Is your acreage enough?

[MDSteve]

I am like many of you. I want the peace and quiet. If I can save up and buy a few adjacent lots around the house that is just a little more space someone else can't build on. I have seen houses put on so called unbuildable lots almost in people's back yards. So if I can afford it I am going to try my hardest to collect the land that is for sale around my place.

steve

 

[looch]

When we bought our place, the 3.5 acres was more than enough. Wasn't quite sure what to do with it. Now I'm renovating the pasture and the house. Maybe I'll get some animals. Eventually, we'll probably want more.
One has to be careful about is wanted and what is needed. I'd love more land, but I'm really not doing anything with the little bit that I have. When this plot is being used to its full potential and I still want to do more, maybe I'll start looking for something a little bigger.

 

[em14]

It looks like my income is going toward the down hill side and the taxes are moving (rapid) on the uphill side .... and as with my income I'm getting less and less from my increasing taxes...

 

[Wiz]

NEVER ENOUGH ! I grew up in the city of Cleveland on a 45 x 90 ft lot, got married moved to a suburb on 1/2 acre. Wow. Got closed in on that half acre and moved farther out, now on 3 acres. Four years ago purchased 62 acres for retirement. Still doesn't seem like enough, and unfortunately at the time, passed up on the 100 acres that are behind the 62. I'm not an isolationist, but don't like to hear the neighbors conversations, doors slamming and dogs barking. Like I said, NEVER ENOUGH....Wiz

 

[B7500]

"No matter what you have, respect for privacy is always infringed upon by someone. You
just have to shake your head, smile and do the best you can."

Wow, your a better man then I. I never feel like shaking my head I feel like shaking THEIR head.
-T

 

[RichZ]

We have 10 acres, and we're haying on 40 adjoining acres with our neighbors. We want, and need much more land. We're in the market for any land which we can hay or farm on that's within a tractor drive of our farm. I don't think anyone has enough acreage, especially once you get into farming!

 

[tiltbed]

No never enough,untill tax time.fortunatlly i`m blessed with a bit of heaven.43+ acres in Gurnsey co,Ohio.nearest neighbor is 1 1/2 miles to the north.lane is 3/8 of a mile..goes across a beaver pond.so peacefull and quiet...set on the ft porch drinking a cold one while watching the deer and turkeys in the front field.Oh ya and the nearest paved road is about 4 miles away....all dirt roads like i said a piece of heaven....Sid

 

[Anonymous Poster]

Tawoo, I have 46 acres with about 12-13 acres in a Coastal Bermuda hay meadow and the balance in heavy woods. I bought a LK3054 Kioti 4wd tractor, a 5ft mower and box scraper and recently mowed about 3 acres with it. Took me a long time! I was happy that a fellow had approached me earlier and we agreed that he would take care of the hay (liming the field, spraying for weeds, poisoning moles, fertilizing and baling the hay) when it is ready. Frankly the smaller tractors like mine (30 hp) are not adequate for handling the needs of a place the size of mine. I've asked a number of forum posters privately to encourage newbies like me to buy bigger. If I had to do all the work on my place, I'd need a new tractor. Hope this helps. Regards

 

[JohnS]

I had 1.3 acres, and that was definitly not enough. Had an opportunity to buy the 58+- acres, and did so. Don't think I will outgrow it, but find myself thinking about adjoining land. Boy it would be nice to have that strip of land on the other side of the creek.... Be nice to have that 15+ acre piece on south corner to the top of the hill.... etc. Here is an view: http://johnstractor.homestead.com/OurPlace.html

 

[B7500]

JohnS,
Nice spread! You were smart buying the additional acreage. Yours like the other post suggest that I should just bite the bullet and buy the land to each side of me. That will give me an additional 11.5 acres.
When it comes to land more is better according to everyones opinion.
Thanks for your reply.
-Terry

 

[Anonymous Poster]

I just bought back 25 acres my father sold in the late 70's, it was near my house and I was scared of nosie neighbors. He had gotten 1500, and I had to pay 15000. So I guess the moral is, hold on to land if possible, the cash doesn't last long.

 

[B7500]

"hold on to land if possible, the cash doesn't last long."

So very true. You were smart to buy it back. Good for you!
-Terry

 

[MossRoad]

We currently live on 1+ acre in an older neighborhood. We also own about 20- acres a few miles away. What's keeping us from moving to the 20 acres? A few things...

The first is our neighbors.... We like them! All of them! Both sides, behind us, across the street, katty-corner, all of them.

The second is the kids' school is about 6 blocks away.

Third, it only takes us 7 minutes to get to work.

It is just too convenient to leave. We are very fortunate to be in this situation.

One word of the wise to you... If you really want more land, buy it as soon as possible, as it never gets any less expensive. Land prices here skyrocketed about 10 years ago. Land that was going for $2000/acre is now going for $15,000/lot... usually around 1/2 acre or less. It is disgusting. I don't know how my kids will find a decent piece of property if they want one in 20 years. It won't be there.

In the mid 1950s my father and a partner bought up 20 acres for around $20,000 and sold 15 lots for $2000 per lot. The sold 4 more lots on a 90' escarpment overlooking water and the University of Notre Dame for $2500 because they were worth so much more /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif. In 1995, when my father was dying of cancer, we talked quite a bit. He said he regretted chopping up the land and should have hung on to all of it for his kids. It would have been worth many hundreds of thousands of dollars, but we wouldn't have sold it either. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

 

[B7500]

MossRoad,

"We are very fortunate to be in this situation."

You truly are very fortunate. I am happy for you. My experience in life has been that even well intentioned neighbors can be a real pain in the *!x;"$. They don't even hear their dog barking at five in the morning or their kids skateboarding down MY driveway. Actually, once when I lived in San Diego, my neighbor across the street sat on his porch all day waiting for his wife to come home.... with a 357 on his lap for reasons I never did find out.
I know that is extreme but naaa; I'll take my chances with the occasional deer that wants a taste of the salt lick I put out for her. I love the solitude, play on my tractor and listen to nature. To me, it doesn't get any better then that!
-Terry

 

[cstocks]

Tawoo,

I can see that you and I would make great neighbors.... each on our thousand, make that ten thousand, acres!/w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

 

[BigDave]

I own 5 wooded acres and couldn't be happier. I have two neighbors each about 300ft away through the woods. Far enough not to hear them all of the time, but close enough to walk down the trail to pay them a visit. In back of our land, the smallest dimension, is school property & the local park. It nice to take a stroll down to the park without ever touching a road. The really best part, is on a Friday night when their is a high school football/soccer/lacrosse game. The National Anthem softly echos through the woods to our back deck: this sound leads to my contentment on so many levels. I like to say we have to most patriotic backyard in America. Five acres doesn't lock the world out, but it just gives enough space to feel comfortable.

 

[B7500]

"I can see that you and I would make great neighbors.... each on our thousand, make that ten thousand,
acres!"

Thanks Chris,
I was beginning to think I was the weird one
-Terry

 

[Inspector507]

I would love more room here.......I have just 1.67 acres. I'd love to have many, many more. I just couldn't maintain it like I have to on this "spread". The city limits is across the road....I love it

Jerry

 

[Robert_in_NY]

We have around 110 acres +/- a few. I haven't tallied it up as we just bought around 45 more acres next to us and we are looking at another 60 acres that is between two of our parcels. Yet, I don't have any room to do anything? Anything less then 20 acres is not enough if you have a tractor. Bare minumum to make a tractor happy is 20. I guess that just means you guys with a few acres just have to use your tractor that much more to keep it happy.

 

[BigDave]

So far, I'm averaging 10hrs a month on only 5 acres. Now the choice is to make the tractor happier, or the wife happier. Tough choice. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif