Want to buy 4 acres

Morning All,

We are looking to buy 4 acres of land in about 1 year. The big problem is affordability.

For just land: $60K
Land with simple house (1,500 sq ft): $160K

We're looking either somewhere around Nelson, BC or somewhere around Waterloo, Ontario (we can't be too far from family - these days family is all we've got).

Realtors (i've tried many) won't bother with us b/c we don't have much money.

Anyone know of websites other than Kijiji where I can post a real estate add that is geared towards ag land?

p.s. was surprised how many real estates add on Kijiji were for > $500K - thought it was suppose to be for people on budgets

Much appreciated.

-Wen

We looked on the mls site when we were looking to move. [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] You can refine your search to a certain area and a certain max amount you want to spend.

We found a place a little farther out from any major center, so it was cheap. But, it really depends on the area you are looking in, that's for sure.

You could probably find four acres somewhere and stick a cheap older mobile home on it. With your hook ups, septic, etc., you *might* squeak in under $160K. I'm not sure it would be possible in either the Ontario or B.C. markets, where land tends to be more expensive. You could probably find something in Saskatchewan or Manitoba.

Just make sure you get the mobile home inspected before you buy it, and ensure it is up to code and that it will be legal to live in.

4 acres is not really classified as "ag land" - around here, that's just your average front yard. You'd do better to search for acreages rather than ag land - 4 acres is not usually listed under the farm and ranch section, in most markets.

Back in the mid-90s when I lived near Nelson, I had a friend who wanted to start out. He determined a geographical area that he wanted to look around (Slocan Valley, south of Winlaw) and put flyers up on post boxes and at the post office. He ended up buying a piece of land privately and it all worked out great. Because it wasn't someone already tied to a realtor, there was no commission to put out, and because the person wasn't actually looking to sell until the opportunity presented itself, they were able to negotiate a price they could both live with. The seller wasn't in a 'make money' mood from the get-go. Anyway, it ended up working very well.

In Manitoba you can usually get 5 acres pieces of land zoned A5. 5 acres zoned for agriculture. I have almost 6 acres and I am zoned A5. Manitoba is sort of in the middle of the relatives.
Geri

Have you considered renting and saving up some money so you can afford something to your liking? The only other option may be to live a little further out. We went from a $340 000 home on 3 acres with a 20 minute drive to family to a $270 000 home on 7 acres and two big barns and an 1.5 hour drive from family. Further from a major centre is usually cheaper.