Buying hunting land.

[agallant80]

Western North Carolina has lots of land for sale and cheep. I have no issue finding 10+ acres for 10-25K. I have been thinking of buying one of these lots cash. Things I wonder about are.

Building code: I would like to build a small cabin say 800 square feet or so or at the very least get a trailer out there (would perfer to build though)

Water: What do you do? Have a well drilled?
Electricity: Uhmm, Power company run a line out there
Septic: Don't really want an out house.
Security: What do you do to keep a bunch of land you own and use as a weekend retreat safe?

It appears that there are a few people out there who live in remote areas. Can you share what you know?

 

[blackhawk180]

Re: Buying hunting land.

Raw land can be an expensive proposition, depending on what you plan to do with it.
Water: probably have to drill a well. Ask around to see how deep you will have to go and remember, you'll probably need an electric pump though there are solar powered options. Wells are priced by the foot and they don't guarantee anything. You could end up with a 300' hole in the ground and no water. If you do get water, it has to be tested and approved for drinking by the health department and all that is recorded and kept on file.
Power can be very expensive. It all depends on how far they have to run it and if they have to install poles or underground. Transformers etc can add up in a hurry.
In most places, a building permit will be required and around here, that means you first must have potable water and a pre-approved septic design. The whole permit process is formidable and expensive.
The least expensive way I've seen is to build and outhouse and arrive with your solar equipped camper. The less you do to the land, the less you have to worry about and the property taxes won't skyrocket.
All info is based on my experience in Eastern Washington. Your mileage may vary.

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Buying hunting land.

Yea you need to do the research of your specific location and intent of what to do with your land besides hunt, but I would start by making sure you can even hunt it legally, followed by all your other intents. Utilities can be very expensive if they are not already there. A little work on your part now will help you find the right spot.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Re: Buying hunting land.

buying real property is almost always a good investment... around me.......( you boys heard of the US natural gas boom), North East PA. folks that owned 50 acres of land are now getting $30,000/month royalty checks..........you never know what's 7,000 feet below your feet.. buy as much as you can afford, enjoy your hunting spot and dont sell it.......

 

[agallant80]

Re: Buying hunting land.

I think after looking in to it I may be better off spending around 30K. For that the views are better and I am finding lots that have been cleared and have septic and electric prep. Still need to see if I can hunt on it though. I know the NC laws are pretty relaxed, just need to be 100 yards from a dwelling. Need to look in to the local rules.

 

[Starcraft5834]

Re: Buying hunting land.

good for you!! enjoy. you never know what they might find way down deep in 20 years........20 years ago around here no one had any idea there was a gold mine in natural gas under our feet........i would have bought hundreds of acres..

 

[agallant80]

Re: Buying hunting land.

Im not looking at the land as a financial investment as much as an investment in doing the things I enjoy and being with my wife. We would love to buy some land in our 30's and have it all the way we want it including a home when we retire. I work remote most of the time so we are shooting for 50's. Ill still work but from the remote base camp.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Buying hunting land.

Im not looking at the land as a financial investment as much as an investment in doing the things I enjoy and being with my wife. We would love to buy some land in our 30's and have it all the way we want it including a home when we retire. I work remote most of the time so we are shooting for 50's. Ill still work but from the remote base camp.

I need to find a remote work opportunity like that!

 

[bajaunderground]

Re: Buying hunting land.

A80,

Buying rural land can be cheap...improvements are where the costs start to pile up. A typical well in Colorado is approx $20/ft, and as has been stated, there's no guarantee. Electrical (Solar, wind) are not cheap there's maps available on the internet showing how high the windmill should be, what size, etc...solar requires batteries and lots of them (storage is almost always an issue). If the land is prepped for electric power (poles run to property line?) check tap fees (locally can run in excess of $25K). If you have to run poles figure about $1,000/pole (I forget distance between?). Septic systems often have to be designed by a specialist and have to be approved and inspected by local AHJ.

Stating all the above, I still like the idea and any improvements (see above) will increase the value of the land and most certainly your enjoyment of it!

I also like the idea of a 5th wheel camper and a generator?! Makes one mobile!

 

[agallant80]

Re: Buying hunting land.

I need to find a remote work opportunity like that!

get in to data storage management. All of your Facebook posts, online banking, movies on demand, pandora radio files, and predator drone data have to live some place and be managed by someone.

 

[gm280]

Re: Buying hunting land.

Certainly not trying to crush your dreams, but here are some reality things to seriously think about before spending your money. I too was seriously looking for a few hundred acres for hunting/fishing/camping land to enjoy with my family. Then I did some real thinking backed up with some actual situations. If the land you are contemplating isn't the same land you will live on, consider this. People, yes I hate to say it, but ruthless hunter WILL poach your property and cause some real legal issues. If you do catch them, they will not be happy campers to say the very least. And I have seen folks start fires on private property because they have to get back at the owners for running them off their land. Then you have the illegal pot folks that will go on your land and plant weed and set up boobi traps to keep other from getting to their cash crop. Then you have the folks that will cut wood from your land as well. Sad to say but some folks have zero guilt for doing things at other folk's expense. Then there is the yearly taxes to pay. I changed my mind after seeing how it could be more headaches then pleasure... I personally seen these things happen to a friends land and know what it take to own such place...

 

[agallant80]

Re: Buying hunting land.

Certainly not trying to crush your dreams, but here are some reality things to seriously think about before spending your money. I too was seriously looking for a few hundred acres for hunting/fishing/camping land to enjoy with my family. Then I did some real thinking backed up with some actual situations. If the land you are contemplating isn't the same land you will live on, consider this. People, yes I hate to say it, but ruthless hunter WILL poach your property and cause some real legal issues. If you do catch them, they will not be happy campers to say the very least. And I have seen folks start fires on private property because they have to get back at the owners for running them off their land. Then you have the illegal pot folks that will go on your land and plant weed and set up boobi traps to keep other from getting to their cash crop. Then you have the folks that will cut wood from your land as well. Sad to say but some folks have zero guilt for doing things at other folk's expense. Then there is the yearly taxes to pay. I changed my mind after seeing how it could be more headaches then pleasure... I personally seen these things happen to a friends land and know what it take to own such place...

This is what I was afraid of. There are all kinds of whacos out there and they could be cooking meth, growing pot, poaching, harvesting lumber etc on my property when I am not there. If they discover that I am not there will the house or trailer I put on the property be broken in to. After some more thought I think we may start looking at developments. There are pleanty of developments out there that have 10 acres in our price range and they are gated.

 

[Bayou Dave]

Re: Buying hunting land.

My mother and step-father lived on 20 acres in the mountains of NC for decades. The had a trout farm and all they did for water for the trout ponds and their single wide trailer was run a pvc pipe about 200' up the mountain until they found a small area where spring water came to the surface.
Ran the pipe to a holding tank about 20' higher than the trailer and had decent enough water pressure for showering, etc. They had that set up for 25 years and never had a problem. They did have a septic tank and electricity.

 

[JB]

Re: Buying hunting land.

The Hideout was 120 acres in 1989. $66,000. In 2009 115 acres sold for $460,000. I kept 1.5 acres and hunting/fishing rights to the rangeland. 'Nuff said?

 

[gm280]

Re: Buying hunting land.

agalant80, you touched on another point, that being breaking in to your house or cabin. I use to be a member of a large hunting club with about 60 members. Each year some members would drive their pull behind campers to the club and set them up for the hunting season before hand. It was simply amazing at how many of those campers were broken into and anything that was of any slight valve was stolen. Since this hunting club was 40 miles away, it wasn't easy to be there and keep watch and work during the day. So it was near useless to try and prevent such happenings. It is so sad that we live in a "I want it, I'll take it" society these days. I do remember when I was a little kid that something like that was almost unheard of. Now it is the norm or seems to be anyway. :cold:

 

[dingbat]

Re: Buying hunting land.

Most people I know that bought "hunting properties" use the heck out of it the first year or so then go progressively longer between visits. When they finally grow tired of it, it takes forever to sell and they end up happy to just break even.

The ones that made it work stayed within a 1 hour drive of their primary residence and bought property that that would provide a good return on the investment if and when the time came. They improved the property over time whether by building a new home or improving the existing one.

Then there are the ones that buy a piece of land in the middle of no-where with the intent of building and retiring there in 20-30 years. Priorities change. Kids, grand kids, life style changes. Living in the middle of no-where was no longer desirable. To much work to take care of two properties, etc. If the property has increased significantly in value, the taxes start to eat you alive. If not, your just happy to get the monthly payments off your ledger.

I worked from home for 14 years and played around with moving Sound / Beach front once the kids where out of K-12 next year. The only criteria was decent sized airport within commuting distance because of my profession. We ended up selling our primary home and used the money we had for a second home and "upgraded" our primary residence which worked out well considering I was laid off from a 30+ year job (talking about life style change) not 6 months after moving into the house. I consulted for almost a year before taking a position that requires me going to the office once or twice a week for meetings, customer visits, etc. I can't imagine supporting two kids in college renting beach chairs.:lol:

 

[superbenk]

Re: Buying hunting land.

... which worked out well considering I was laid off from a 30+ year job (talking about life style change) not 6 months after moving into the house. I consulted for almost a year before taking a position that requires me going to the office once or twice a week for meetings, customer visits, etc. I can't imagine supporting two kids in college renting beach chairs.:lol:

Ouch! I feel for you for sure. While it's not 30 yrs, I'm in the process of looking for a new job after being laid off from a place I was at for 8 yrs. So much for employee loyalty.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Buying hunting land.

Ouch! I feel for you for sure. While it's not 30 yrs, I'm in the process of looking for a new job after being laid off from a place I was at for 8 yrs. So much for employee loyalty.

It worked out well for me. I'm now working for my previous employers main competitor making more than ever. I'm making my ex-colleagues life quite miserable at the moment.

 

[superbenk]

Re: Buying hunting land.

It worked out well for me. I'm now working for my previous employers main competitor making more than ever. I'm making my ex-colleagues life quite miserable at the moment.

Well played!