We all have dreams of things we want to do, places we want to see. As the world changes it seems a more common dream is to have your own small farm and live the life of a homesteader. Pastoral bliss, birds singing, happy animals that never get sick or break out of their pens, pest free vegetable gardens, prolific orchards, machines that never break down and rain just when you need it!
[Image from Google]
Well Ralph and I have this dream too. I met him 10 years ago when I had never expected to meet anyone special...in fact I was quite happy, set in my ways and on my own. We became friends and then something more. Changes were in the air and decisions had to be made. I had small farm, Ralph had always wanted to farm but where my land is leaves much to be desired for actually living off of it. Short growing season [85 days]. Dry climate [Annual rainfall 12"]. It is an area with high unemployment.
We took a long hard look at all the factors and decided selling the land and finding smaller place with a better climate and tax situation for retirement would be a better plan.
We are still working on that plan. The crash in the world of real Estate occurred about 6 months after we listed the place for sale! Despite the media reporting that real Estate sales are doing well it is not the case at all.
We both admit it is quite frustrating but there are things that have been very good from the non sale and delay. We have learned so much as to what makes a good Homestead Prospect. We have discovered good and bad Realtors. Most of all we have learned to give a property a deep look into all aspects of it from something a simple as fencing to Easements and Mineral rights.
I am going to write series of posts about some of our adventures and what we have learned about property selection, dreams and the reality of it all. I hope the trials and adventures in our search for that perfect homestead can help other people find their dream!
[Image from Google]
We should all enjoy our dreams and not live a nightmare after we make the decision to homestead on a small farm. Even if all goes well the image of Pastoral bliss is far from the truth of it. So on to the tale of property selection! See you in the next post..."What do You Want from a Property?"
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