Owning acreage

david0tey

david0tey

Line Up and Wait
Joined
Mar 2, 2012
Messages
545
Location
Virginia
Display Name
Display name:
Fox-Three
This seems odd to talk about, considering this is still a ways down the road. Nonetheless, the older I get, the more I realize my place is in the country. Who here does own acreage (...let's say 5+ acres), and in your experience, is it worth it? I do realize there are downsides (further commute, maintenance, etc.), but that seems worth it to me. My dream is, unrealistic as it may be, to eventually plow my own little airstrip and keep my airplane hangared on my own property. The idea of being able to hunt (and possibly fish) on my own property is very appealing.

What is there to consider when going about this? The land would be primarily for my own enjoyment but I would be open to using the land for profit. I'd like to stay in Va or Nc.
 
It's very much worth it.

You'll want to keep your front acreage kept up with a brush hog. You'll want to make sure your fences are 100% put up.

Other then that it's really easy, land has a way of taking care of itself lol... if you want deer you can plant food plots, if you want fish you can dig a pond and stock it from your local minnow shop, they have a wonderful selection to choose from.


A mule or 4 wheeler is a great tool to have if you plan on making the occasional round. As for having a strip? I have no idea.
 
You have to watch cash flow issues, property taxes come to mind....
 
Look into agriculture or forest land tax exemptions.

Most guys wouldn't find 5 acres adequate for a strip.
 
david0tey said:
This seems odd to talk about, considering this is still a ways down the road. Nonetheless, the older I get, the more I realize my place is in the country. Who here does own acreage (...let's say 5+ acres), and in your experience, is it worth it? I do realize there are downsides (further commute, maintenance, etc.), but that seems worth it to me. My dream is, unrealistic as it may be, to eventually plow my own little airstrip and keep my airplane hangared on my own property. The idea of being able to hunt (and possibly fish) on my own property is very appealing.

What is there to consider when going about this? The land would be primarily for my own enjoyment but I would be open to using the land for profit. I'd like to stay in Va or Nc.
Click to expand...

I did it.... And I am very happy too...:):):):)

2WY3...... http://airnav.com/airport/2WY3
 
Can be a great investment,be carefull and check the tax rate,for the land .
 
Insurance - minimal usually.
Property tax - can get ugly if you do not have an ag or wildlife exemption (Texas).
and the rules about that are open to interpretation by the local assessor. Basically they can twist it to squeeze more $ out of landowners as they see fit - with complete disregard to the legislative's intent re: open space exemption as it benefits all community members.
Risk & aggravation of unwelcome guests on the land (we know someone who has hunters show up on their 15ac uninvited, out of season, blasting away at their pet deer and the game warden and sheriff won't do anything. I have a trail cam set up on my land and there is a steady stream of people who never mentioned a thing to me about wanting to stroll past my No Trespassing sign.
Capital gains - watch the rules on this if you hope to have it as an investment, potential for the feds to get their hands on much of what your property made you.
Eminent domain claims. I have a friend who is right now facing the Waha-Mexico 42" gas pipeline right through their pasture down here, and despite planning to spend (my guess) $100K+ to fight it, I think it's hopeless. (don't think it can't happen to you)
Subsurface Rights. If you don't own them, the drillers can march onto your property and start their drilling and bright lights, crazy traffic on Your Land, right next to your house - it's happened a lot in Texas.
Neighbors. You will always have em, more land means more periphery and more neighbors.
Fences. Backbreaking work, need constant maintenance. Without them, your horse owning neighbors will take that as a sign that you are offering community pasture.

Frankly I am often wondering if we did the right thing at all.
 
I've lived in the country most of my life. Grew up on an acreage. I love the open space, solidude, wildlife, running tractors, and fishing in my own pond. I plan on adding a helo port this summer.

Most people wanting to live on acreages under estimate the cost. Equipment, chain saws, large commercial quality mowers, sprayers, 4 wheel drive vehicles, snow removal equipment, driving distance in town, taxes, etc.
 
Last edited:
We own about 21+/- acres, mostly woods, with 3 pastures. We are zoned agriculture which keeps property taxes to a minimum. Upkeep is manageable with a tractor (a loader is an almost must have) and consolidating the work. For example, when I find a hole in a fence row, all fences get checked and fixed the same day/weekend. We find doing things that way keeps maintenance at bay. We are able to maintain the property and take care of the animals while working full time.
There's something about being able to walk out the side door and pee without having to worry about neighbors being close enough to care :)
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Frankly I am often wondering if we did the right thing at all.
Click to expand...

I've made my living developing farm land into acreages. Most people who want to live in the country I sold land to never move out there. Its a pipe dream and they had no idea how much money and work it takes. $5,000 for a gravel drive, $12500 for a well, $10,000 for a sewer system, etc.
 
You're going to need a lot more than 5 acres to do what you intend. An acre is roughly 200'x200' (43,560sf, to be exact) so an airstrip 100'x2000' will consume all of your 5 acres. For hunting you'll want plenty of land surrounding you for the safety of your neighbors so your 30-30 projectile doesn't accidentally take out Fido.

I'd say you need to be looking for at least 100acres, preferably more like 200. I know some people with 150ac, nice, but not that big a place.
 
Blatham489 said:
You're going to need a lot more than 5 acres to do what you intend. An acre is roughly 200'x200' (43,560sf, to be exact) so an airstrip 100'x2000' will consume all of your 5 acres. For hunting you'll want plenty of land surrounding you for the safety of your neighbors so your 30-30 projectile doesn't accidentally take out Fido.

I'd say you need to be looking for at least 100acres, preferably more like 200. I know some people with 150ac, nice, but not that big a place.
Click to expand...

I have a 100'X 3000' runway and it does not hinder the usefullness of my measly 80 acres at all...:nonod:
 
I already live in a 70-acre fly-in community (2400 foot manicured runway), but it is fairly close to Atlanta and we're now surrounded by subdivisions.

I also own 9 acres on top of a mountain. There's a flat area there that could work for a helipad, but as much as I'd like to, not planning on moving on to rotorcraft anytime soon.

If you're planning on doing your own upkeep on a grass strip, a lot depends on the type of aircraft you'll be flying out of it. If you're going to fly a Super Cub with big tundra tires on it, upkeep will be fairly simple. For other airplanes you may need to be a lot more meticulous about keeping it smooth and mowed short. That can be a good bit of continuous work.
 
Good advice from the others. I'd add this: you need to keep a keen eye on what goes on around you.

Would you like your neighbor to put up a wind farm/tower adjacent to your property line? It can happen, especially in areas where zoning & government approvals are light and neighbors are not notified (don't count on the government/environment review process - there are ways to keep It secret from you under commercial confidentiality clauses & right now there are many vested interests that would sell-out a scenic view for renewable energy).
 
All good advice. Just to clarify, I do realize 5 acres is not adequate for a grass strip. But 100-200? I don't think so.

In terms of cost, do you need to be "well off" to own a decent home on 25-50 acres? I'm finding some properties for 200-300k where there are similar homes for the same price on .25 acres.
 
We have 4 acres and love it. I want more now. :)

Looking at the 230 acres for sale south of here, it isn't nearly big enough for hunting. Fishing wouldn't be very good either even though it has a river running though it. Banks are steep and you'd need to clear a way to get to them. Airstrip wouldn't work, too many hills.

All acreage isn't created equal. ;)
 
denverpilot said:
We have 4 acres and love it. I want more now. :)

Looking at the 230 acres for sale south of here, it isn't nearly big enough for hunting. Fishing wouldn't be very good either even though it has a river running though it. Banks are steep and you'd need to clear a way to get to them. Airstrip wouldn't work, too many hills.

All acreage isn't created equal. ;)
Click to expand...

230 acres not enough for hunting!? My uncle hunts (from a tree stand, I should say) on 15 acres.
 
I got 10.5 but not on the countryside. Love it. Although it takes two guys on commercial ZTRs 2 hours to cut my grass. (4 acres of grass)

Wish I would have done this earlier
 
How much acreage are we talking? Thing about getting acreage at a reasonable price is you are outside the 1.5hr commuting ring from a metropolitan area.
 
My family owns 40 acres outside of Little Rock. Growing up I don't recall that much work to up keep the property. Most of it is woods/wetlands so it takes care of itself. About every 5-10 years the well pump gets replaced. That job is about a day if you want it done right. My father bush hogs the wetland about once a year so his friends can hunt. Besides that it's just mainly basic yard work on the house landscaping.

I think the biggest job I remember doing was clearing about 2 acres of bottoms after my father got chainsaw happy.
 
When you find some land that you like, check the zoning code to see what they will allow or require for a private strip, (if that is what you want). Where I live you need a minimum of 25 acres in the AG zone to apply for a special exception for a pvt. strip.
Hunting depends on the area you pick. I've had up to 6 hunters active on 128 acres (100 ac. woods) without too much overlap. We are not allowed to hunt with rifles in this area. Too many developments encroaching. Shotgun, black powder, bow, only. Another thing; if you plan to plant a crop ask local farmers what the deer situation is. We ended up putting a mile and a half deer fence around our tillable fields.
Geico and the others make a good point about the investment in the equipment you will need just to keep nature at bay:rolleyes:
You should be able to find an 'older' house on some acreage at a decent price. The work and the upkeep will never end though.
But it is all worth it!
 
wsuffa said:
Nuclear waste dump? ;)
Click to expand...


High plains. Pretty much a grass covered desert most of the time. No critters.

The nuclear waste is over where they're building houses north of Golden. ;) Rocky Flats.

There's exactly one herd of antelope and about four herds of deer that wander around over a huge area out here, but both would catch on quick if they started getting killed on one big section and just not go there. Unless one wanted to bait them.

They can all escape north to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal's land and never come south of County Line Road and live happily ever after if folks were shooting them south of the road.

They also escape into the town of Elizabeth where they
meet their maker as hood ornaments. Or in the big ex-burb million dollar houses on land so small you're looking in the neighbor's bedroom windows from your porch, east of Parker where some people stupidly feed them.

I usually pull over to watch the antelope, since seeing them is relatively rare. Amazingly fast creatures. Huge herd of deer last night in one alfalfa field that hasn't sprung up yet, seemed to all be together for the snowstorm. One HUGE buck, with about 12 points. That section of road doesn't have a good place to stop or I'd have shot him... With the camera. Hah.

The only other natural stuff is rodents, coyotes, and raptors. Amongst the rodents are these enormous jack rabbits. The dog LOVES tearing after any of those that wander inside the fence on the property. One night the rabbit and he kept pace about five laps around two acres until the rabbit could stretch his lead out enough to make it under the livestock gate.

Oh and frogs. The kind that bury themselves for years underground and only come out if it gets wet enough. We learned about those last year. Couldn't figure out why the hell we could hear frogs at night across the road. There's a dry pond over there apparently and it finally got wet enough last year in summer to have a bunch of frogs. One came hopping into the garage one night and I was stunned. Haha.

Birding is pretty good out here, just to sit and watch, but certainly no large bodies of water to attract stuff worth hunting. Plenty of barn swallows, meadowlarks, and the occasional state bird, the lark bunting.

They say some years we will get snakes. Haven't had a snake year yet. Had one garter snake in the grass near the porch. He was tiny. I suppose we need a rodent population boom in a year to get the snake population to also bump up and then they all die off again.

I need to look into the conservation district's offer of inexpensive tree saplings for building windbreaks. I don't really need a windbreak but it'd be a good home for more birds. Our only two trees are often quite busy with prairie birds in the Spring and early Summer.
 
We have 11 acres, it's mostly just woods, with about an acre for the house and yard. I like having the privacy, but I don't have any plans of raising any cattle or building a landing strip. :D
A lot depends on where you want to live getting 10-20 acres anywhere close to a big metro area will be very expensive! Get out in the country and it will relatively cheap. :D
 
I bought my first "farm"---recreational acreage actually---when I was 28 and have lived on "acreage" ever since except for 3 year stint back in Springfield, MO. We also have a few hundred acres of investment properties scattered about though I've sold a few recently.

Our first "farm" was 160 acres just north of Branson, MO w/ a 2000 sf house. I now live on 160 acres about 25 minutes west of Cape Girardeau, MO w/ a 3500 sf house. In both cases the house is nearly centered in the acreage and they could build a city around me and I'd never know it (and they did build one next to the farm we owned near Branson. it's now the incorporated town of Saddlebrooke).

Missouri's nice because taxes are low...but you get what you pay for, roads in some (most?) of Missouri's rural areas are crap because of it.

My take:

I love living in BFE. I love working outside. When I was a young ladder climbing professional in corporate america, my "farm" was my respite. A day of cutting wood, bush hogging on the tractor or grading the 3/4 mile drive with the ancient (pony motor starter) motor grader was great stress relief. A day of floating or wade fishing the stream that flowed through it (and was brimming with trout) even better. A day of spelunking in the cave we had, the best.

But...

As others have said, it takes a fair amount of equipment to keep a place maintiained, especially if it's a mix of woods and pasture land/hayfields, like many are across southern Missouri. I have at least $75,000 sitting out in the barn...maybe $100,000. Much of it bought new because I like working with my equipment far more than I like working on my equipment.

However...

Now that I'm a tad older (55), the work isn't nearly as much fun as it used to be. I also can't do it all day long like I used to. I can cut and split wood with the best of them but I can't do it for 8 to 10 hours a day and think nothing of it like I could when I was 35. Now, 5 or 6 is my max. Like the country song says "I ain't as good as I once was, but I'm as good once as I ever was!" ;-)

So, these days, honestly, other scenarios have started to look good. For example a house or condo within walking distance of Forest Park has a LOT of allure to me. Forest Park, for those not familiar, is a 1700 acre park in West Central St. Louis and includes attractions such as the zoo, art museum, planetarium-science center, ice skating rink, muni opera, TWO golf courses, lakes, streams and miles of hiking and biking trails.

Living withing walking distance of all that (especially if I'm not working and can use is when everyone else is) sure holds a lot more allure for me these days than being in the middle of my own 160 acres. Someone else maintains it, I just get to enjoy it.

With that said, our place is getting ready to go on the market. So, if you want 160 acres with a really nice 3,500 sf house only 10 minutes from town and only 25 minutes from the shopping area of a larger town (i.e. Lowes, Menards, Sams, Target, Academy Sports, Sears, Wal-Mart, Staples etc.) and only 1.5 hours from St. Louis then let me know, I CAN HOOK YOU RIGHT UP for just a bit over 1/2 mil. I even have a barn full of equipment that I can make you a deal on. ;)

There's also two fields that an 1800 to 2000 foot runway could be built in for an aircraft with relatively good stol performance.

Your dream come true in SW MO! :goofy:
 
Last edited:
I live in the country. Love it, though I wish I was deeper in the country. We live on 1 acre on my in laws 35 acres. Love it, we have free rein. Less than 2 miles down the road we bought 15 acres complete with an acre sized pond. We plan to build our house on it very soon. Nothing beats owning your own dirt. The stupid thing is nobody around here who owns land has the mineral rights, but hey whatever. But yes do it, they are not making any more of it and the price always seems to go up. Where I am an acre now sells for 8 to 40k. Obviously the more you buy the cheaper, so it's not uncommon to buy 20 acres for $10k an acre. It wasn't that high years ago.
 
I did some math around the airport I was based at a few years ago. Runway was 3000 x 75, for 5 acres of asphalt; there are no taxiways. Property may have extended 100' on the approach end and 200-300' on the departure end. Two rows of hangars, a large maintenance hangar, one fuel tank, one really small FBO and a gravel parking lot. No fences.

Property totaled 54 acres.

Looking around here for 15-20 acres in the county, with a house at affordable prices. Looks like it will be a while before I put in my own grass strip . . . I'm comfortable with a 2000' grass strip, that gets it down to ~3 acres. Plus space for home, hangar, clearings on both ends. If aimed in the right direction for the wind, and just a couple of hundred feet wide, 10 acres may suffice, but certainly no less. That may provide 50' width for the short field. I've landed at 2770 x 30 and 2440 x 40, both paved, with no trouble.

Then will be a tractor with at least a 6' grooming mower, to cut the grass after clearing, dozing, settting drainage, rolling and seeding. And a hangar large enough for the plane, tractor, mower, roller and equipment maintenance. And run power and water to the hangar complex (can't have tractor grease, dirt and grass clippings spread throughout the airplane portion of the hangar!).

This is why I lease a hangar from the county at a paved field with VOR and GPS approaches, fuel, maintenance, coffee, etc. I moan about the rates, but compared to what it would cost to buy, build and maintain my own (without fuel, no approaches, no pavement), it's a bargain.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Fences. Backbreaking work, need constant maintenance. Without them, your horse owning neighbors will take that as a sign that you are offering community pasture.
Click to expand...

This one is state specific. In Missouri if I'm not running livestock then I have zero responsibility to help maintain fences. The owner of the livestock is 100% responsible for keeping them in. If we both have livestock then the cost is split 50/50. In some other "open range" areas or states, it's your responsibility to keep livestock out...not the livestock owner's responsibility to keep them it. I like the Missouri way, personally.

write-stuff said:
If you're planning on doing your own upkeep on a grass strip, a lot depends on the type of aircraft you'll be flying out of it. If you're going to fly a Super Cub with big tundra tires on it, upkeep will be fairly simple. For other airplanes you may need to be a lot more meticulous about keeping it smooth and mowed short. That can be a good bit of continuous work.
Click to expand...

Curious. Have you ever managed a grass runway? A lot of people talk about how much work they are but, at least in my area, I've found this to not be the case. I managed the local city's airstrip for about three years and it took:

Mowing once a week when it's raining. Less when it's not. This strip is 2600'x70' (3000' x 150' counting outside the cones) with a 1500'x90' taxiway (again much larger counting outside the cones) and "ramp" area around the hangars. I could mow the entire grounds in about 3 hours with my 5' cut ZTR. I could cut "inside the cones" in a bit over an 1.5 hours...definitely less than two. I only cut outside the cones every second or third cutting. I'd roll it about once a month (sometimes this was too much) with a 10' roller and this took about another 3 hours. So about 12 hours per month max during the rainy season and it was kept "baby butt smooth!" And it would've been less maintenance had they'd sprigged with Bermuda like I kept trying to get them to do. Regardless, that's pretty minor in the scope of things and a far cry from "can be a good bit of continuous work." :dunno:

But, that's in MY area. Just like the above discussion on fences, your area may be completely different.
 
Last edited:
timwinters said:
This one is state specific. In Missouri if I'm not running livestock then I have zero responsibility to help maintain fences. The owner of the livestock is 100% responsible for keeping them in. If we both have livestock then the cost is split 50/50. In some other "open range" areas or states, it's your responsibility to keep livestock out...not the livestock owner's responsibility to keep them it. I like the Missouri way, personally.
Click to expand...

Point in contrast is Colorado's open range approach. There have been a few problems when folks don't understand the law, the last I recall was a Texan brought in hunters to shoot a neighbor's buffalo herd on his land. Texan was in the wrong and didn't understand it. Guess he thought a buffalo should be able to identify a property line or something...
 
I suspect when I buy a different house it won't be in the city but we'll see. As attractive as it sometimes sounds I remind myself that I stay pretty busy with aviation and work. Hard enough to "keep up" the yard in the city sometimes.

I think I'd be pretty happy with about 5 acres. Doesn't matter really - not something I need to worry about anytime soon. I want a Sonex more then I want a different house these days :)
 
timwinters said:
Curious. Have you ever managed a grass runway? A lot of people talk about how much work they are but, at least in my area, I've found this to not be the case.
Click to expand...

Indirectly, yes I have. For about 15 years. As I said, it depends on how nicely you want to keep it. We go through a cycle of adding new top soil, sand, seeding, and chemicals that is pretty intensive. And every few years we have to aerate it and roll it. This level of maintenance isn't needed if you're flying some light taildraggers, especially those with big tires. But for airplanes like Cirrus that aren't designed for rugged fields, the extra maintenance is needed. So, as I said before, it depends on what you fly.
 
write-stuff said:
As I said, it depends on how nicely you want to keep it. We go through a cycle of adding new top soil, sand, seeding, and chemicals that is pretty intensive.
Click to expand...

Wow, no such issues like that here. Just mow and roll as I described and it's suitable for any fairly light aircraft, even had twins come in occasionally.

The way I kept it made Gaston's feel like a cow pasture by comparison...and Gaston's isn't really that bad. I'm confident that they do nothing but mow and (maybe) occasionally roll also.

Likely another region specific thing.
 
Depends on what it is and what you want to do with it. If it's just the isolation then go for something mostly wooded and there's little to mow. Most of us cut out an acre or so hard around the house and maybe brush hog the rest twice a year.

Acreage wise most parcels are fairly square. I have 40 acres half wooded and I don't have room for an airstrip. Sure a long thin 40 acres would be plenty but nothing is carved out like that.
 
Until I put a new STEC in my Arrow my most expensive vehicle I own was my tractor to maintain the property...
 
I live about as remote as you can get in the Southeast and have been purchasing the land around me. No neighbors for miles. I'll never go back to living in a concrete kingdom. We have an acre and half that we mow around the house. The rest is just trees. It's also ag exempt land so the taxes are low. The only downsides are 1) The so called hunters. I'll just leave it at that lest I go on a 10 page rant. 2) people throw trash everywhere out here. It's a few dollars a tire to dispose of them so they like dumping them out here. Then no one is inclined to go out and pick them up because, well they charge you to dispose of them. I picked up 11 off my property several weeks back. And the guy at the landfill lets me toss half a dozen per week for free. The used mattress set was also a nice gift and its a weekly chore to go pick up all the **** people throw out of their car windows. One guy threw a cup out while I was standing at the edge of my driveway getting my mail.

Oh and a coyote snatched my cat a few nights ago. My lab rescued him.


Oh and were so remote that the county hasn't bothered to do a flood study, so we get hit with flood insurance. Beats paying an HOA though.
 
bartmc said:
I live about as remote as you can get in the Southeast and have been purchasing the land around me. No neighbors for miles. I'll never go back to living in a concrete kingdom. We have an acre and half that we mow around the house. The rest is just trees. It's also ag exempt land so the taxes are low. The only downsides are 1) The so called hunters. I'll just leave it at that lest I go on a 10 page rant. 2) people throw trash everywhere out here. It's a few dollars a tire to dispose of them so they like dumping them out here. Then no one is inclined to go out and pick them up because, well they charge you to dispose of them. I picked up 11 off my property several weeks back. And the guy at the landfill lets me toss half a dozen per week for free. The used mattress set was also a nice gift and its a weekly chore to go pick up all the **** people throw out of their car windows. One guy threw a cup out while I was standing at the edge of my driveway getting my mail.

Oh and a coyote snatched my cat a few nights ago. My lab rescued him.


Oh and were so remote that the county hasn't bothered to do a flood study, so we get hit with flood insurance. Beats paying an HOA though.
Click to expand...

That is one LUCKY cat...:yes::)
 
I agree maintaining property is a lot of work. It is rewarding, but too much of it and it feels like a second job you pay to do. On my place in NM I have a skid steer, excavator, brush cutter, 5 trailers, bunches of power tools, etc. to maintain my place. I get a dump card every six months from the county and max it out hauling brush to the dump in a week. Last year I ran 2000' of 1" pex for irrigation. They don't give that stuff away and it's just one little thing you have to do.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top