Buying Land

[tx2sturgis]

This is the ad copy for that 20 acre property ($12,500) in case it's not accessible on tablets or phones:

"20 acres in Sunset Ranches near western border of Hudspeth County, ~16 miles northeast of Fabens, TX/I 10. Lot 13. One hour to El Paso, TX. NO HOA. No building restrictions. Build your dream home, cabin, tiny home, mobile home, RV, short-term camping, livestock/horses, ATV riding, & hunting. Peaceful living at its best in friendly West Texas where the sun & stars shine brightly. Invest in land while it's affordable! Most buyers in the area utilize hauled water, solar panels, propane, & state approved composting toilets. Buyer is encouraged to verify all information with the appropriate Hudspeth County office/s. Address is for listing purposes; it's not a searchable address. Serious inquiries only, please. All information regarding the parcel is in this listing description and the photos. Legal description: 76 TSP 4 SEC 21 T & P SUNSET RANCHES #20 LOT 13 (20.014 ACRES). Parcel ID 57089 for Hudspeth Appraisal District website. Approx coordinates of parcel: 31.6021685, -105.9519847."

 

[Gr8ful]

Land prices are extremely high worldwide now, no deals now.

I realize that but there's always deals to be found. Realtors rate just below used car salesmen
I'd find an old person that goes to deer camp a week a week a year & buy it but let him still use it a week a year like always. He gets the $$ now but still gets to use it like always but no more property taxes, insurance, maintenance or paying & dealing with a realtor. Win-Win for everyone & a 1/2 price camp for you.

 

[Gr8ful]

Looks like all the property tx2sturgis found in Sunset Ranches is sold but more going up for sale Jan 3rd. https://www.sunsetranches.com/land-for-sale/

SORRY WE ARE TEMPORARILY SOLD OUT! MORE LAND WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE FRIDAY JANUARY THE 3rd. BEAT PRICE INCREASE!! TO BE PLACED ON OUR WAITING LIST PLEASE CALL MATT at 800 939 2654​

 

[tx2sturgis]

Those companies have a huge amount of land, just takes time to survey each and every lot, take pics, and put them up for sale. This has been the case for decades. They have 'inventory' available all the time. I used to traverse that area and there are always 'Land (or Lots) for Sale' signs all along that corridor.

I'm not recommending any particular lot or seller, but earlier in this thread it seems there is the consensus that there is no more cheap land...so you just have to expand your search area.

Also, I believe that in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas areas you can still find some remote plots of wooded and overgrown land that sells pretty cheap, but clearing the land for use, and all-weather, usable roads leading in and out can be an issue in some locations.

 

[tx2sturgis]

More?

Sure...we got MORE cheap land and affordable houses and buildings out here in West Texas. Shhh....don't tell anyone...I may already be in trouble for telling 'outsiders'....


https://www.bhhs.com/premier-properties-and-pondera-properties-tx307/lubbock/amy-baugh/cid-1090094




Here's one:

https://www.bhhs.com/premier-proper...1090094/tx/30-mcadoo-road-79851/pid-362943621

 

[twomountainlions]

Got to have water to water the garden, trees, veggies, the birds, the goats, the pigs, all needs lots of water.

 

[twomountainlions]

Also, I believe that in Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas areas you can still find some remote plots of wooded and overgrown land that sells pretty cheap, but clearing the land for use, and all-weather, usable roads leading in and out can be an issue in some locations.

Lol no cheap land in AR, KY, but especially not in TN!
Even in the scary ghetto parts where I would not set my foot.
TN was hit by major run on land and homes starting 2020, its the one with some of the biggest value increases.
I was in rural TN when it all started and talked to locals who were desperately searching for land and were left holding the bag by the newcomers and inflation. They were really hopeful the prices come down but they didnt
Also I owned land in AR and know the market there.
I also searched for land in KY in person, from Jackson Purchase all the way to VA and WV borders, and know the entire state real well and what issues come up in some areas and types of parcels.
By the way if I wanted to get power they wanted 7 building inspections in remote rural KY.
But we might have different definitions of what "cheap" is.
AR is not the most expensive and definitely more affordable than TN, but no cheap places anymore.
If by cheap you mean "cheaper than in many other states" then yes, true. But I don't consider it cheap

 

[Gr8ful]

That's why Michigan is your best bet.

 

[twomountainlions]

Looks like all the property tx2sturgis found in Sunset Ranches is sold but more going up for sale Jan 3rd. https://www.sunsetranches.com/land-for-sale/

SORRY WE ARE TEMPORARILY SOLD OUT! MORE LAND WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR SALE FRIDAY JANUARY THE 3rd. BEAT PRICE INCREASE!! TO BE PLACED ON OUR WAITING LIST PLEASE CALL MATT at 800 939 2654​

53k for 38 acres of waterless, as I understand it, land and sold out. I guess the land run continues.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Yeah the desert is not for everyone but plenty of 'homesteaders' are out there.

For many decades I rolled into Cornudas Texas once or twice a month and had a nice meal. Cornudas is a microscopic blip on the map, about an hour east of El Paso on US-62/180. Population at the time was 7.

Mayor May, who owned the town, and everything in it, was also the chief cook at the little diner. Good food. The Cornudas Burger was famous for being the best burger you could eat between El Paso and Carlsbad NM. It was also the ONLY burger between El Paso and Carlsbad.

She had water delivered in bulk about once a week, and was always closed on Tuesdays. She would head into El Paso and buy fresh and frozen food and of course, supplies, for the restaurant. On other days, I would be in there enjoying a nice meal, and people would drop by who lived, 'in the area'. Out there in the desert, 'in the area' meant 75 miles or so. Her friends and neighbors 'in the area' all lived 20, 30, 50 miles away. She knew them all by name. There was about 6 tables so people just sat down and joined you for lunch. It was surprisingly 'homey' for being so spread out.

She knew most of us truck drivers by name, since we were in there often. If you stopped by the week before Christmas you got a goodie basket: Home made candies and cupcakes, trinkets, maybe a scented candle for the ladies or a baseball cap for us dudes.

May has passed along now. But she was like 'Momma' to all who knew her.

I knew one of the Marines who was killed on a V-22 Osprey back in the 90's, during the testing and development phases of that aircraft. He was the son of the owners of the Dell City Diner, which is no longer in operation, but was serving food back in the 90's along 62/180. When he was a teenager, he was working in the kitchen and serving up sandwiches for lunch and would come sit with you and visit about the 'big wide world' out there. He later joined the Marines and then gave his all as a crew member on the tiltrotor.

It might seem like you would be all alone out there, but really, people get to know their 'neighbors' in a way that city people rarely know about.

All in all, not a bad area to settle into.

http://www.texasescapes.com/WestTexasTowns/CornudasTexas/CornudasTexas.htm

 

[twomountainlions]

Yeah the desert is not for everyone but plenty of 'homesteaders' are out there.

Do they drill wells there and how deep they run?
Homesteading needs water source

 

[twomountainlions]

One thing you get in parts of the South (not in KY) is LOW property taxes.
Tax or mill rates and formulas are one thing, whether they actually reaccess upon sale or as market goes up is another thing.
In KY they reaccess all over and making farm exemption harder to get.
Taxes, crazy new insurance rates all adds up

 

[tx2sturgis]

Do they drill wells there and how deep they run?
Homesteading needs water source

Most of them are having bulk water deliveries made. Even the town of Cornudas I referred to earlier had bulk water delivered. There are some community water wells but I have no idea of the cost or complexity. I assume it's not a viable option for most of us for what amounts to a seasonal campsite.

For bulk water storage you need a large plastic water tank, concrete cistern, or similar, and the water tanker truck will deliver the water and pump it into your tank. Or you can buy large plastic water storage tanks or 55 gallon plastic drums and haul your own water, either in the back of a pickup or on a suitable trailer.

This is for showering, baths, toilets, dishwashing, etc. Most residents either filter this water or use bottled water for cooking and human consumption, due to water quality issues over the long term.

Of course if you are just 'camping' on your 10 acres for a month or two in the spring or fall in your RV then all you probably need is that fresh water supply in the RV, with an occasional trip to town to buy food, water, and other provisions.

 

[Gr8ful]

The lack of water amazes me. Here just poke a hole anywhere & get water. When I was a kid my Dad drove 1.25" wells as a sideline. He took a car wheel and welded a pipe & pulley across the wheel where the tire used to be & set up his tripod then soaped the screen. He always bought 5' pipe. He had a heavy driver with a solid rod that went inside the pipe. We'd put the screen on the first pipe, put the driver in the pipe, run the rope thru the tripod pulley, hold the screen straight, drive the screen with the rope by hand to insure it's straight. Then Jack up the truck, put on the wheel with the pulley. He would attach a pipe to the rear bumper, put the rope under the pulley, wrap it a couple turns around the pipe, start the truck, tighten the rope so the pulley lifted the driver & drop it with every turn of the wheel where, just feed the rope out as the pipe goes down. Add a section of pipe every 5'. It worked great & fast. Had a nut on a string to check the water depth. When deep enough pour hot water down the pipe to clean the soap off the screen then pump a couple hundred gallons out to form a clean pocket around the screen. Worked great & was simple and low cost.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Out here in the desert southwest, water can be in very short supply: above ground lakes are at record low levels due to recent droughts and underground water aquifers are being drawn down by all the wells used for homes, businesses, manufacturing, farming, ranching, and municipal wells.

I personally know people within 100 miles of me that have to conserve water because the well on their property that supplies the home has begun to suck air, rust, or mud. After a wash load of clothes or a bath, they cant flush toilets or take showers for a few days because the water table is very slow to fill up over the well pump, which might be 300 feet down, but the water table is maybe 2 feet above that.

As a side note, many underground water supplies, especially around industrial facilities and military bases, are tainted with 'forever chemicals'....PFAS and other things you dont want in your drinking water.

One friend of mine with water well problems, called the local well service companies and they are 6 months out for drilling you a new well, they are that far behind because of the demand. And it aint cheap.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I guess this all sounds a bit bleak, and yeah, it aint for everyone, but the land can be affordable if you are tough enough to overcome the challenges.

And out here, we ARE.

 

[rruff]

Do they drill wells there and how deep they run?
Homesteading needs water source

Not unless you have livestock and crops... in which case you'd be tied to the place year round. People fantasize about many things, but I don't think this would not be suitable for most vagabonds. If you are looking to set up something for the "zombie apocalypse", don't forget the high strength electric fence with razor wire, land mines, and lots of guns and ammo... and plenty of spares of all the gadgets you'll need to run, along with the know-how to repair them.

Smartest thing my Dad did when he took over the family farm was "no livestock". Gave him at least half the year off.

I know a cheap place with a great (by US standards) year round climate, good quality water 300 ft down, little/no codes, etc... less than 30 miles from a very popular growing town with all the "stuff". It's not hard if you look.

Out here in the desert southwest, water can be in very short supply: above ground lakes are at record low levels due to recent droughts and underground water aquifers are being drawn down by all the wells used for homes, businesses, manufacturing, farming, ranching, and municipal wells.

Just a note on water... it's the farming and ranching that is taking it... not the "drought". All of this was allotted during a relatively wet period, and the profitability of essentially "free" water for these activities keeps rising. They suck up all they can get, and in the SW it is not unlimited.

I personally know people within 100 miles of me that have to conserve water because the well on their property that supplies the home has begun to suck air, rust, or mud.

If I decide to homestead, I'll get by on what falls on the roof. It'll be a lot more water than I use while camping.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Because of the drought, the pressure on the underground sources of water is amplified, so yes, you can blame the ongoing drought (at some level) for water shortages out here.

Many communities that have traditionally sourced city water supplies from area reservoirs are now drilling wells to provide the water that the residents need. And it's all coming from the Ogillala Aquifer in this area.

There are many reasons the aquifer is being depleted, as I said, farming and ranching together is one reason, but municipal water, manufacturing, drinking water bottling plants, and food production are also other reasons.

And now, we have large international corporations buying huge swaths of land, so that they can drill deep water wells, and suck the aquifer dry while pumping or trucking water to their manufacturing plants in other states.

 

[rruff]

...so yes, you can blame the ongoing drought (at some level) for water shortages out here.

Can't really call it a drought IMO, if rainfall is within long term historic norms. It's an allocation issue.