Finally doing it...

Its been a struggle, and I have ats to thank for it.

For the last 3 years my wife an I have been hard at working getting rid of all our debt. Everything from credit cards, to cars, all paid off.

Through out the process we have been saving, with one goal in mind, Getting the hell out of California.

All of this thanks to ATS giving me the drive to do it.

I am proud to say we have reached the point of being able to do what we wanted, buy land somewhere with a small house where we can try and grow a little of our own, maybe learn how to be self sufficient.

So tomorrow I am driving up to Oregon to buy land on the outskirts of Portland, (looking outside Sandy, or Oregon city)

I wish we could do it with out any kind of bank mortgage, but as we have saved so much the bank will not be getting much out of us,payments would be such that even a Part time job would cover it and the small mortgage will be the only debt we have.

So now that I am actually going, is there any helpful advice anyone can give? I know ats has a broad spectrum of people on here with more experience than I could ever hope to amass.

So any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated.

We are looking at 3-4 acre lots with houses already on them, and I am trying to get something with a water source on the land.

Good for you! Now just don't do like my sister and not pay the property tax on the land that she bought-n-paid for and have it all taken away from you~ Even when you own it it isn't truly ever yours in this system we live in.

reply to post by Cassey222


yep, property tax in the area im looking avg about 2-3k a year.

The only advice i could give is get a hydroponic or aquaponic system and the bigger the better cos not only will the veg/fruity grow with minimal effort but the more you grow the more you can sell.

also a few animals would be cool, like chicken or turkeys but that if i was in your situation.

Solar panels?

The only advice i could give is get a hydroponic or aquaponic system and the bigger the better cos not only will the veg/fruity grow with minimal effort but the more you grow the more you can sell.

reply to post by definity


Thanks, Ive experimented with both systems of growing, found some good yeilds on fruits with an ebb and flow system.

again looked into that all thanks to ATS.

reply to post by benrl


My sister bought property up near Placerville, CA. paid 160K for it. Had mineral claim on it and was way out there backed up to a forest. Absolutely fantastic place... Took them 9 months to take it from her, she was just over 45 days late on paying the property tax when they snapped it up. They sure do move quick when you make a mistake~ Needless to say she is 49 years old and living in an apartment now.. couldn't recover a dime for anything out there, set her back about 170,000 dollars for a 2800 dollar bill.

Originally posted by Cassey222
reply to post by benrl

 

My sister bought property up near Placerville, CA. paid 160K for it. Had mineral claim on it and was way out there backed up to a forest. Absolutely fantastic place... Took them 9 months to take it from her, she was just over 45 days late on paying the property tax when they snapped it up. They sure do move quick when you make a mistake~ Needless to say she is 49 years old and living in an apartment now.. couldn't recover a dime for anything out there, set her back about 170,000 dollars for a 2800 dollar bill.

wow, if i were nearly 50 and that happened to me..lol something bad would happen, something very bad.

reply to post by Cassey222


we are rolling the prop tax into the monthly, that we avoid a situation like you suggest, its funny because the tax rate is going to be something like 40% of t he actual monthly (since the payments are so low)

atleast in oregon you see your tax money at work, their transit system is fairly efficient in and around portland.

and on top of that no sales tax

im sort of lucky i live in south louisiana. the yearly propety tax for say 160,000 dollars worth of land is just under 300 bucks. and then you can become exempt from it if you promise not to plant a certain type of tree lol

Must be something about Portland and Oregon that you find attractive...property tax of 3-4000 bucks is hefty. Here in NC... I have 45 acres and pay about 500 dollars....

Anyway... read.... read... and have a lawyer read the deed.... look for any provsions that restrict use...Can you have animals? What kind? Can you have a garden? What are the restrictions on firearms? Can you only have certain types of vehicles and what kinds? Can you have solar panels?

Stuff like that.

Also ask questions. Sometimes the realtor doesn't have to tell you something if you don't ask?

Is there a shopping mall planned near by in 2 years? Will the highway about a mile away be extended and go through my back yard? Will we be annexed in 5 years and all those farm animals have to go?

Once you find a property... just sit there and observe for a weekday. Seriously...

What are the neighbors like? Do the school buses all come through at 6:15am every morning? Do the morning commuters take a short cut through our street? Do the cops show up every evening at 10pm to quiet the party house 2 doors down?

Where will you be working? Try the commute. How about conveniences...are they available or is everything 20 minutes away? Anybody deliver pizza?

Also... get a platt map and walk it. look for the corner posts or markers.... is it really 4+/- acres or only 3.25 acres with big hedges that don't belong to you. Do you get enough sunlight throughout the day to have a garden? What is the soil like? Any wet spots? Low areas...poor drainage?

How about right of ways? What is only 15 feet across with a single power line is all the county needs to use eminant domain and widen the right of way to 30 feet and now half your garden is gone. I have seen it happen.

On the mortage.. make sure no penalties for early payment and completion of loan.

Hope these help.

Congrats!

A few thoughts ..
I too reco aqua &/or hydroponics, & growing as much food as possible.

I'm sure you've thought about septic, well, solar, & wind - everything to get as much off the grid & as self-sustaining as possible. But don't forget irrigation (not sprinklers).

I've never raised animals for meat, but we dug out a pond on our old place & stocked it. Wonderfully relaxing to sit out under the trees & fish in your own backyard - and walk back into the house w/dinner.

If you're going to plant, you'll have to budget the right kind of fencing/border to keep the local critters out. The first few deer or mustang munching in your garden are exciting, but it will get frustrating quickly as your yields diminish.

And attracting game animals inevitably means attracting game hunters.So if that's a possibility where you are, you'll also want to consider appropriate dogs.

Good luck & congrats again.

have you thought about Alaska? some property can be had for cheap if you look in the right places. Im up here now originally from California and love it. Moose,caribou, salmon, pike, halibut, rabbit, grouse are some of the animals you can hunt/fish up here. farming is possible in the summer and generally yields great results. Winter's are harsh but honestly its not terrible. I've slept outside in tents at -35 and hiked 15 miles 2 winters ago no frost bite i actually did go through severe dehydration and cramped up at 10 miles but this was due to me failing to keep my water supply warm. my camel back was frozen solid and canteen as well.
I can give more details about Alaska if you would like im sure some other ATSer's will chime in that are from Alaska. There's alot of good people up here but you do run into those crazies and one's that hate outsiders(steer clear of livengood)
but so far this summer ive caught 35 trout(30 catch and release) 15 salmon( gave most to friends) couple arctic greyling( released due to local laws)
grew about 2 dozen strawberrys
a dozen bananna peppers
waiting on my tomato plants but there getting there.
and just started some bell pepper plants by accident that are showing promise.

reply to post by benrl


Do everything yourself and if you stuff it up ,do it properly the next time,In the old days evrything was learned from books and trial and error ,Now with the internet you can access information and knowledge instantly.Thats a huge advantage to have . see you in the new world

reply to post by AlreadyGone


All good points.
I would add:

Check flood maps (from FEMA)
Check for mineral, forest and water rights (someone else may own them).
Also some loans have a built-in penalty for paying them off early (true!)

Congratulations on the move Benri!
Long hard road to get where you are and for that I applaud you.
Best of luck with the move.

benrl, ever consider moving to the Free State?

Overall per-capita tax collection is $1,711 Lowest tax burden as a percentage of gross income in the nation
Ranked #1 in the nation for quality of life and livability 5 years in a row
Lowest percentage of poverty in the nation
Highest median household income in the nation
No sales tax
No income tax
No mandate to purchase insurance
Rejected the Real ID
No capital gains tax
No inventory tax
Ranked 1st nationally for health care quality
Safest state in the nation based on crime statistics
Ranked 1st nationally in the index for child well-being
No permit required to purchase a firearm and open carry and a concealed carry permit is shall issue
Each New Hampshire Representative represents only about 3,300 people
New Hampshire legislators are only paid a salary of $100 per year
Independent voters comprise 40% of the electorate
Gold/silver currency-friendly "Shire Silver"
Very low risk for hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes and forest fires

forum.freestateproject.org...

Originally posted by biggmoneyme
im sort of lucky i live in south louisiana. the yearly propety tax for say 160,000 dollars worth of land is just under 300 bucks. and then you can become exempt from it if you promise not to plant a certain type of tree lol

That is incredible, I pay 13k a year on 2 acres!

reply to post by benrl

could get land for less around Molalla maybe?

Just an update, thanks for all the advice.

Actually since I have been working with a Realtor the past few days I came to a new decision.

Gresham is so cheep, that I can buy a house near all major services, and have enough left to invest in bare land out in the boonies somewhere to build a Bug out/ enjoyment cabin of my own.

know, I know, I am probably being upsold by the realtor, when he heard I wanted remote, he started asking all the right "questions"

You guys know, the ATS ones, taxes suck, feds suck, gun control suck, etc, he suggested the two properties since I was looking at almost buying a small farm plot, when it became clear he was a prepare for the SHTF type person he seemed to open up about the possibility here.

It may take a few months to a year to do the 2nd part. But I have no doubt it will be worth the extra effort and work.

TO anyone thinking of leaving their comfort Zone, DO IT.

I would never be able to afford, or even THINK about affording what I am going to do living in CA.

For the cost of a medium sized home in Southern ca, I will be able to buy two separate properties, one being a home, the other being a bare plot, AND build on it...

with money left over for "essentials"

Um on a completely UN-related note, HOLY CRAP, no waiting period on Guns in ORG.

Click here for more information.

Make sure you have a hard copy of all payments made. If you
own the house/property outright make sure you get a hard copy of the deed of ownership (or whatever it is called in america). I have heard that some people have "lost" their homes because they couldn't prove they owned it and the bank or whatever had no record of it !!!!

May I suggest Southern WA? I live in the Seattle Area but visit friends in Vancouver a lot. There is a sales tax in WA but the property taxes are cheaper. That's why you cross the Columbia to go to the mall to buy your clothes. That and automatic weapons are legal in Oregon so you can stockpile some there or file down your semi-auto to go shooting over there. The NW is great! Maybe I'll meet ya sometime and my gurl and you and your gurl can have some drinks, show you around, take you to Ape Caves, and where the sasquatch sightings are!