Buying Land; Looking for tips (1 Viewer)

[cruiser4life]

Another vote for Kubota orange here. We love ours. Not that green isn't good. But SW VA and NW NC seem littered with mostly orange.

One I haven't seen up close and personal is the Kioti orange. I'll admit every time I drive to Hatteras and pass the Kioti facility on 64 I crane my neck checking out the models they have sitting out front.

And 100% agree with the earlier sentiment. Tractors (and implements) are a slippery slope uncannily similar to Land Cruiser addiction. Costly, slow, time consuming and bullet proof.

 

[roadstr6]

We have both green and orange. They are both great machines. If you don’t want to pay the premium for brand name, take a look at Mahindra or Yanmar. Yanmar made compact tractors for John Deere for 20-30 years. Our little JD 950 is actually a Yanmar tractor. Awesome, awesome little tractor. We’ve worked it hard over the years and it’s pretty beat up, but it runs flawlessly.

 

[pawwright]

I don't think so and my neighbor has 472 acres and we've yet to see any wide spread damage from them on either side. The area was hit by a microburst in 2017, owners at the time decided to let a logging company come in and take the wood and get some income off of that. There are still lots of snapped in half trunks all over the place. Not sure who did the logging work and they're not known for being tidy, even by those standards it was a mess. That said, I won't need firewood or Fence posts for a very long time.

Yeah those straight line winds in 2017 were nutty for the area........not to derail the thread even further

 

[Whiskerz]

3 Hours from Charlotte will also put you in Upstate SC and the edge of Tennessee. I have been looking in east Tennessee lately. Landwatch is a thing. Zillow has almost no straight land.

 

[sogafarm]

Orange for me too. This little 51 horse Kubota has been great for the past 15 years. A good bucket, root rake/grapple, brush hog mower, and box blade will do wonders on your property. You will find loads of useful attachements, as much as you can afford. I've also used it for clearing trees off the road in the aftermath of two hurricanes so the linemen can access the fallen electric wires. I've owned two Mahindra's before the Kubota and all I can say is Kubota is the Toyota of tractors and Mahindra is the Kia. John Deere Green is the most expensive color as far as parts are concerned. Take that for what it's worth, but this little Kubota is a tough SOB and low maintenance.

 

[NCFJ]

We found a used Massey Ferguson, Red, after a long search. The old guy runs great, burns some oil but that's OK. Very few used compact size come on the market. People generally hold on to them when they buy a bigger tractor. I find ours very versatile.

 

[QsLC75]

You may have done this, but look at and find farmers. Unfortunately farmers have taken a huge hit financially the past 5-10 years. Many are selling out their family lands.

 

[Phares]

Any experience with Ford tractors? Kubota has the current vote based on all factors. I've been using landwatch mostly for my search. National Land Realty is the other one. Anyone have experience hiring out a company for prescribed burns? I know someone mentioned earlier doing it themselves. I think it's something I'd like to see be done once before tackling it myself

 

[GLTHFJ60]

@erymer has an 8n I think. If not that specific model, it's one of the older desirable ferd tractors.

 

[QsLC75]

My dad has a custom old F 5000 with the European engine for additional torque. My late grandfather ordered it for his after farming career of logging. That thing will climb hills pulling 20’ logs. Personally I have a JD 4005, which is perfect 40+ hp with 4wd when you have industrial tires on it.

 

[MBest75]

Any experience with Ford tractors? Kubota has the current vote based on all factors. I've been using landwatch mostly for my search. National Land Realty is the other one. Anyone have experience hiring out a company for prescribed burns? I know someone mentioned earlier doing it themselves. I think it's something I'd like to see be done once before tackling it myself

Once you buy the land people with a dozer, mini excavator etc will come out of the woodwork and find you. I’m half joking but if you find a grading company and good chance they’ll also handle burn piles. I’ve got a guy building a road for me and he’s doing his own burn piles off that. A good operator with an excavator and a thumb bucket can make short work of any pile.

 

[mountainibis]

I’ve got a Ford 9N (like the 8N but older). I use it mostly for driveway maintenance (clearing snow in winter and dragging gravel back up the hill after big rains). Its simplicity is amazing, and parts are cheap and easy to find, but it’s not what you need.

Like the other tractors that have been mentioned, you’ll get the most out of one with live pto, 4wd, power steering, loader, modern hydraulics, and ROPS.

There are some Fords made in the 90s (built in Japan) that’ll suit your needs. They’re good tractors if you can find one that hasn’t been flogged too hard.

You also may want to wait until you buy the land to know what dealers are close by. That way you wouldn’t have to drive an hour past the kubota dealer to get to the JD dealer (or vice versa).

 

[weejub]

A lot of people get scared off from old run down houses on a property, but they forget that there is likely already electric and water almost always there. Even if you demolish it and put something else, it still saves you some $$ in those hook up costs. Most of the time, they detract from property price because people think "I would never live there" when in fact tear down can be a lot cheaper than the total large property hit in price it might take otherwise.

Even if you didn't want to have a full house or shop built on site, yet, you could also do "RV Hook ups" and have a spot ready for later.

 

[sogafarm]

Any experience with Ford tractors? Kubota has the current vote based on all factors. I've been using landwatch mostly for my search. National Land Realty is the other one. Anyone have experience hiring out a company for prescribed burns? I know someone mentioned earlier doing it themselves. I think it's something I'd like to see be done once before tackling it myself

Call your local Forestry Commission for prescribed fires. They do fire breaks, burns, advice, etc. for a fee. You'll need to call them for permits as well.

 

[Phares]

Thanks for all the advice everyone! We went under contract last night. The land fit all the requirements and was currently owned by a lumber company going out of business. I was able to get it for 1900$ an acre. The land will take some work like we mentioned but thanks to everyone's information and help we should have a really good plan going forward. The 80 is now officially for sale.

 

[tstepp920]

Congratulations!

 

[cruiser4life]

Nice, congrats. You are embarking on a fulfilling and rewarding adventure.

Did you end up in the Cana area? Our land is in that county and the neighboring county as well. We love it up there.

 

[sogafarm]

$1900/acre screaming deal now days. Congratulations!

 

[Phares]

Nice, congrats. You are embarking on a fulfilling and rewarding adventure.

Did you end up in the Cana area? Our land is in that county and the neighboring county as well. We love it up there.

Yes, we're off HWY 52 just outside of what would be considered "Cana". I offered them roughly 1600$ an acre and after negotiation we ended up at $1900/acre. I feel like it was a good deal and I know three weeks isn't long to look but this met all the requirements and I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity because I hadn't looked long enough. It's like looking for an 80. When you find what you want you better be ready to buy it, cause it's going fast.

 

[Whiskerz]

Congrats !!