# how big is too big?



## CH0PSV1LLE (Mar 22, 2011)

Twice a week my wife and play the lotto and a week or so ago the mega millions jack pot paid out almost two hundred thousand in a lump sum. I just finished up reading "Patriots" and it got me thinking a lot. The night some @sshole won the jack pot we couldn't help but talk about what we use the money on and at the top of my list was a big patch of land far up in nor cal. Out of curiosity I started looking for acres that would fit my (hunting, fishing and off road) needs. My wife agrees that something on mixed terrain would be good but what we're. Seeing eye to eye on is the size. I'm thinking that something between 30-200 acres but my wife wants something smaller, around 5-6 acres. So I'm wondering just how big is too big?


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

To answer that question, what are your goals and needs?

Please be very specific - what are you wanting? Just a hide-a-way? Or do you want a 100% off-grid, self-sufficent place?


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## lotsoflead (Jul 25, 2010)

CH0PSV1LLE said:


> Twice a week my wife and play the lotto and a week or so ago the mega millions jack pot paid out almost two hundred thousand in a lump sum. I just finished up reading "Patriots" and it got me thinking a lot. The night some @sshole won the jack pot we couldn't help but talk about what we use the money on and at the top of my list was a big patch of land far up in nor cal. Out of curiosity I started looking for acres that would fit my (hunting, fishing and off road) needs. My wife agrees that something on mixed terrain would be good but what we're. Seeing eye to eye on is the size. I'm thinking that something between 30-200 acres but my wife wants something smaller, around 5-6 acres. So I'm wondering just how big is too big?


 depends on where you live and how the property is zoned(if you have zoning)how much debt you have, how much income you have.
where I live,the perfect piece of land(debt free) would be a couple hundred acreas zoned for agriculture with a creek running thru it that don't dry up in the summer,a hundred acreas of the land tillable,a 30-40 acrea stand of hardwood, a small gravel bank,the rest in pasture.


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## ZoomZoom (Dec 18, 2009)

Something to consider when buying lots of land isn't the price of the initial purchase, it's the property taxes you pay on it each year.

Let's say agricultural land is taxed at $20 per acre. 200 acres is $4,000, 10 acres is $200. Toss a house and some out-buildings on 200 acres, you could easily get up over $10,000 per year in taxes.


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## CulexPipiens (Nov 17, 2010)

Just because you have/get 100 acres doesn't mean you need to use all, just use the 5-6 and leave the rest alone. This way both of you are happy. You have the small homestead but room to expand a lot if it becomes a necessity for you.

On rare occasion I'll pickup a ticket although anything beyond 20 million (net to me) is pretty much going to get given away. I figure go crazy and buy whatever you want would chew up maybe a million, pay off debt for relatives, maybe another million. Maybe another 1-2 for a serious prep setup (house, bunker, BOV, lots of LTS, ammo, solar, generator, etc.) After that, put enough in some diversified accounts (banks, investments, metals, etc)somewhere to live off the interest . 15 million even at 1% would still be 150K per year. That would nicely pay property taxes and living expenses for the forseeable future... at least as long as dollar still holds perceived value and you should be able to do better than 1%.

But since this is the real world... if you want to get land look at upkeep along with upfront costs and determine what you can afford and where. Go far enough out and you can get a lot of land really cheap... then again it's 2 hours to anywhere and you had better be self sufficient through all seasons. Live closer in and you pay more but get some services.


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## tikiman (Mar 1, 2011)

I agree with the others. It depends on how you want to live on the land. Also depends on Where you are looking in nor-cal. Living here i can tell you we have everything from flat with nothing on it to hills with lots of trees. Forested areas sometimes will add to your property taxs due to being " a luxury area " ie; you can aford a cabin in the woods  Some of the areas up here are big, but the hills are steap and rocky. 
All can be worked with but some will need lots of work. This also means some up keep to the area. If you live in-town and big property is new to you, 200 acres is alot of brush to keep down. ( did I mention the woodland fire zoning?? )


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## sailaway (Mar 12, 2009)

I would go small acres near public land, less taxes. Spend your money on other preps.


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## PamsPride (Dec 21, 2010)

Is there such a thing as too much land?? I guess as much as I could afford to pay taxes on! I would love to have 200 acres!


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## Jerry D Young (Jan 28, 2009)

I'd keep it at or below 25 sections (16,000 acres) if you get the big money.


For small money, 160 acres up to 640 acres depending on quality of the land and just how much money it is.

Just my opinion.


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## Nadja (Jan 12, 2011)

My wife and I are pretty happy with our little 8 acre place. By the time you get your house, solar build, storage building and whatever, it is great. Lots of spare room, no real neighbors anywhere around. The neatest thing is that we only pay about $90.00 a year in taxes total !


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## Frugal_Farmers (Dec 13, 2010)

Here is our take on this.

First, why limit yourself to just Nor Cal? There are plenty of options throughout the US as well as a few select foriegn countries.

Property taxes is certainly something to consider. Knowing and understanding zoning, restrictions and land rights is certainly another. Research water rights in Nor Cal.

Here are a few of our criteria for our idea place if we ever won the big one.

1. Safety is our first priority if TSHTF. Our plan would be to find a suitable tract of 200-300 acres located away from ANY population centers. This must include means of securing access point to the property.

2. Reliable water source. This must include not only deep water well, but also have a year-round spring readilly accessable. This also includes potential for ponds. A small year round stream would also be ideal.

3. Sustainment. Must have suitable soil to be able to grow a variety of crops for sustainment.

4. Suitability for livestock. Must have suitable pastureland or land that can be converted to pastureland.

5. Abundant wooded areas. This includes variety of hardwoods and softwods for lumber and heating sources. A portable lumber mill is in the plan.

6. Suitable Homestead area (5-10 Acres) This will be the primary hub of activity. Includes area for annual suplemntal crops.

7. Growing season. Must have adeqte growing season for a variety of crops and fruits. This also equate to honey production during extended nectar flows.

8. Energy production. This includes wind, solar and hydro generation.

In lieu of thinking soley about size of a property, our recommendation would be to look at overall functionality of the land.


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## TheAnt (Jun 7, 2011)

My motto is "you aint no kinda man if you aint got land" so it would follow that you are more of a man the more land you have? Well maybe not but I dont think there is such a thing as too much unless taxes become a problem. Realistically I would like 10+ acres bordered by BLM or other public lands. The only way I can get away with as little as 10 acres is that if its surrounded by public land it is less likely that the surrounding land would ever be built on which means its a good buffer zone. You can usually hunt on this public land and if TSHTF bad enough its as good as yours. Possession is 9/10ths the law. :2thumb:

Oh yeah, terrain makes a big difference... that 10 acres would have to be heavily wooded. If it were land in AZ I would need 100's of acres unless its in the mountains (which is EXPENSIVE!).


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## power (May 7, 2011)

Usually don't hear too many people complaining about having too much land. I do hear quite a few complain about not having enough.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

*what would it take*

:hmmm:maybe as a group we can figure what a family of, say, four would need to be reasonably self sufficient.:dunno: how many acres for vegetables? how many for small animals chickens, goats, pigs, ect..? How many to feed cattle, a cow for milk, a beef steer? how many for keeping and feeding a horse and or mule,donkey? I figure about one acre for the home itself, a well storage, safety bunker, barn, and other out buildings. what about hay for feed, wheat for bread, sugar cane, corn for feed? and then the govs get in it and want taxes. :gaah: what can you afford ten years from now if the shtf does not come. I really would like input on this.  it can be fun to dream and wish as these can lead to better prepping info. If some one wants to make this a new thread or move it, be my guest.


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## stayingthegame (Mar 22, 2011)

forgot to add trees for fire wood for heating and cooking.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

Chopsv1lle (the original poster) hasn't been back to comment... :dunno:


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## TheAnt (Jun 7, 2011)

LincTex said:


> Chopsv1lle (the original poster) hasn't been back to comment... :dunno:


Perhaps he is lost scouting out some land he is looking at? :dunno:


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## NaeKid (Oct 17, 2008)

Chops is still posting in the VehicleDiscussion thread about his latest Suburban-based BOV ...


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## Binary Encryption (Oct 10, 2008)

So true about the tax thing, I bought a house for $230K, not to bad but the yearly tax is $8500


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## lickit (Oct 6, 2011)

*man, don't waste the money on LAND, ferchrissakes!*

u'll just have to pay taxes on it, be on record with Big Bro where to FIND you. Don't forget that Waco and Ruby Ridge DID happen, ww3 is not yet, you know? Put some of the money into income producing property, some into 1/10th oz gold coins (no premiums at The Coin Shop, Farmersville, NM) and the rest into preps, like in TRAIINING for survival, shooting, etc. land is FREE, really, or at most, $100 for 20 acres per year, on BLM property. $15 for a year's camping permit on Federal Parks, etc. Plenty of land is corporate owned, nobody there, your dugout or your camo-net covered tow trailer, backed into a trench cut into a hillsside, will almost certainly never be found, especially if you get rid of the tracks, and park it a few miles off the roads/trails. Ride a motorcycle to a nearby location, hide it in a similar underground/camonetted spot. Leave no tracks leading to your "stash".


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## stand (Nov 15, 2011)

*You'll need at least 50k for shtf training and gear.*

Unless you want to spend a year or more and 50k in the learning of investing, the remaining 150 k is best put into gold. The (US $) price of gold is nearly 4x as high as it was 7 years ago,and recently, it was nearly 5x as high. Very, very few investments keep up with the actual rate of inflation. Gold doesn't either, sometimes, but it eventually does "catch up". gold coins are very portable, concealable, anonymous, easily sold, but you have to beware of the ripoff artists. Get on the Net and find the best prices for both selling and buying, now, while you still can.

You can use public land for free, you know. Why pay taxes on land, when you can have the use of it for free? Put your money into things that make much more sense.


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