Deciding to become a homesteader is a life-changing decision that will affect your entire family. If you can homestead in your present location, the disruption to your lifestyle can be kept to a minimum by gradually making changes. If you are planning to purchase a new property in a different part of your current state or looking to move to another state or region, the changes to your family life may be immense, complex and highly disruptive.
When my family and I moved to Blackberry Run in 1991 our children were very young and hadn't started school. My wife and I both had jobs close to our former neighborhood. Moving out to the country 50+ miles farther north was a bold move and required a completely new dynamic to organize and run the household. However, the changes to our lifestyle were fairly minimal at first. We gradually expanded the homesteading aspects of our lives as our children grew. The most significant change was the new drive to work.
My wife and I now had 90 minute commutes, increased from less than 30 minutes. 50 miles may not sound like a long distance to move, but the traffic in this part of the country is oppressive and nonstop; virtually 24 hours daily. Both of us have driven nearly one million miles each just commuting to/from work over the last 27 years. Ours commutes eventually became two to three hours each way because of traffic and other issues. I don't have the heart to count how much of our lives has been wasted commuting. Between the two of us it must be close to half of a lifetime.
So before you venture out to find your new patch of Nirvana, some things to consider prior to making the move:
Be aware of the distance to work, stores, repair places, relatives' homes, schools, hospitals, doctors' offices, your children's new friends' homes etc. from your new potential property.
Part of your homework for finding a new place should be to identify and visit each of the places in the list above and other important entities you or your family members may require. For instance, the location of community ball fields, music teachers, etc. Do these places meet with your quality standards and budget or will you have to venture farther from home to find others more suitable. Learn the location of hospitals or emergency care facilities. An important consideration for insurance purposes is the distance from the local fire and police departments to your property. We saved money on our home owners insurance by learning the closest fire department within the company's three mile limit was not in our state, rather in a town in the neighboring state.
Never assume your real estate agent knows or understands everything you need to know for successfully relocating your family. It is your responsibility to do the hard work up front.
Determine any potential changes in traffic patterns, road changes, construction projects, etc. that may increase your commute time.
The main road to our community did not have any stop lights or very many intersections. But I could see where they would go in the future and they did. There are now three stop lights along our route before we get to the closest small city. What used to be a 10 minute drive can now take 45 minutes during rush hour, which is also something we didn't have here back then.
Whether your new place is located far out in the country or closer to a suburban or city area, you must try to anticipate changes that may occur along your most frequently traveled routes. From county procedures or ability to clear the roads during winter or summer storms to new traffic lights or planned new roads and intersections, you need to try to plan for anything that might interfere with your ability to get where you need to go in a timely manner. Identify alternative routes, back roads (which might be dirt roads) or other facilities you may need that are in an opposite direction from your normal travels. Also, will you have to purchase a 4-wheel drive vehicle to navigate the roads in bad weather? A new vehicle is a large expenditure that may not be in your budget any time in the near future.
Try to assess changes in the neighboring parcels of land, i.e. new building developments, changes in use, etc.
The very last thing any new homesteader or farmer wants after buying their new property is a brand new housing development or strip mall going up next to or across the road from them. Yet this situation happens all of the time. Drive around your new area, ask the locals, visit your county offices and ask if there are any development plans in the offing near your new place. Many times these projects take years to get started, but the county will know about them because they have approval authority over all construction.
Another issue are changes to the way your neighbors are currently using their properties. You can't control what happens to a place after the owners have passed on, but if a current owner is planning an endeavor that may bring more traffic or people to the area, you need to understand how it might affect your place. Again, the county may know of any plans and you can certainly ask around the neighborhood about such activities.
Research any construction plans or changes in zoning, codes or regulations that your new county may be implementing in the near or distant future.
The county recently closed our local elementary school forcing children to commute an hour or more to opposite ends of the county to go to school. This closing has devastated our community. The plans to close the school were on the books for 30 years. The community successfully fought, during that time, to prevent the school's closing. As always, local government finally got its way. If you were planning to move to my community with school age children five years ago, you would now be dealing with this terrible situation.
Counties change rules, regulations, building codes and zoning laws on a regular basis. Be sure to visit the local government offices to ask what pending changes may affect what you propose to do at your new homestead. Zoning is a big issue. In my county, you must have at least five acres in order to legally have livestock bigger than poultry. You are also limited as to the number you are allowed to keep on the property.
When I built my pole barn 20 years ago I did not need a building permit. Now to build anything bigger than 150 square feet, on skids, requires one. Those smaller buildings also require approval from the Health Department before placement. Changes in any of those rules can put any operation or activity you may be planning out of business. Considering you may incur fines, other penalties or even arrest for violation, you need to ensure you spend the time required to read the laws and regulations. All of which are online for most counties in the U.S.
Review the area surrounding your potential new place specifically looking for things like old landfills or waste dumps, abandoned factories, fuel storage facilities, current or old junk yards, etc.
Are you aware the East Coast of the United States is littered with abandoned Nike nuclear missile bases? I have seen several located in rural areas near my county. I have not found any in the county, but I'm sure there are some here. The country is where the cities used to dumb their garbage. There are so many no longer used and hidden landfills one would have trouble counting them. Years ago there was an old gasoline station located about two miles away. Unless you lived here back then, you would have no idea it was ever there. Venture into any forest close to a large population center and the chances of finding an old trash dumb or junkyard are almost 100%.
Again, the county government offices are the place to start looking for these things near your new location. Also, try to find people who lived in the area over many decades and get their insight. Another source of good info is a local newspaper or magazine. Ask to review their files or they may be online. Do your due diligence. Any of these complexes can destroy the local groundwater. If your place has a well you do not want to expose your family to toxic water. Just getting the required water test is not enough. Real Estate water tests do not check for toxins outside of bacteria, nitrates or a few other substances as directed by the local Health Department. Most tests do not check for the existence of heavy metals, a sure sign of serious contamination.
Assess the local economy to determine whether there may be job opportunities for you or your spouse, i.e. is the economy thriving or are your potential neighbors struggling or unemployed.
In every area there are going to be people who are financially sound and some that are not. This might be a good place to recommend a trip to the local police office to ask about crime statistics in your area. Better to know whether your new neighborhood has crime problems before you move in. And don't think you will be able to notice such an issue by driving around the neighborhood. Break-ins and theft happen everywhere today. Livestock rustling is also on the rise.
We learned the hard way not to leave our vehicles unlocked. It only happened once, but our vehicles were burglarized, on our drive, several years ago. We don't keep much of value in the vehicles, but still my stuff is mine. The thieves hit the entire neighborhood in one night. No arrests were made and I later found out a neighbor's teenager was suspected, but no definitive evidence could be found; who knows.
Are there any local businesses which help to support the area? If so, by supporting them you will also support the community. Remember as well, if you are planning on producing anything for sale, your community is likely to be the source for your customers. A thriving area tends to increase property values with the opposite having a detrimental effect on them. You or your children may want to sell the property some day, hopefully for more than it was purchased.
Find any local markets for the things you plan to grow or produce on your homestead.
Farmer's markets, custom butcher shops, mom and pop stores, nurseries, livestock auctions all may be potential outlets for your produce. Do they exist near your new place or are they in the next county or state over? Also, each of these outlets has rules of their own and government laws to adhere to when doing business with vendors. Before you begin producing enough for sale, find out how to or whether you can do business with any of these entities. Are there other farms or homesteads that would be competition to you? Can you produce a product that satisfies a different customer demand or identify a market nobody is currently serving?
Identify others in the new area that are also homesteading or farming and who may have livestock or other products available to purchase.
Do you want livestock on your new homestead? Perhaps you would like to find a source for organically grown produce before you can get your own garden into production or to supplement what you can grow. Where are the lumber mills located? Home Depot and Lowes are great, but they don't sell oak 1x6s or 2x6s for fence boards for your new corral. Where can you buy locally grown and mixed feed for your livestock? Is there a local source for high quality manure for your gardens?
These are just a few of the questions you should be able to answer before you start homesteading. Once you get established, with a few years experience under your belt, you may want to take a five hour road trip to get that special goat or pig for breeding stock. Starting out though, it would be great to have a neighbor who can help get your chicken flock started or even lend a few goats to clear out a patch of nasty briars and weeds.
Perform a thorough review of the property considered with respect to how your are planning to use it. Consult and/or hire professional help as needed.
Many people buy property with the plan to farm or raise livestock only to find the soil will not support those activities or there is not enough water available. You really need to give this aspect some serious thought. How will you use your land? There are many books on this subject and the local land grant university agricultural extension office may be able to provide information on the local soils and water table. At this point you need to walk the property, become familiar with the peaks and valleys, where the sun rises and sets with respect to the land and any obstacles, such as trees, hills or buildings. Try to figure out what happens when it rains or snows. and what might happen in a blizzard or deluge. Is the area in danger of flood waters or wildfires or shifts in the terrain caused by wind or earthquakes?
Look around at your neighbors' property. If they have similar terrain, what are they doing at their places? Your neighbors should be able to give you a fair amount of insight into what is possible in the area. But don't limit yourself to that; use it as a guide. Just because nobody grows zucchini in your area doesn't mean you won't be able to.
Lastly, perhaps most importantly, before formally committing to purchase any property, meet and speak with all of your potential neighbors, both contiguous to your potential place and in close proximity to the parcel.
This should be a no-brainer for everybody buying property whether a farm or a condominium. If you don't speak with, at least, the adjoining neighbors before spending hundreds of thousands of your hard earned dollars you deserve the potential nightmare you may get. Few people do this relatively simple thing. Also, few people meet their neighbors even after they move in. People today seem to be afraid of speaking to strangers. Strangers, I might add, that can ruin your homesteading dream. Of course, the new neighbors may be fine people and you may become the best of friends. From my experience the odds are not in your favor.
So buck up, swallow your pride or ego or whatever and venture next door or down the way, across the road or up the drive. Introduce yourself and family, ask about the area. This is the best way to find out about any lurking issues or potential problems. Tell them your plans, see what they think. Don't let anybody discourage you, but do take in as much information as you can to help make sound decisions. Also, be sure to discuss all of your questions and concerns with the property's current owner. If they have lived in the area for a long time, they will be an invaluable source of information.
This is an incomplete list of things you really need to do before you buy any property, but especially a homestead. Did we do any of them? Nope, we were not smart enough back then. With age comes experience, wisdom and vast amounts of knowledge. Were I to buy a place today, you bet I would do everything on this list and then some. The purpose of these tasks is not to discourage; rather to guide, help make informed decisions and eliminate unpleasant surprises. Beginning a homestead is the start of an exciting, lifetime adventure. Give yourself a sound foundation at the beginning and you will be able to fulfill your dreams to the best of your ability. Good luck.