Buying and using land without attracting attention

[bebewanna]

I thought so. I camped several days on a bit of Forest Service land in between the Tres Piedras rock formations, and another night just off the road that goes across the plateau. Woke up to see Llamas grazing nearby. I'm working another school year, until May 2023. I'm of the opinion that prices are still a bit inflated when it comes to land and especially developed land, and am hoping things will subside a bit over the next year or so. So I'm not in a hurry to purchase anything. Mostly a reconnaissance mission this summer. I did like that area, like Taos, its not terribly far from Santa Fe, the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, and seems I could do a DIY type of thing there that might be fun.

The sidewalls are disintegrating on the tires that came on my van, so I'm looking for some all-terrain ones this week. The Forest Service guy I spoke with about camping cautioned me about going too far into certain areas during monsoon season. I guess all the clay in the soil makes it very slippery when wet. Is road maintenance more of a DIY thing out there?

As far as violence, crime etc. It seems pretty much everyone doing their own thing without supervision or enforcement of any kind. Humans being as they are I imagine things could go off the rails for some in dangerous ways. But I see a lot of good potential being possible too. I want a relatively simple life where I can live comfortably on a limited income and be left to my own whims and devices without a constant need to earn more, to buy more, to compete with those damn Jonses. Maybe I'll build some folk art structure like the Watts Towers or Salvation Mountain. I enjoy the nearby Earthships.

Are you there year round?

As for year round.... We will see how it goes. 5F nights are pretty chilly and I have been in Taos in January and I remember freezing just getting into the car...I have pretty bad Asthma and it's been a long time since I did Rocky Mountain winters. Went to school in Boulder.
The wind which is pleasant now, may be a big problem in January.
I am good that I know of in van down to 20f without a problem and no special effort, just Mr Big Buddy. I am really enjoying not worrying about where we sleep.... So unless I am freezing to death... We are staying. I am 30+ years in the mountains..

The road situation all around here is every man for himself lol...seems people wait for mud to enjoy their lifted vehicles add to that .... 50 years of a poor road build, people plowing through in 6" of mud and a road that now sits lower than the surrounding land... It's a water wash on every road up here.
Yes slippery Adobe will take you into a ditch.. . Funny thing is it's the big 4x4 that hit the ditch. County is zero maintenance and it's passable when it's dry, wet is good luck, that's about all you can say... But a crap road keeps people out. The road is drying out after half day of sun except in few bad spots. If I was still in Seattle area with this road I would be scared... But the main ingredient here is Sun

But I am here 3.5 months and not 1 Govt vehicle up here. I was told cops were up here but I did not see them.

Yes I see the Earthship homes... It's pretty cool.

Most people seem to be keeping to themselves.
The prices of these properties has steadily gone up and doubled over the past few years... They sell fast when they have trees. I doubt they will get cheaper. Maybe the 40 acre parcels around will normalize but the most expensive property I have seen here for sale was like 4k for 1/2 acre and had no trees... The prices seem to have leveled at like 2900-3300. It does not get much cheaper than that.

There is nothing easy about this place with the water and road situation but it's really not that bad. Very few bugs, few mosquitoes, no snakes so far...

 

[BelgianPup]

Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) might be everywhere. Including rainwater:

Try to get past the headlines.

If these contaminants fall out of the sky and onto the ground, do you think they're in the groundwater? (Yes, they are.) Do you think they're contaminating wells and public water sources? (Yes, they are.)

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has found PFAS in 16 states: AL, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, ME, MS, NH, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN & WV. 16 states, not 50 states. I'm sure you've noticed that all of these states are EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

For more info on rainwater collection, you might want to check out the 88-page Texas Manual on Rainwater Harvesting at https://rainwaterharvesting.tamu.edu

 

[user 22017]

Try to get past the headlines.

What did you mean?

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Might find this helpful:
https://www.energy.gov/eere/femp/rainwater-harvesting-regulations-map

 

[user 22017]

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has found PFAS in 16 states: AL, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MA, ME, MS, NH, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN & WV. 16 states, not 50 states. I'm sure you've noticed that all of these states are EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER.

They tested the east coast (and the Canadian border) in that study. Only five aquifiers were tested: Glacial aquifer, Mississippi Embayment aquifer, Southeastern Coastal Plain aquifer, Stream Valley aquifer, Surfical aquifer. None west of the Mississippi were tested.

But they have been in other studies:

"As of June 2022, 2,858 locations in 50 states and two territories are known to be contaminated. The latest update of this interactive map documents PFAS pollution in public and private water systems." From the Environmental Working Group:

https://www.ewg.org/interactive-maps/pfas_contamination/

 

[Debrajoy54]

Unless I misunderstood what I read about it, the problem is that when they divided it up the pie had extra whip cream on it that they thought was standard... so between going back to normal, and then the reduced size of the pie, it's exacerbating the issue even more...



I try to use math when making major decisions too. If you calculate correctly the numbers definitely won't let you down or lead you wrong. Learned long ago that using my gut or going by my feelings is a sure path to failure.

I'm so terrified of math! If it weren't for my sweet high school teacher Mr Daniels I would have flunked it! I get someone else to do it for me

 

[wayne49]

PFAS sites in Nevada are all military facilities, the lone exception is the Reno International Airport.

 

[Frood]

I'm so terrified of math! If it weren't for my sweet high school teacher Mr Daniels I would have flunked it! I get someone else to do it for me

LOL. When I use my gut to make decisions I usually just end up with indigestion.

 

[Morgana]

My gut works best if I feed it lots of data, then let it take a nap while I do lots of math. In the end there's usually some kind of leap of faith involved. But you gotta eat first.

 

[dreamrunnerjt]

I have lived in SE Arizona for about 40 yrs. Last year I bought land in MO because I have seen the heat increase and the water decrease over the time I have lived here. I bought land in an area where I can depend on rainfall to provide enough water for gardening (food) and home use. Once I move there I intend to collect rainwater in storage tanks. I also plan on drilling a well.
Moving from a location that gets 6-10" of rain a year to a location that gets 36-45" of rain a year will be a big change for me. Especially the humidity. But living in a humid area provides other opportunities for water collection.
At 60+ I may be living in a fantasy about spending a few years on the road while I spend summers setting up my living arrangements in the SE but if all else fails it will be there for my children and grandchildren.
Also having the land in MO will cover the need for a permanent address. Or I will use one of my children's addresses in AZ.
I have heard that land in the Yuma, AZ area is fairly inexpensive if you are just looking for something to use as an address. Don't go there in the summer unless you want to be dry roasted like a peanut.