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Honestly, if you're going to farm for yourself, and raise animals and crops, five acres is preferable and possible even more. At some point you're going to have to trade for the things you need to buy that you don't have and that means you need to have some extra.
Plus, it's very difficult to have a homestead by yourself, if that's your plan. But every person you add is going to need additional acreage in order to eat. And some animals require lots of space. A horse can eat a full pasture of grass in one summer, so you will need to have another pasture to put them in while the first grows out again or you will have to have additional acreage to raise hay to feed them. That goes for all your animals. You'll need horses or oxen or both for transit and work, and they both eat a lot.
And you'll definitely want to be near water, at least to the point where you can pipe it into your residence. That saves you a lot of labor.
You are in Phoenix. Are there cheap lots that you could get to for a weekend trip? Do you enjoy the desert? Perhaps go and stay the weekend and go out rockhounding or prospecting?
$5,000 isn't a lot of money to be used as a hobby expense and to be able to say that you own land, or that you own your own vacation get-away spot.
I don't know what recreation lots cost in your area. I took a quick peek at Christmas Valley Oregon and for $10,000 you can get 5 acres. It's desert and not much out there, but there is water if you put in a well and there is a lot of recreation if you like ATV or dune buggy because the Oregon Dunes are right here, and lots of nice scenery so it is a decent camping spot. Not accessible for weekend use from Phoenix, but there must be something in your area where it would make a nice weekend camping spot.
My son wanted to buy himself land in New Mexico. My concern was if there were any guarantees that the land had water under it. And if so, how deep is it?
If you want to drink a glass of water, how much infrastructure will you need? and then how much energy do you need to expend to haul one glass of water up to the surface?
Once you know the answers to that equation, then you can begin to estimate the cost of watering crops or livestock.
I think you would do much better to look at forest land somewhere that has NEVER seen a drought.
Farm land has already been picked over, and any farm land that comes up on the market is expensive.
In 2005, I was able to find forest land asking $350 an acre.
Mind you when I found that land, I had already spoken with dozens of realtors, and every realtor I spoke with insisted that there is no land on the market asking for less than $1,000 an acre.
Gotta avoid realtors, they will run the price up every time.
And they will lie to your face, telling you that their deal is the best deal you can find. I have seen this happen over and over.
Thanks for all the information and suggestions. I mostly just want a spot I can goto anytime thats mine only for when I want to sleep/live for when things get tough or just to get away. I know there are plenty of BLM spots , but when you find a good spot it's not guaranteed you'll always have that same spot or area to go to as it could be taken by someone else.
I don't really plan to build a big off grid area with animals and a well etc. The areas I was initially looking at were in the high desert of AZ around Williams, Camp Verde, somewhere not too far from the highway (maybe 15 minutes or so) . I am open to other parts of the country . Southern Oregon , Northern CA , Northwest NV , but nowhere east of AZ/ (draw a line at the east AZ border up and down the country).
I might have better luck buying from someone else privately.
My father spent 30 years as a snowbird living in a fifth-wheel trailer, he spent many winters parked in the Sonora desert in California near the town of Niland. He told me that a big self-employed business in that area is people towing water buffalos [a twin-axle trailer with a potable water tank, you suck water from a river and then sell water by the gallon].
Thanks for all the information and suggestions. I mostly just want a spot I can goto anytime thats mine only for when I want to sleep/live for when things get tough or just to get away. I know there are plenty of BLM spots , but when you find a good spot it's not guaranteed you'll always have that same spot or area to go to as it could be taken by someone else.
I don't really plan to build a big off grid area with animals and a well etc. The areas I was initially looking at were in the high desert of AZ around Williams, Camp Verde, somewhere not too far from the highway (maybe 15 minutes or so) . I am open to other parts of the country . Southern Oregon , Northern CA , Northwest NV , but nowhere east of AZ/ (draw a line at the east AZ border up and down the country).
I might have better luck buying from someone else privately.
That is the worst place to go in the nation. Complete trash!
Many people love it.
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