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Post by df111222333 on Aug 2, 2021 16:59:46 GMT
Hi all, my wife and I are considering moving from central TX to a more rural area. We're tinkering with the idea of buying land and putting a modular home on it. I'd love to connect with people who have done this before, I'm not quite sure how to even begin.
Thoughts on Arkansas (areas surrounding Conway to be specific)? We want to be "far enough" but "not close" to town. Specifically a hospital, doctors, Home Depot/Lowes, etc. We're open to other areas. Mainly concerned with (a) safety and (b) low cost of living.
The long-term goal is to become more self-sufficient. Rainwater collection (or live on a river/stream), solar panels, gardens, some livestock, etc. But for now we're trying to start with the basics: Where to go, how to find land that will work for us, what's involved in turning a piece of raw land into a livable property, etc.
Thank you anyone who chimes in!
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Post by oldie on Aug 5, 2021 1:00:11 GMT
Welcome df111222333,
When we moved to Missouri 21 years ago things were a lot different than today. Wherever you are looking for property, be sure to check building codes and zoning regulations. Some places have acreage requirements for modular homes, wells, septic systems and the square footage of your residence. You may also want to look at the tax levy on valuation. There are even places that require you to be on the grid. Just a few things to think about. Good luck with you endeavor.
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bon
New Member
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Post by bon on Aug 7, 2021 17:26:04 GMT
When you find a place that meets all the above criteria that you want and also what oldie suggested, you might find that it is a bit farther away than you desire. it is helpful to know that in such cases, you will need to invest in a trailer or a van or something big enough to haul a load of things home for only the occasional trip into town. It is more cost prohibitive to haul larger loads requiring fewer trips. And for this, you will also need to consider storage space from bulk buying.
Living rural has a priority that I have discovered:
1) Adequate transportation that is sustainable. Lack of transportation can be deadly. I you cannot fix yourself, you'll need to have a newer vehicle, e.g. In this case, you'll need to be very diligent in automotive routine care and have spare tires, e.g.
2) Fuel for transportation and back up fuel for other things.
3) Patience. Things just don't happen as fast.
Good luck on your selection and move.
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Post by oldie on Aug 8, 2021 1:22:09 GMT
Bon,
Good points, since we live on grid we bought a back up generator. Then we had to do a fuel test to see how long it would run on how much fuel. We have had times in bad weather when the power has been off for two weeks. So we needed to have fuel available for the generator to keep the well pump and the freezers running.
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bon
New Member
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Post by bon on Aug 8, 2021 4:56:50 GMT
I always encourage folks to "fast" from life and pretend a shtf scenario so they can work out kinks. You done good.
We are poor, but I think we'll be doing bio fuels and or a gasifier if the power poo hits the fan for transport and heating water.
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Post by df111222333 on Aug 9, 2021 0:48:45 GMT
Thank you for the advice everyone!
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Post by Travis/Admin on Aug 13, 2021 17:26:34 GMT
All of the above are great suggestions. Also if you have children and are thinking of homeschooling make sure you compare Arkansas’ laws with Missouri’s laws when it comes to homeschooling.
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Post by oldie on Aug 14, 2021 0:50:25 GMT
bon, We are a long way from rich LOL however after years of getting by we are now in a situation where we hope we can survive. We didn't have the new car, the nice boat, or the fantastic vacations. We worked our behinds off to get out of debt and get the things we felt were important to be able to get by on if it all or should I say when it all falls apart. Sheri and I have been married 33+ years and have been prepping the entire time. Not for the SHTF but for weather or financial hard times.
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Post by KYLAH on Aug 15, 2021 0:42:31 GMT
Dig into the land use laws and fees in the county where you to purchase. Find out the average cost is to build in the specific area. And another super important point is read the county/regional climate action plan, every single place has one and they will outline the natural disasters planned for that area. It is a UN tool of regionally unelected boards that make it. Don't buy on a forest unless it has recently burned because it will be a major target. There is a legit rregional map of 600 fema camps I would probably chose not to be next to any of their operations, same goes for military bases they are the #1 super fund site maker in the US. Which leads to another aspect of water quality, find out the quality of the lakes/rivers around the area you want, check the epa superfund site and google.
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bon
New Member
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Post by bon on Aug 15, 2021 2:26:20 GMT
Very good points, Kylah.
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