How many acres do you own?

[masscity]

140 acres that my brother and I own, but I live on the property. Was a farm so about half is cleared. My friend makes hay on 18 acres for free.

I'm at the end of the road, 60 acres on the west side and 80 acres on the east side. I mow about 2 acres and brush hog trails and part of the orchard. When my Dad was alive and we farmed, we had 240 acres.

 

[Gem99ultra]

If you feel like sharing, thanks, just to get to know more about fellow TBN ers. If you feel this is none of my business, please do not respond.
I'm not a farmer, just a guy in Upper VT who retired and needed a tractor to help around the house. I own 10 acres, 7 wooded. Even with such a small property, I can understand why people have so many tractors. I'd like another.
I imagine answers will reveal hundreds to thousands for some of you.
Happy Easter to all who celebrate...

We have 13 with a couple of 1 acre ponds, and about 8 or 9 acres of heavily wooded. House & shop sits on about 2 or 3 acres of lawn grade.

okay... now that you have 30 or so replies, we're expecting you to post a table with some valuable info.

 

[Oaktree]

Do you guys have a vacant parcel tax imposed if the land or land with building is vacant... it can be an additional 6k per parcel... don't see how legal but it's been around awhile.

It's hitting folks with vacation places as they have to prove 50 day occupancy in a year and also hitting those that have lots with future building plans.

Never heard of that before. Maybe a California thing?
My sisters live in Vt. which has a somewhat convoluted property tax system. Apparently you get a discount on your taxes if it's your primary residence, both have additional property (mostly woodland) and they have to pay the full assesed tax on those lots.

Here in N.H. we have a tax category called current use, designed to help preserve open space. You need a minimum of 10 acres to be able to utilize it. Tax savings are considerable. There are restrictions, including not being allowed to post the property for foot or equestrian passage (you can prohibit motor vehicles and maybe hunting) and if you take it out of CU you owe the difference in taxes for a certain number of years' worth.

 

[John_Mc]

Never heard of that before. Maybe a California thing?
My sisters live in Vt. which has a somewhat convoluted property tax system. Apparently you get a discount on your taxes if it's your primary residence, both have additional property (mostly woodland) and they have to pay the full assesed tax on those lots.

Here in N.H. we have a tax category called current use, designed to help preserve open space. You need a minimum of 10 acres to be able to utilize it. Tax savings are considerable. There are restrictions, including not being allowed to post the property for foot or equestrian passage (you can prohibit motor vehicles and maybe hunting) and if you take it out of CU you owe the difference in taxes for a certain number of years' worth.

Vermont has one property tax rate for a primary residence, and another for residential property that is not your primary homestead. The two tend to be fairly close. There is some convoluted formula for how they come up with those. Sometimes, the formula comes up with a rate that is higher for primary residences.

Vermont also has a "Current Use" tax (originally known as the Use Value Appraisal Program), where forest or farm land is taxed based on it's value as a forest or farm. It does represent quite a tax savings on the forest or farm part of the property, but the house is still taxed at the regular rate. For the forestry Current Use category, the minimum size is 25 acres (if a house is on the property, 2 acres is automatically excluded, so you need at least 27 acres total). To be in the Forestry Current Use category, you also need to have a Forest Management Plan approved by the County Forester. This needs to be updated every 10 years.

Vermont also has an income sensitivity provision for their property taxes. For people under a certain income level, their property taxes are capped at a certain percentage of their income. About 60% of Vermont residents pay property taxes via this system.

 

[MossRoad]

Indiana property tax caps limit the amount of property taxes to 1% of property values for homesteads (owner-occupied), 2% for other residential property and farmland, and 3% for all other property.

Kinda nice.

 

[Fuddyduddy1952]

I like Indiana, and Indiana wants me...but Lord, I can't go back there!

 

[MossRoad]

I like Indiana, and Indiana wants me...but Lord, I can't go back there!

 

[MossRoad]

I like Indiana, and Indiana wants me...but Lord, I can't go back there!

I had a friend that couldn't go back to Illinois... but I suspect it was for other reasons.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

About 5.5 acres, enough for privacy and to play with. Retired so we do a bit of gardening and donate what pasture hay we get to a hooved animal rescue charity.
Wouldn't mind having a bit more but the land prices around us have become nuts, about 40k/acre per assessment, so that's not going to be happening!

Around me, prices run the range of $2k per if you are buying a large tract, 200 acres. Most are about $10k per, and some people are throwing large numbers out there, up to $50k per, I'd imagine looking for a big city, deep pocketed individual who wants a piece of peace...

 

[Mtsoxfan]

We have 13 with a couple of 1 acre ponds, and about 8 or 9 acres of heavily wooded. House & shop sits on about 2 or 3 acres of lawn grade.

View attachment 859833

okay... now that you have 30 or so replies, we're expecting you to post a table with some valuable info.

That is beautiful.
As far as a table, that might be considered some sort of conspiracy/spying/invasive move on my part. LOL...
I just enjoy reading/seeing your properties.

 

[oosik]

Five years ago a realestate agent actually came out to my house. He had thoroughly checked out my 80 acres. He first asked - "how deep is your ten acre lake". He had a client that had the HOTS to buy. He would have got well over $25K per acre for me. The client was from CA and had plans to subdivide the 80 acres.

I was tempted but realized it just could never be the same if I sold.

When my neighbors would have found that I had sold and the new owner was going to subdivide and develop. I would have only been safe it I moved to some small, remote village in Mexico. AND - I don't speak Spanish.

The sunset view off my front porch.

 

[Mtsoxfan]

Five years ago a realestate agent actually came out to my house. He had thoroughly checked out my 80 acres. He first asked - "how deep is your ten acre lake". He had a client that had the HOTS to buy. He would have got well over $25K per acre for me. The client was from CA and had plans to subdivide the 80 acres.

I was tempted but realized it just could never be the same if I sold.

When my neighbors would have found that I had sold and the new owner was going to subdivide and develop. I would have only been safe it I moved to some small, remote village in Mexico. AND - I don't speak Spanish.

The sunset view off my front porch.
View attachment 859881

Beautiful!!
So, how deep is your pond?

 

[ultrarunner]

Never heard of that before. Maybe a California thing?
My sisters live in Vt. which has a somewhat convoluted property tax system. Apparently you get a discount on your taxes if it's your primary residence, both have additional property (mostly woodland) and they have to pay the full assesed tax on those lots.

Here in N.H. we have a tax category called current use, designed to help preserve open space. You need a minimum of 10 acres to be able to utilize it. Tax savings are considerable. There are restrictions, including not being allowed to post the property for foot or equestrian passage (you can prohibit motor vehicles and maybe hunting) and if you take it out of CU you owe the difference in taxes for a certain number of years' worth.

Could be a California thing as several cities in CA have it but also learned WA state is exploring same.

Vacant Property Tax (VPT)

On November 6, 2018, Oakland voters approved Measure W, the Oakland Vacant Property Tax (“VPT”). The VPT Act establishes an annual tax of $3,000 to $6,000 on vacant property.

www.oaklandca.gov

 

[oosik]

Mtsoxfan - the pond is called Martin Lk. Named after the original homesteader. It's 80 feet deep. Water depth at the shore line - 15 to 40 feet. You fall in - you best be a good swimmer. You will have to swim along the shore line until you can find something to grab. Water depth at the cattails - 8 to 10 feet. Both the North & South shore lines are the same. Vertical basaltic lava cliffs with absolutely no shallow water.

This lake is a small example of many of the lakes in this area. This area is called - the Channeled Scablands. Created by the numerous floods from ancient Lk Missoula.

 

[BackRoad]

Sounds like diving is allowed off your banks Mr. Oosik! That would be amazing, to have that kind of depth in a pond...

Any fish? (Just asking for a friend )

 

[scott_vt]

Good Evenin Bigtiller,

And I bought and paid for it with my own money, no generational wealth here.

Amen, that was the way here also ! What my parents left me was worth far more than generational money !

 

[etpm]

My wife and I own 10 or 12 acres. The reason for the disparity is because the property lines are not accurate. But we own at least 10. The woman at the county told me we were welcome to have it surveyed and if it came out to be 12 acres the county would be glad to charge us the increased property tax. We had a good laugh at that.
We love where we live. When we bought the land it was trashed. This was way back in 1996 or thereabouts. We could not have afforded the land if it had been in better shape. So we put in a lot of sweat equity to clean it up and it has paid off handsomely. We now have a beautiful home on the acreage. And about 1.5 acres is developed while the rest is just woods with a mile or so of trails running around through them. We own it all outright.
Because we were willing and able to put in the work to haul off the 12 or so tons of scrap metal (got paid for it too!), and the 95 tires (but hadda pay 5 bucks per tire) we saved a lot of money. We got the fire department to burn the condemned cabin on the property and that saved us about 10 grand, plus we had a great party watching the building burn.
So that's the acreage we own.

 

[paulsharvey]

Currently, only 2 acres. Looking for a new place with min 5, preferred 10+. Growing up, had 24, then 80, then 13, then 58; so 2 seems cramped. We found 6.7 on a pond, but bank stuff didn't work out. Looked at couple more, but locally, it's very hard to find a decent ammount of property for less than $20k/acre; looking in the $9-11k/acre price range.

 

[etpm]

When we were looking for land my wife said that 5 would be fine. I said 10 was the absolute minimum. Then we were shown a perfectly square 5 acre lot that was cleared. It was only weeds. My wife said "That's five acres!?" We need at least 10! We have more than once wished we had 20 acres. But we got what we could afford, where we could afford, at the time of the purchase. And it's OK. We lucked out having good neighbors. And we might be able to buy a 5 acre parcel that is adjacent to our property. The parcel is mostly wetland. That's fine with us, we don't want to build on it.
Eric

 

[paulsharvey]

A perfect clear, square 10 acres is still not pee in the front yard kinda privacy. That's only 660 lf x 660 lf. How you position a home/infrastructure, as well as how you buffer the property lines, has a huge effect.

There is a pretty nice little 10 acre pasture for sale, no infrastructure at all, and a square parcel, touching a 2 lane, 55 mph, state road. It looks tiny. Also, they want like $275k for it.