west.

The key question becomes what area of the country do you want to move to help narrow your search? How close to the ocean do you have to be?

I do know from first hand experience that many parts in NC, Tenn, WV and Kentucky, Montana and Idaho will fit your bill. Then the question becomes how much snow do you want to deal with? High up in the mountains kind of means two different things IMO depending if you're on the east coast or in Idaho and Montana as well.

Personally, as I've gotten older myself, I don't miss the snow.

The UN Environmental Programme's definition of "mountainous environment" includes any of the following:[12]

Elevation of at least 2,500 m (8,200 ft);
Elevation of at least 1,500 m (4,900 ft), with a slope greater than 2 degrees;
Elevation of at least 1,000 m (3,300 ft), with a slope greater than 5 degrees;
Elevation of at least 300 m (980 ft), with a 300 m (980 ft) elevation range within 7 km (4.3 mi).

from Mountain - Wikipedia

Snow and subzero temperatures are a good line of defense against more neighbors.

The question is not land prices, but,, neighbors.
<snip>

And often that can be what lowers land prices.

OP -
If you don't want neighbors look for lots adjacent to Federal/State property. Better yet SURROUNDED by.

 

[CADplans]

OP -
If you don't want neighbors look for lots adjacent to Federal/State property. Better yet SURROUNDED by.

My land is backed up to a national forest.
From what the state forestry service has told me, the government will never log the land.
It costs the federal government more $$$ to have timber cut, than the sale brings in.
Regulations,,,

I can walk out of my house, go to the property line, then walk for 19 miles,, no people.

My daughter is one neighbor,, on the other side,, is my other daughter.
The only negative is that I have to be nice to my two son-in-laws!!

:laughing:

That is OK,, most weeks, I mow ALL THREE lawns,,
the daughters have almost 4 acres of grass between them,,

 

[s219]

I think your net is too big right now. Start with climate -- like heat, hate heat, prefer cool, hate cool, OK with winter/snow, hate winter/snow, etc, and that will get you into a certain part of the east (or at least rule out some parts). Then do you want mountains, river, lake, ocean, etc. Narrow it down. Then start looking.

 

[airbiscuit]

I'm looking for input from you guys about land for my semi-retirement. I grew up on the East coast and I seriously miss the green, the water (streams, rivers, lakes, ocean) all of it. I seriously miss the rain (yes, the RAIN). I cannot live in a city... Never have.. Never will. I feel comfortable being about 45 to 60 minutes outside of a city or large town. I have tried to google different areas for land, but have not had much success. Realtors don't want to really give me the time of day because we're not present. Here's what I'm looking for: definately rural, can be either wide open pasture / grass, or partially wooded (preferred). Can be high up in the mountains... Just want green. At least short driving range to WATER! We have lived in the high desert for the past 20 years and I'm tired of being a prune let alone try and grow a garden.
Here's the tricky part...
1) Don't want to be in an area where you need a permit for everything. I have been a licensed general contractor (electric, plumbing, framing, drywall, finish... Etc.)for 30 years... I don't need a punky 25 year old telling me I'm doing it wrong.
2) I'm planning on cutting up, lifting, and moving an existing 1br 1bath cottage (600 sq ft) to the site and put it over a basement. (Hence item #1) I've built and lived in the 6000 sq ft mansion, "downsized" to the 3400 sq ft house, and now the Mrs and I plan on living simply and being able to go fishing and traveling w/ our travel trailer to see the beautiful sites of the U.S.
3) Must have available water supply (well, community, etc..). Living in the high desert, we had 2 500' wells go dry and I hauled water to fill 3000 gal storage tanks for about 12 years until we finally got community water at a cost of $25K. Don't want to do that again!
4) Electric.. Maybe.. Depending on cost /availability.. Can go solar.
5) Minimal 2-5 acres (depending on how private), max acres ???
6) here's the real hard part.. Around $50K max.

Am I seriously unrealistic? or do you guys know where this secluded, spectacular, dream property is located?

I don't get the moving the house part. Why? How far??

 

[JRobyn]

We sure like middle TN for several of the reasons you cite. It's massively "green" with enormous bio-diversity, there's actual SEASONS (significant snowfall only sometimes), from Cookeville, you've got about 90 min drive to either Nashville or Knoxville, 3 or 4 nice lakes and the Cumberland and Caney Fork rivers within 30 min drive, topo ranging from rolling pasture to mountainous (on the Cumberland Plateau), very little "permitting" (depends on county), undeveloped land pricing from under $1k/ac on up, depending on several factors such as tillable area, view, access to county water/power, etc., plus lots of available rural parcels of almost any size desired. Power in most areas is by EMC, which I have found to be much easier to work with for remote/rural places. The only thing we had to have permitted in Jackson Co. is our septic, and the EMC would only connect IF we had the septic permit, so they tie those together. State electrical inspection was required.

 

[Steppenwolfe]

I'm looking for input from you guys about land for my semi-retirement. I grew up on the East coast and I seriously miss the green, the water (streams, rivers, lakes, ocean) all of it. I seriously miss the rain (yes, the RAIN). I cannot live in a city... Never have.. Never will. I feel comfortable being about 45 to 60 minutes outside of a city or large town. I have tried to google different areas for land, but have not had much success. Realtors don't want to really give me the time of day because we're not present. Here's what I'm looking for: definately rural, can be either wide open pasture / grass, or partially wooded (preferred). Can be high up in the mountains... Just want green. At least short driving range to WATER! We have lived in the high desert for the past 20 years and I'm tired of being a prune let alone try and grow a garden.
Here's the tricky part...
1) Don't want to be in an area where you need a permit for everything. I have been a licensed general contractor (electric, plumbing, framing, drywall, finish... Etc.)for 30 years... I don't need a punky 25 year old telling me I'm doing it wrong.
2) I'm planning on cutting up, lifting, and moving an existing 1br 1bath cottage (600 sq ft) to the site and put it over a basement. (Hence item #1) I've built and lived in the 6000 sq ft mansion, "downsized" to the 3400 sq ft house, and now the Mrs and I plan on living simply and being able to go fishing and traveling w/ our travel trailer to see the beautiful sites of the U.S.
3) Must have available water supply (well, community, etc..). Living in the high desert, we had 2 500' wells go dry and I hauled water to fill 3000 gal storage tanks for about 12 years until we finally got community water at a cost of $25K. Don't want to do that again!
4) Electric.. Maybe.. Depending on cost /availability.. Can go solar.
5) Minimal 2-5 acres (depending on how private), max acres ???
6) here's the real hard part.. Around $50K max.

Am I seriously unrealistic? or do you guys know where this secluded, spectacular, dream property is located?

Southern Appalachians, specifically SW Virginia. If you saw my house and property, and knew what I paid, and the taxes per year... you would puke... No kidding. Get on Landsofvirginia.com
Major cities one to two hours away, Amazon Prime... two days :thumbsup:

 

[Steppenwolfe]

My land is backed up to a national forest.
From what the state forestry service has told me, the government will never log the land.
It costs the federal government more $$$ to have timber cut, than the sale brings in.
Regulations,,,

I can walk out of my house, go to the property line, then walk for 19 miles,, no people.

My daughter is one neighbor,, on the other side,, is my other daughter.
The only negative is that I have to be nice to my two son-in-laws!!

:laughing:

That is OK,, most weeks, I mow ALL THREE lawns,,
the daughters have almost 4 acres of grass between them,,

We aren't too far from you... You forgot the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains...

 

[Deere Dude]

Four years ago we just took a shot and moved to south central Tennessee. Only a couple inches of snow over the last 4 years so it is just south far enough and still have a nice long growing season and plenty of sun. Taxes are low, city water all over even in the country, land prices are cheap as anywhere. An hour to Nashville or 1/2 hour to a medium sized town and 3 minutes to a county seat of 5,000.

Glad I sold my 4 snowblowers before I left. No big lakes or the ocean just rivers. So far so good, but after 65 years in the north it is still missed from time to time.

 

[LS Tractor Owner]

I believe you can find pretty much what your looking for anywhere in the US except for the south west.

The key question becomes what area of the country do you want to move to help narrow your search? How close to the ocean do you have to be?

I do know from first hand experience that many parts in NC, Tenn, WV and Kentucky, Montana and Idaho will fit your bill. Then the question becomes how much snow do you want to deal with? High up in the mountains kind of means two different things IMO depending if you're on the east coast or in Idaho and Montana as well.

Personally, as I've gotten older myself, I don't miss the snow.

Montana and Idaho are basically the same as where my property is now (7500 ft elevation = sometimes very dry! sometimes very wet! but always windy). I laugh at some forecasts back east when they make a big deal about 25-35 mph winds, that's just a breezy day here. Some days have constant 50 mph wind w/ 70 mph gusts. The northwest was in contention, but the area would be more around the north / ne side of Seatle. Northern Midwest, Kentucky, Tennessee , etc.. Are good choices. Eastern Texas may be good, but I've heard about a lot of pollution there from the coal plants.