Re: Finding county land auction & undeveloped land

[Anonymous]

Yes sir! I’ve been adamant about recommending people getting out in their desired area and getting to know the locals, looking at plots you are interested in, and getting to know the neighbors, interacting with them, helping them with some chores. Be genuinely interested in the lifestyle out there. Let them know your plans in life, and offer to get your feet wet for free labor and help for them in exchange for nothing more than an idea of whether you are cut out for it or not before you buy. They can usually tell you all the good and bad about the property you are considering, can tell you the good and bad about the lifestyle, etc. Their advice and assistance from time to time will be invaluable.

Get out there and meet them. It’s the best way to go about things. If you can build a good reputation and prove to be a good fit for the community, you might be surprised at what happens. Not only can you build great friendships, but those farmers in the area can hold great sway over who gets the property and for what price. Some older farmer selling off half his land because he can no longer care for it would rather take a $10k hit to get someone he can trust to do right and keep it farmable and productive rather than take a $20k profit and risk development. Trust me, I was raised as one of those.

Maybe find a place to rent near the farm land, sometimes farmers have mother in law houses, etc that can be remodeled or something that you can stay in for the weekend in offer for free labor and experience. You get in there, earn their trust, and prove your mettle and determination to become one of them, and you’ll earn their respect. Once you earn their respect, once you dive into the deep end, they aren’t going to let you fail.

The people that fail the most are the ones that don’t try to be involved in the farming community in any way. They just move out there with the big city attitude and mindset, and well, if you aren’t friendly to them, they aren’t going to be friendly with you. They’ll watch you fail and hope the next neighbors are better. But scratch their backs a few times, and be very friendly, and when you need it most, farmer Hank will be there with his tractor and chainsaw when you need it most.