Purchasing Land

[Harvey]

IMO making money off a large timber harvest isn’t realistic.

I had the cell phone company offer some pretty big money (honestly I forget how much) to take 5 acres to make a road and put a tower in.

NFW man. That's not part of the dream.

 

[Low Angle Life]

IMO making money off a large timber harvest isn’t realistic. If you plan on clearing it anyway it will help offset some costs but there is also plenty of land available that’s already cleared with stumps and all. The original price a logger gives you for standing timber always mysteriously decreases when they get to the mill and the lumber is graded. Get a portable bandsaw mill and saw what you need and sell it when you’re done. If you plan on sugaring you definitely won’t be snowboarding as much. You can splitboard around the sugarbush but real sugarers never leave the fire.

Any significant timber harvest would have to be considered based on the age and composition of the stand and my intention would be sustainable small scale harvest, not clear cutting for profit. Getting competent with a chainsaw and a small mill would have to be in the cards, that stuff really interests me as a trail builder. Figuring out different ways to pull income of the property is part of the fun in my mind, whether that be Airbnb rentals, sugaring, growing mushrooms and perennials whatever it may be.

 

[Harvey]

If you don't mind me asking, what is your total acreage?

Your process seems similar to what interests me. Start slow, don't build right away (or until I can afford to) and with the intention that it might be a retirement property in the future. I would be curious to know what were the factors that lead to to finally pulling the trigger and making the purchase?

A ski friend told me (after I asked him how much land he had) that is was not polite to ask or tell. I never knew that. I'll say it is bigger than Camp's "small lot" size.

I bought the smaller lot to impress a girl. Not sure if she was impressed but she did marry me.

I made the purchase on the bigger piece primarily because it came up for sale.

We put our cabin on the most "fun" spot on the smaller lot, which was pretty close to the property line, barely within the rules 30 ft from the edge. With the land coming on the market bordering me on two sides, I imagined someone buying it, sub dividing it into four lots, and running two driveways right past my cabin to get to "flag lots."

That idea really bummed me out, this land is almost my religion now. Anyway I KNEW I couldn't afford it, but I also knew I'd always regret it if I never tried to get it. I borrow every cent I could, somewhat responsibly. My new loan was big and long (22 years), but at a lower rate than my old loan. I worked it out so my mortgage payment from the old load to the new loan was the same, I knew I could afford it.

So I borrowed the money, made my offer, and included a heartfelt plea, about how I loved that land.

He agreed to sell it to me for $5k less than my offer, because he "knew I'd have closing costs."

The guy who sold me the land is in his eighties. He bought the land originally, well he had done pretty well in life, and just didn't want to see another driveway on our road. Seriously he could have given me the land for free and still had far more than he needed. He was known to be extremely generous.

The whole thing seems like destiny to me.

 

[Ripitz]

I had the cell phone company offer some pretty big money (honestly I forget how much) to take 5 acres to make a road and put a tower in.

NFW man. That's not part of the dream.

They want the land. The timber is waste to them. My family has property with a cell phone tower on it and it’s practically useless. It has one of the best views around but I would never build a house there. I took a job once painting the cell tower on Mt. Beacon. We had these Geiger counter thingies with us and the alarms were just wailing away. The boss guy said it’s not bad until you get a tinfoil taste in your mouth. I took the money and ran.

 

[tirolski]

I took a job once painting the cell tower on Mt. Beacon. We had these Geiger counter thingies with us and the alarms were just wailing away. The boss guy said it’s not bad until you get a tinfoil taste in your mouth. I took the money and ran.

Ripitz, that’s what them there tinfoil hats are for, PPE allegedly.

 

[Scrundy]

Any significant timber harvest would have to be considered based on the age and composition of the stand and my intention would be sustainable small scale harvest, not clear cutting for profit. Getting competent with a chainsaw and a small mill would have to be in the cards, that stuff really interests me as a trail builder. Figuring out different ways to pull income of the property is part of the fun in my mind, whether that be Airbnb rentals, sugaring, growing mushrooms and perennials whatever it may be.

Well if you’re young and willing I say go for it. Keep a few thing’s in mind.

1) you’ll never get rich trying to live off the land.
2) Logging can only be done every 10 years or so if you have someone come in.
3) milling is hard work for little pay, not to mention the equipment needed and a extra set of hands is almost a must.
4) doing syrup is also hard work and takes a fair amount of investment.
5) shrooms? Well can’t say much about that as I know nothing about it, but don’t believe there’s a lot of cash to be had.

But I can say this, wish I lived off the land and could make it in the environment we live in.... But I’m into the man for to much and have a job. Start young and take care of your back.

 

[Ripitz]

stream frontage and is surrounded by Forever Wild .

Good clean water is a must. Be careful about who’s upstream.

sugaring, growing mushrooms and perennials whatever it may be.

Making a living and pro-hobby are very different. You only need to make $10,000 a year to get the Ag. exemption but that will only help with your property taxes not school taxes. You could easily meet that threshold with sugar and shrooms but you won’t be profitable unless it’s on a massive scale. Especially if you count your time. Raw food products are a good way to keep the man away, but value added products are where it’s at. Sugar houses don’t have to be inspected. Shrooms too, but they spoil quick. If you dry them they are considered a processed food and you need a certified kitchen, which is a whole different beast. In my experience it’s better to stay part time and small. Being close to a large population is clutch for selling your goods. Let them come to you. As soon as you start driving around trying to sell stuff you’re losing. You can also make more from workshops than the products themselves.

 

[Campgottagopee]

I bought the smaller lot to impress a girl. Not sure if she was impressed but she did marry me.

FTW!

 

[Campgottagopee]

Well if you’re young and willing I say go for it. Keep a few thing’s in mind.

1) you’ll never get rich trying to live off the land.
2) Logging can only be done every 10 years or so if you have someone come in.
3) milling is hard work for little pay, not to mention the equipment needed and a extra set of hands is almost a must.
4) doing syrup is also hard work and takes a fair amount of investment.
5) shrooms? Well can’t say much about that as I know nothing about it, but don’t believe there’s a lot of cash to be had.

But I can say this, wish I lived off the land and could make it in the environment we live in.... But I’m into the man for to much and have a job. Start young and take care of your back.

Scrundy is a wise man

 

[Harvey]

IMO making money off a large timber harvest isn’t realistic.

There are some trees on our land that are really big and old, but most of the old ones are only ~40 years old(?).

My dream is that our land would never be developed and that long after I am gone there will be some 200 year old trees on that land. I hope my daughter holds on to the property, and passes it down, but if not, somehow I'd like those trees and owls to live on.

My personal religion is non-traditional. God is in the big old trees.