Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Things to Look for.

I thought I would post some of the photos of our trip just to give you and idea what we saw... both good and bad.

This is a photo at the largest property, it has superior hayfields and a very nice mix of wooded acres. The new shop building is on the left and you can see the house and yard buildings in the distance. The problem here was the big tobacco barn....

The roof is starting to tear off from wind and of course that leads to a plethora of other problems.


Now can we balance the barn repairs with all the things we could do with these incredible fields, both gardening raising small livestock, planting an orchard and perhaps blueberries and the like?
As to security this place was wonderful. It is at the end of a very obscure road and is surrounded by good sized farms.

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Another property that has merit has this very good barn. The roof is intact and in good condition. It is roomy and has good space for both hay storage and livestock.


Of course this is balanced by a highway through the yard.....sigh! In the following photo you can see the newly repaved highway, it has no center line and is considered a secondary road. There was little traffic as we looked at the land but what did come through traveled fast! This is most definitely a security and safety issue!


This farm had not been grazed this past summer and the pastures were grown up but they had good potential. This is a smaller property but the land is almost all useful.

I can see a marvelous garden here, can you? Sometimes it is a bit difficult to see past wet cold weather and weed growth but this tilth turned under would add a great deal of good to the soil and as it is the land is resting!

Then we look at that paved road again....this is looking across it to the house and the garden area they are currently using. Ralph is way over there looking at that side of the road.

These are just a few of the things we saw and looked at...it was a very worthwhile trip but as you can see we need to be careful as to the cost of repair and return and of course the safety of our future.

Now we are working at cost evaluation so we can get a better handle on how much we can safely spend on the land so that when we have it we are not cash strapped and have room to repair and take care of our new home.

The work of getting the best property really has started and it is going to be a wonderful challenge!

7 comments:

  1. I would never buy any place with a highway running thru it. Dogs and cats like to follow their people to the barn. Too dangerous. Also, at night the night of fast traffic would turn me off. Just sayin

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  2. I have to admit as I told Ralph...IF this is the place it will require a serious fence between us and the road on both sides! And no farm dogs or barn cats which to me is a real problem. Thank you so much for your honest opinion..it means a great deal to us to hear from other people. There were two dogs at the other farm [the big place] a lovely Chocolate lab and a tri color Chihuahua, they were rambling all over without a care in the world...no traffic hazards. The Chihuahua was tiny but she knew she was a FARM dog you could just tell!

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  3. Fences don't stop cats and livestock always seem to have a way of getting out at the wrong time.

    That first place, tucked away surrounded by farm looks wonderful. What do these farms produce? Must be good soil around there. Of course, I am a firm believer that one cannot have too much land. (grin).

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    1. Yes critters seem to know when there is a way to get out.
      I loved that your of the "never have too much land School". Sometime Ralph and I wonder if we have to get over that mindset but the land is like a bank account and a safety zone around you and your animals. The Large Property is currently in hay production with a clover/Orchard grass mix. I do love those fields!

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  4. Excellent!! That means no spraying of herbicides and pesticides. That is what the ranches surrounding us grow, too. That and cattle.

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  5. I am with Tewshooz - no bio-hazards and total control of pretty much all you survey. I do believe that you cannot have too much land. Of course, there are the taxes and securing borders, etc. Was there another outbuilding that could be used as a barn besides the tobacco barn? I know that barn repairs are never easy or inexpensive.

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    1. We were discussing the barn this morning. The metal building has room for a shop are and small livestock, there is also another small barn like building next to the area that is suited to small critters like goats and sheep.
      The tobacco barn could become a huge salvage project. This property has the biggest issues with the home...ahh there is always something. Oh taxes in Kentucky are low and as Ralph is 65 any place we get automatically drops the taxes by half.

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