I recently updated my landkit articles on looking for land http://www.countryplans.com/landkit/index.html.
I added a great "Best Places" database where you can explore and compare zip codes for things like climate, cost of living, housing prices and appreciation, etc. http://www.bestplaces.net/fybp/. You can also use their survey of priorities and find a ranked list of places to consider for exploration.
Any other helpful ideas for finding land?
Southern tier of counties in Tennessee from I-65 until you get to commuting distance from Memphis aren't too bad. Prices have gone up a lot since I moved down here, though. Plenty of retirees looking for cheap land. And the South part of the my county is commuting distance from the Shoals area of Alabama.
But jobs are pretty scarce.
Could we start a land thread...a place we could post:
1. Looking for land...
2. Have a lead/s on nice land...
3. Or...willing to be a "CONTACT" for an area....
Thanks
Chuck (CA)
I've set up a new section of the forum for land stories and information on buying and selling.
Check it out here:
http://countryplans.com/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=Lnd_stories
Now, if I can figure out how to move messages over there....
I was thinking as I read this thread....
I assume that people who are building modest houses are looking for land that is "reasonable".
But what is "reasonable"? Certainly different for those who live in different parts of the country.
What someone in the NE thinks is a "steal" might cause me a mild heart attack.
And, why is it a deal? Lack of something? Power, roads, services, towns? Need to factor that in. I'd be glad to provide info in and around the Four Corners, but a steal to me might not be a steal to you. How do we allow for that?
And, what about topography? There's as many tastes as there are states. Tho a Kentuckian by birth, I've become a sun lover by choice. In fact, when I return to the country in which several of you live....I always hum an old Carter family song..."In the pines, in the pines, where the sun never shines..."
You get the drift.
Perhaps the first search criteria should be location. People are somewhat tied to that by preference, family, job.
I agree wthe Shelley. Location is the most important part of the search. Only a fool would buy land in a place they didn't want to live just because it was a good deal.
Here is my article on location: http://www.countryplans.com/landkit/area.htm
Price does vary considerable in different parts of the country. Land and houses are much more variable in cost than our normal commodity items. There is no WalMart for property purchases and never will be.