How to Easily Pick the Perfect Block of Land for Your Homestead

So, you are finally ready to start your homestead dream and need to find the perfect block of land? Before you start looking, you should make a list of the things that are most important to you.

Some flexibility is required, but you must establish the compromises you are happy to make and your non-negotiable factors.

Consider your and your family’s needs, both now and in the future, before signing that contract. Your perfect block of land could soon become imperfect if you don’t plan ahead!

What Do You Want to Use Your Land For?

To find your perfect block of land, you must first consider what you want to use it for.

You may want a mini-homestead or a weekend retreat with a small veggie patch and herb garden. Somewhere, you can escape the rat race occasionally, but that doesn’t require too much work.

Or you may be looking to create your own fully self-sufficient homestead—a permanent home. Somewhere, you can raise livestock, possibly a family, and grow all the food you need.

Whatever your motivation, it will be crucial to your decision-making process. Everyone has a different vision for their dream life and their perfect block of land, and only you know what yours is.

Are There Restrictions That Could Ruin Your Perfect Block of Land?

It is essential to check if any restrictions affect what you can do with your land or planned home. If there are restrictions, it could turn your perfect block of land into an imperfect one.

Can you use the land for the purpose you intend to use it? If you want farm animals, buying land where the local council prohibits raising livestock could ruin your homestead dream.

What are the local council’s building and planning laws? Sometimes, there may be covenants that restrict the design of your home. Will it be expensive to comply with these regulations?

We had to comply with strict rules to ensure our home was suitable for our rainforest environment. However, we were happy to comply with these regulations for our perfect block of land.

What Are the Physical Characteristics of the Land?

When purchasing land, it is also essential to consider its physical characteristics.

What is the gradient of the land? If it’s too steep, the views might be great, but it will cost more to build your home as you will need retaining walls, etc. It might also be challenging to farm animals or grow crops.

Flat land is more usable but could also be flood-prone. Therefore, you should check its proximity to local waterways. Our land is very flat and close to the Daintree River, so we built our house on stumps to avoid flooding.

If the property is too dry, will you be able to grow anything? Even worse, has the soil been contaminated by previous users? If so, it could take many years to improve the soil quality so you can fulfil your homestead dreams.

What about the vegetation? Is the property covered with invasive weeds that you must remove before you can do anything? Can you cut down any existing trees to build your home? 

These are just a few issues that could turn your perfect block of land into an imperfect one. Ensure you view any property you intend to purchase in person and don't rely solely on vendor photographs or descriptions.

What Resources Are Available?

You should also consider what natural resources are available on or near your property to help you achieve your homestead dreams.

It may seem like a good idea to buy a cheap block of dirt and build your homestead from scratch, but the reality is that it takes a long time for things to grow! However, this may not be a problem if you don’t plan to build your home for some years.

Does your land come with established trees – for shade, as a fuel source, for food, or just for aesthetic reasons? Natural rocks and stones may also be helpful for building or garden projects.

What about water sources, such as a dam, a creek or even just high rainfall – for drinking water, hydroelectric power, and livestock? We don’t have any creeks or dams on our property, but we have high rainfall, and our water tanks are overflowing.

Is the soil in good condition for growing food, or does it need some work? Are there natural food sources, such as existing orchards or native fruit trees, nuts, or berries? What about wild game, fishing, and foraging opportunities?

Also, consider if you can use the weather to your advantage. Is your land in a sunny area, ideal for solar power, or a windy area where you can set up wind turbines? Is it in a cool climate where you can build a root cellar to preserve your food?

Deciding what resources are essential to you will help you easily pick your perfect block of land.

Does the Property Have Access to Mains Power?

When purchasing land in a rural area, you must establish if mains power is available.

If mains power is available, how do you connect it, and what is the cost? Setting up the necessary infrastructure can sometimes be extremely expensive, particularly if you have a large property.

If you want to live off-grid or have no choice, what off-grid power solutions will work best for your location? Read our post on off-grid power sources for further information on available options.

Our property in Far North Queensland was perfect for solar power. However, the initial setup was not cheap. Don’t forget that with any off-grid system, you will always need to plan a backup power source.

You may be entitled to a government rebate, but be wary, as rebates can change with little notice. When we bought our property, a 50% solar rebate was available; however, this had reduced significantly by the time we installed our system.

By researching your options in advance, you can establish the actual cost of the property you wish to buy and avoid making a costly mistake.

Are Other Services Available to Connect?

In addition to power, you will need to find out if you can access other services. Services usually taken for granted, such as mains sewerage or mobile coverage, may not be available.

Our property is entirely off-grid. We harvest our water in rainwater tanks and process our wastewater in a biocycle system. If you don’t have access to mains sewerage, what will you use instead, and how much will it cost?

What about telephone, internet, and mobile coverage? Mobile reception is limited here, and it is too expensive to connect a landline. However, we have improved our internet access by installing an antenna on the roof and using a booster.

Not having reliable telephone and internet coverage could be a deal-breaker if you need to work online or remotely. On the other hand, being unplugged from technology may sound perfect to you!

Can You Afford to Buy This Block of Land?

A surefire way to end your homesteading dream is to overextend yourself financially. Therefore, you must only buy a property you can afford now and in the future. It is not the perfect block of land if you can’t afford it.

We would have loved to buy a 100-acre property, but we couldn’t afford it in an area that met our other needs. Instead, we purchased a 10-acre property, which is more than sufficient.

Consider if you want to purchase the land outright or get a mortgage. Money lending criteria are much tighter now. You may not be able to get finance for land in certain areas, or you may need a larger deposit.

This doesn’t mean you should abandon your homestead dreams. However, it may be better to save for a few more years. Or you may need to consider buying land in a different location.

You also need to factor in rate rises and changes to the value of your property when buying your land. Can you still afford the property if rates go up a few times? What happens if markets crash?

We bought our land just before the global financial crisis when property values were decimated, particularly in rural areas. Luckily, we were in it for the long haul and had not overstretched ourselves financially.

You should find out your borrowing power before starting your property search and check for any specific conditions.

Have You Thought About the Impacts of Nature?

Owning a piece of land and living the homesteading dream can seem like heaven. But if you are unprepared, Mother Nature will show you who’s boss and quickly bring you back to reality!

Does it get hot, cold, wet or dry where you intend to buy land? Can you handle these weather extremes, particularly if you’re going off-grid and won’t have the luxury of mains power?

What pests will you have to deal with? Mosquitos are the bane of our lives, but luckily, we don’t react badly to their bites and can tolerate them. Unfortunately, there is no such thing as a rainforest without mosquitos!

What wildlife will you encounter? Is this good or bad for you? We adore our resident, Mr Cassowary and his chicks, who frequently visit our block. However, we are not so ecstatic about the feral pigs that also visit from time to time.

Is your area prone to bushfires, cyclones, or severe storms? Have you considered how this will impact you, and can you get insurance? Your perfect block of land will soon become a burden if you cannot insure your home.

We live in a cyclone-prone area that experiences heavy rainfall during the wet season. Therefore, we built our house to a category-five cyclone rating and have flood and cyclone coverage should the worst-case scenario occur.

How Remote Can You Go?

The more remote your property is, the cheaper the land will likely be and the more privacy you will enjoy.

While this might seem appealing, it can also be very inconvenient. Simple tasks like grocery shopping or purchasing fuel can become complex. You must be very organised to ensure you have everything you need.

The more remote you are, the more you need to formulate a plan for times of emergency. Are you likely to get stranded in bad weather? What if you get bitten by a snake? You will need a contingency plan for such situations.

You might intend to be self-sufficient, grow and stockpile your own food, medicine, and fuel sources and have the skills to cope with emergencies. If so, your perfect block of land could be as remote as you can go!

However, you may be like us and want (or need) to be closer to civilisation so you can access local services.

How Do Your Personal Needs Affect the Location of Your Perfect Block of Land?

When purchasing your perfect block of land, you must consider your needs, now and in the future. These personal requirements will help you choose the best location for your land.

Do you have children, or do you intend to have children? If so, will they go to daycare or school, or are you going to homeschool them? Homeschooling is a possibility, but it does take commitment.

Maybe you or a family member has a medical condition, so you must be near medical facilities, such as a hospital. Or you want to be a part of a community with local events and a pub.

Another critical factor is how you intend to earn an income. Will you commute, or can you be location-independent? If you want to sell products, is there a market nearby? What about local employment, such as fruit picking or hospitality work? 

Your personal needs are crucial when determining the ideal location for your perfect block of land.

Easily Pick the Perfect Block of Land

Buying land is a big decision, both emotionally and financially. However, if you take the time in advance to identify your 'non-negotiables’, you can avoid making an expensive mistake.

Sit down, make that list, and consider what your homestead dream means. With some planning, avoiding the pitfalls and picking your perfect block of land will be much easier!