checking out some acreage this weekend.. any tips/advice?

Goin to the appallachian mountains this weekend to check out some acreage ....

....some will be from real estate folks, and other from private sellers like off craigslist, and other forums, etc.

Any tips advice ? title search? surveys? attorney to do the closing?
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will be paying cash
10-20 acres (year round spring)
building a couple of small cabin/cob houses ...
making an acre or 2 into an organic garden ...the rest fruit trees
will be renting one of the cabins for extra income cabin rental, the other to live in

will be supplementing cabin rental income with seasonal work, looking into a small brewery, spiritual retreat, canning and selling canned goods, etc

reply to post by dominicus


Do this legit - with a respected realestate agent if you do not know the seller personally.

The possibility for scams is huge if you are not savvy with the process of purchasing land/title

Buy at least 2.5 acres, ideally with good sunshine and a source of fresh water.

Ideally with a meadow/light forest where you can plant fruit trees and perpetual sources of food and herbs.

Some places in the Appalachians are set to be strip mined. Even if not on your property, you could end up partially surrounded by 100' cliffs.

Make sure your water supply is good! How old is the well? You will want to get the underground river tested for everything including pressure/minerals/ect. If you don't have water then the lands pretty much worthless cause you'll have to import water.

Hope this helps you out.

Also if your growing, get the soil tested too.

Always have a deed search done. Check to see if it has mineral rights, right of ways, easements. If it has been foreclosed on before make sure it has proper paperwork. Talk with the locals and find out if area is prone to flash flooding. Talk with all the closest neighbors and make sure there are no fruitcakes.

some good tips so far, i'll add,
if you find something you like, test any water, bring sample bottles and pay for a lab test.
quite reasonable if considering the importance.

access, will you need a 4+4 in winter or mud season?
just cause it was an easy ride now doesn't really mean much considering.

neighbors, how close, how friendly etc.........

restrictions.
livestock, type building, number of cars etc....
if you ask you could be handed a small page or a freaking book.
i have never purchased property with any.

are you looking for any utilities at all?
if you want to be off the grid make sure this includes power lines nearby, also underground gas lines etc......

i'll think of more if helpful.

reply to post by dominicus


A pond, creek or small river would be perfect
- for catching food, and of course for drinking, and finally maybe some small scale hydro electricity. barring that, hills are excellent for rain water gathering using hillside water reservoir.

A hilly area might provide an opportunity to build a small bunker or cool food storage in the hill.
Larger hills will enrich the base with nutrient run-off for planting.
Large Rocky hillsides will accumulate excellent clay at the base for making bowls or even a clay built home.
Add to that a hilly area may also provide protection from winds to maintain a warm home or protected garden.

It's a good idea to get a soil sample analyzed for garden potential.

are there animals in the area? (for hunting)
is the land lush or barren? you may want to have plenty of forest for firewood, or building materials

Make sure whatever water supply is not a "wet weather spring". There are a ton of springs there that run during rainy season, or during snow melt - and are dry the rest of the year.

Originally posted by dominicus
Goin to the appallachian mountains this weekend to check out some acreage ....

....some will be from real estate folks, and other from private sellers like off craigslist, and other forums, etc.

Any tips advice ? title search? surveys? attorney to do the closing?

Honestly this very much depends on how much you intend to buy and for what use. Will it be; home, investment, hunting, retreat farm/agricultural or commercial?

Certainly even if you do a private sale you should pay an attorney or someone to do the right title searches make sure you are not buying a quick claim deed as you could get into trouble should someone later contest the sale.

If you are not financing and paying cash like I did for my farm your closing costs can be minimized by keeping lawyers and real estate agents totally out of it. The seller will also consider that in your offer most times.

However, I caution you to not get so enamored with a place you can’t be objective – its always best to call in a home inspector for a property if there is a house on it since people can and do overlook minor issues that can add up in the end.

Like I had to end up replacing about 75% of the outlets in the house – the cost was minimal but the pain in the butt of having to do it before I could plug anything in was inconvenient. All the outlets were the older 2 pronged ones without a ground. Adapters are getting harder to find.

You want at least 40 acres if you plan on having animals. Each state is different but do a quik check to see if there are pipelines running across the property; I know in the county where I live the schoool board bought land for a rural school then found out that there was a big 24" pipeline under the property running across it. Given the pressure and size and gas composition the set backs from the pipeline meant the land had only a small corner where you could legally build.

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I don't think you need a Real Estate Agent, but you definitely need a Title Company, and an official closing. Every Title Company has an Attorney, and they issue Title Insurance if they do the closing. If you have that, you don't need to pay a Realtor's commission.

Otherwise, I agree with the other suggestions. Stop and meet some neighbors, ask if there is anything you should know, like a seasonal flood, or an impassable road, etc.

Along with your fruit trees and organic garden, might I suggest a couple of bee hives, and plant some wild deercorn and yellowdot? IBees will help your garden and fruits, and provide honey, while the deercorn and yellowdot will attract wildlife onto your plot for observing or hunting.

Make sure that your water and sewage systems are reliable. My cousins bought an acreage back in the 90s or so (they still live there) and after moving in, they found out that their well was crap, and had to get a new one dug, and had to get their sewage system fixed. It cost many thousands of dollars. So, either be rich, or make sure it's in good condition.

reply to post by dominicus


a little more description on where?


one important thing to know is who are you living by?

the appalachian people, those born and raised there will NEVER accept you unless you are a southerner.. no way will they, including the sheriff, be friendly to you if you are from "the north" "a carpetbagger" "a Yankee". my family is from the hills of east TN, not trying to be rude. just a friendly warning. a serious warning.. if you have ATV's or anything "cool" like that it will be gone one night. never leave your wife/girl alone for days on end working somewhere else. many old school hillbillies want their land and communities to stay "theirs"
now, if you have "southern blood" (tn, ky, va) you are Golden...

once again not my feelings, but my kin have been there since before time. which is why i moved to eastern nc. even though my name is well known, my wife couldn't take more than a few days..

reply to post by rebeldog


Im looking at tri-cities, west virginia eastern pan-handle. anywhere in the mountains...

....unfortunately I am a Yankee.... However I have lived and worked in the deep south, small back woods of Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama....

....I know that the Collective southern attitude towards folks like me is caution, skepticism, and vigil ......however I have fared well with these folks.....

stop by a few bar-b-q's, share a few beers, few good stories, some humor ....especially make fun of myself and my northern ways ....and they all fall in love and treat me as one of their own. Acceptance is key wouldnt you say?

I've also noticed folks from out of town moving to some of these mountain areas and doing well with everyone else.

My family, even though of European descent, were originally mountain folk and that seems to go by pretty good when I mention that I want to get back to the roots of how my ancestors grew up in the mountains.

Also Im finding beautiful and modern cabins/homes being built and moved into my some more modern folks. Either way im all about getting along with others and also letting it be known that I too own guns and defend property

This will see a bit far-out, but I know of a case where this happened.

A few years ago our personal UFO group in Austin was visited by a young man and woman. that soon were going to Arkansas to create a homestead. I believe it was a communal thing. A couple of months later the guy came back to our group. The land that had already been purchased by one of their members was absolutely covered in poison ivy that they worked at removing. Both of them were hospitalized for several days for extreme reactions to the plant. The whole plan went haywire because of the poison ivy infestation was either not known or not consider important by parties on either or both sides of the deal.

In today's world there are disclosure statement for the seller to fill out that alert the potential buyer problems with the property. PI being a hazard, I would think that such things would be listed on a disclosure form, but maybe not.

Dress what you would consider appropriate for the area and plan to visit the neighbors to the property if at all possible. Spend some quiet time in the area. Does it seem like an unofficial gun range is next door? Then, there is the official course to take, looking into the county, property deed and home-owner restrictions that apply to that area. A lot of people assume they can do as they wish with rural property only to get stopped in their tracks. That was the old days. Lotsa rules, regs, and hands out for permits these days.

Ain't such planning such fun?! (No joke. It really is!)

Check to make sure the area you plan to buy - build on wont flood in event of heavy rains..

After having bought several pieces of land and invested in real estate...

it would bode you well to use a reall estate agent. Yes, they get their commision, but it really is nice not having to sort through the paperwork, finding a lawyer to look over everything, and they know who to call and can pull the strings to get inspections, see if the land perks, checking on easements, deed and title searches, leins, etc. Well worth the money unless you really want to do that...

Further, ask all the questions you can about the property...the owners/agent don't have to tell you voluntarily..but they can't lie if you ask either. Then go and hang out at the country store near by or drop by the post office or news paper and ask inquisitively...see if what you were told lines up with the sellers side of the story.

Check on the future area...possible changes in zoning, future developement... are the sellers moving because of retirement or is there a landfill/dump site on the way? Has the area recently been annexed with a delayed developement plan...looks serene now...will there be a 4 lane running through you yard next year?

Do not buy at the top of the mountain, don't buy at the bottom...midway up the mountain is good, have some level ground for gardens etc....look where the sun rises and sets on property... any sun for a garden...even in open areas? Too much shade?...in the mountains..I have literally seen the sun rise at mid morning and set at mid afternoon due to peaks and valleys.. and it was in W Va.

Get reciepts for anything and everything...paper trails along the way... check mileage to nearest store and town... is that a distance you really want to travel and can afford?

Good luck... made the move myself, you won't regret it with some caution and common sense.

reply to post by rebeldog

the appalachian people, those born and raised there will NEVER accept you unless you are a southerner.. no way will they, including the sheriff, be friendly to you if you are from "the north" "a carpetbagger" "a Yankee". my family is from the hills of east TN, not trying to be rude. just a friendly warning. a serious warning.. if you have ATV's or anything "cool" like that it will be gone one night. never leave your wife/girl alone for days on end working somewhere else. many old school hillbillies want their land and communities to stay "theirs"
now, if you have "southern blood" (tn, ky, va) you are Golden...

Excellent warning, and it should be taken seriously.

Remember what happened to the census workers up there.

Slowly civilization creeps into their society, and it isn't as bad as it used to be, but if you are looking for isolated land, then you are going to find the isolated folks that go along with it! There are communities in the Apalachians that have not evolved in 300 years! One of my FSU professors earned his PhD up there studying groups that were still using religion, hymnals, and technology brought over from the Pilgrams and they had never evolved since the late 1600s! He actually recorded religious hymns being sung that had never been recorded before, and only existed in history books!

I'm sure you can eventually meld into the society, but mind your stuff and your women, and don't blow off the warnings. Things are definitely different up in dem der hills!

I’m a contractor in pa
Check for year round access to property and if the county maintains the road
Check to see if the sewage system is a ses-pool, sand mound or conventional septic system . if neither have a perk test done.
Check to see if the property comes with the mineral rights.
Check the locale township to ensure there are no zoning restrictions on the property for the use you intend for the property, especially if you intend to rent out some portion of it.
Check to make sure the property is not located in a flood plain.
Check to make sure the property has never been used to dispose of toxic waste or other unsavory stuff.
Know your tax and insurance coast for the property.
Check to make sure you can get clear title to the property at settlement.
Good luck.