I think most people probably have a dream home dream — that sacred place floating inside your brain that checks off all the boxes and makes you feel like Martha Stewart on holiday. Your dream home is just that – YOURS. It might be a tiny house capable of traversing the country on a whim. Or, it might be a one room cabin nestled deep in the woods, absent of nosey neighbors and the hustle and bustle of the city. It might be a chunk of land to treasure and conserve — your own private paradise where nature beckons and you pop up a tent and answer the call. Whatever it is, finding your dream property can be a daunting task. We recently found our own dream plot and I’m going to share a few of our tips and tricks!
Finding Your Dream Property – Identify Your Must-Haves
Before I share all the ways to hunt down the perfect property, it’s important that you know exactly what you’re looking for along with what you’re *not* looking for in a property. Even if you’re not a list person, it can be immensely helpful to make a list. Create a list of all of the things you’re wanting and have a discussion about what is and is not negotiable — because honestly, finding the *perfect* property doesn’t mean it will check every single box. The goal is to have a solid idea about what you want while remaining flexible. We had been lightly looking for land for a long time but knew what we wanted based off a list that looked like this:
- somewhere between 20 and 40 acres
- plenty of timber
- interesting landscape (non-negotiable – I’m a mountain gal at heart and I just can’t live the flat land life!)
- within 20 minutes of our current location (could be negotiable)
- access to water (pond/creek/river)
- fits within a budget of 5-10k per acre
Your list may be much longer if you’re looking for a home as opposed to land to build. The point and end-goal is the same. Go into your search knowing what you want and it will be much less stressful to begin the hunt!
Finding Your Dream Property:
Phone A Friend!
No, this isn’t a game show and I’m *not* kidding! When you’re on the hunt for a great piece of property, one of the best sources to kick start your search are the people you know. When we were looking for our hunk of land, we reached out to several of our friends that lived on several acres, owned farms, or lived in the general area of our interest. You’ll be surprised how many folks might tell a friend that they are considering selling but haven’t officially listed. It’s great to be the first to know — especially in a fast moving, seller’s market.
Nab a Knowledgeable Realtor!
We are so very fortunate to have an awesome realtor. We’ve worked with “Kate the Great” Carlson through Iowa Realty for over 10 years now! She has experienced it all with us – buying and selling several homes, building, purchasing land, being chased and stung by bees while looking for land – you name it, she’s done it. Having a hard working realtor on your side can be a game-changer because they are constantly in-the-know and also have an intricate understanding of the market. It’s also helpful to have someone on your team to communicate with all the folks involved in a major purchase situation. She cuts our work down to size which is SO nice when you’re living the busy life. We sent our wishlist to Kate and she was able to put us on a notification list that immediately sent properties that met our criteria straight to our inbox. This saved us hours of obsessively clicking through listings or refreshing the new listings pages on the daily. Who can really afford to drop everything and mindlessly search for hours? Ain’t nobody got time for that!
Bookmark Search Sites!
I never knew there were so many ways to search for and find property/land. Seriously. From Facebook to Craigslist, there are so many resources to at your disposal while you’re on the hunt. If you’re a fan of the swap sites, you’re in luck. A lot of realtors and folks selling by owner will list properties on local swap sites. It’s easy to pop a message to a seller and get the ball rolling. Facebook Marketplace has a “properties” category for simple searches. There are many websites specific to land for sale — Land Watch is one that we used quite frequently. Bookmark your local realtor pages and Zillow for user friendly search engines with the ability to tailor your search. Think Craigslist is old and out of date? Think again! We actually found our property through a for-sale-by-owner on Craigslist. It’s definitely possible we never would have found our dream land if we hadn’t taken a chance on Craigslist. Who’d have thunk?
Take a Drive!
Taking to the open road is good for the soul and a great way to find those hidden gems – go on a drive around the areas that you’re interested in most. This is another way to seek out the properties that are off the beaten path or may not be listed on the main platforms. On our land hunt drives, we came across several properties that were only marked by a small “For Sale” sign on the side of a dirt road – never advertised – so this is a great way to get the lay of the land and possibly score a property that’s tucked away.
So, whether you’re looking for a 130 year old Victorian that needs a little (or a lot of) TLC, or you’re wanting to find a little sliver of a sandy beach with a view, know that your property dreams can come true with a little planning. Arm yourself with all the tools to assist in that search and you’ll be enjoying that perfect plot in no time! Peace, love, and light my friends – see you soon!
