I am considering using some extra money I have lying around to buy some land in FL.  I live in the Tampa area, but am concerned with future rising costs (mostly home insurance) as well as overcrowding in this area, crime, traffic, etc.  

Does anyone have any advice on where I might find some good land deals (can be anything under 1 acre, as I don't want to have to care for too much in my old age) that I can, if I wanted to, put a manufactured home on, or just something that perhaps might appreciate in value so that if I decide to stay where I am, I can sell it in the future?

Should I check with agents, or in local papers, etc.?  Any advice on how to "buy land" with do/don't you have learned over the years?

Basically, I want to find an area that isn't too crowded, has some decent services, is about 1-2 hours at most from Tampa/Orlando/either coast - needs to be in an area where I can still get home insurance at a semi-decent price, and the taxes aren't too outrageous.

I would even consider eventually putting a new manufactured home on the land if I did it after I retired and didn't really care about the value as it would be my final "resting place" that I would live in till I died.

The Florida you're looking for is gone.  affordable land with good healthcare close by is tough to find.  Also I understand insurance for manufactured housing is going through the roof for obvious reasons.  I hate to do this as I am a die hard Floridian, but I would look in Arkansas...yea Arkansas.  My folks know several people who have "cashed in" on the current un-real estate situation and have moved to new homes in beutiful golf/lake communities just outside of Little Rock and have never looked back.  They also will never need help putting up Hurricane shutters either.  Perhaps you might consider casting a wider net...if not, the Inglis/Yankeetown areas are a possibility  (almost due West of Brooksville).  Good luck, and good health in retirement.

I second the Arkansas, Todays Florida is an overcrowded mess. Sorry i could'nt give you a more positive answer.

Thoughts?





Good luck.


Sorry..........


6th generation Cracker.jj

and my city was gone.....

out west of gainsville,,, but now days even land locked,,rural,,no raod, no nothingland is  2-7grand an acre.. cheapest is aw it was  9,000+ acres fo  old rainer tree fram at 980$ per acre one deal,,no breaking it up!

some places in GA you may find stuff around that 1000$ an acre mark or farther north...

but down here figure  least 150,000$ per  20-25 acres of rural ,,no nothing  land if you can find it!

good luck.....

funny i rember  being able to drive  3 miles west of  US1   over here,, and be in the woods,, Hell i remember  Daytona speedway being surrounded by open cow fields and woods,,, now look at it!


Condos my boys Condos for the snow birds thats were the money is at.......fkin yankees!

Last January the wife & I went looking and found 10 acre parcels in Columbia county for $35,000.

She wouldn't let me pull the trigger and get it.

I called back in November and the resales were now at $115,000.

We just closed on 5 acres in NW Alachua county near Brooker.  $62,500.

IM me if you want the name of a good realtor up there that will keep an eye out for you.

Look in eastern Citrus.

Leavy county may have some deals, however, you won't bel within 2 hours of Orlando/Tampa. More like 2.5. However, you will be about an hour from Gainesville.

Quoted: Look in eastern Citrus. Leavy county may have some deals, however, you won't bel within 2 hours of Orlando/Tampa. More like 2.5. However, you will be about an hour from Gainesville.

Citrus is one of the places we are considering.  I have a co-worker who has some property there and said she'd take me and show me around the area there.

I'll have to agree-cheap land in FA is pretty much non-existant. We bought 13 acres up by Live Oak 2 yrs ago for about 3.5k per acre, now going for 10 plus. Just bought some land in S georgia for less than 4k per acre, its out in the middle of no where though. But thats why we bought it. too many people in FA anymore. I've lived here all my life but can't wait to get out.

Quoted: Quoted: Look in eastern Citrus. Leavy county may have some deals, however, you won't bel within 2 hours of Orlando/Tampa. More like 2.5. However, you will be about an hour from Gainesville. Citrus is one of the places we are considering.  I have a co-worker who has some property there and said she'd take me and show me around the area there.

IM me when you are coming. I live in Citrus.

Same here with everyone else. I love FL but the un-realestate and "Northern Attitude" has my family fed up in Palm Beach County. Building 2 investment homes in Vero and in 1-2 months I hope to be able to make a couple of bucks on them, cash out and take a job in TN, SW NC, NW SC or AZ / NM. There are still places where land can be bought for $1K or less and we would like to get 60-100 acres as a retirement investment rolling our cash from our FL homes.
The #1 problem is finding those locations that fit in without having spent a lot of time "all over the place".  It's tough to spend a week or 2 in another state just to check it out and learn about the area if you work!

Good luck to all, I know how it feels! We just want a quiet affordable place where the schools are good and guns are not evil.  We have looked for 18 months for eden but in the next 2-3 months will settle for whatever is at hand.

Quoted: I second the Arkansas, Todays Florida is an overcrowded mess. Sorry i could'nt give you a more positive answer.

I moved here 18 months ago just to 'flip' houses.
Did 2 deals and 5 hurricanes later and getting the fuck out.
Take the $$$ and run. FL is Cali on the Eastcoast. Crowds, traffic, immigration headaches.
See ya' Back to MT or WY for me  

You need to look at Dixie, Levy, Jefferson, Madison, Columbia, Baker, Union and Taylor counties.  These areas are 2 to 4 hours North of Tampa.  They have small towns and small County seats, Lake City (Columbia) being the exception.  East of Tallahassee, North/West of Ocala, West of Jacksonville.

They are rural and not very crowded yet... but in 20 years, I imagine that they too will be "invaded".

I'm lucky, I have 63 acres in Jefferson County, bought back in 1986 for $795 an acre.  My father gave it to me upon it's purchase.  If not for him doing that, I would not have any land as I can't afford the going rates.

But even in those counties, for instance Jeffersen what is the going rate ? I am sure it is much more affordable than in Dade/Broward/Martin County but would it be as affordable as in some areas of GA,TN or the Carolina's ?

Quoted: Quoted: I second the Arkansas, Todays Florida is an overcrowded mess. Sorry i could'nt give you a more positive answer. I moved here 18 months ago just to 'flip' houses. Did 2 deals and 5 hurricanes later and getting the fuck out. Take the $$$ and run. FL is Cali on the Eastcoast. Crowds, traffic, immigration headaches. See ya' Back to MT or WY for me

I looked at 40 acres in sumter county last week, it was a nice dry, rectangular shaped lot, lots of really big oak trees. Some of the property nearby was for sale as well but it looked like it was half wetlands. They want 5k per acre for the nice parcel (no split), I'm not sure about the swampy stuff- it could probably be had for less.

I do not want to leave the state - sorry, guys, but some of us don't have this dream of living way out in the sticks "off the grid".  I did that for 7 years and hated it.  I have lives in TN, in what many of you would consider "paradise", in the mountains, the "perfect" SHTF property, and we hated it.  We love FL, we are staying in FL, and that is that.

Quoted: I looked at 40 acres in sumter county last week, it was a nice dry, rectangular shaped lot, lots of really big oak trees. Some of the property nearby was for sale as well but it looked like it was half wetlands. They want 5k per acre for the nice parcel (no split), I'm not sure about the swampy stuff- it could probably be had for less.

Where at in Sumter County, I'm a Deputy for Sumter County and the land here is going up every day... $5k an acre sounds pretty good from what I have seen lately....

Quoted: But even in those counties, for instance Jeffersen what is the going rate ? I am sure it is much more affordable than in Dade/Broward/Martin County but would it be as affordable as in some areas of GA,TN or the Carolina's ?

I would guess that "better deals" are to be had in "rural" Georgia or South Carolina than Florida.  Land in Jefferson County is starting to go up big time as Tallahassee has gotten soooo big.  I grew up in Tallahassee and I would not live there today for anything.

Rich Doctors, Lawyers, and Businessmen are looking for the "mini-farm" to get away to on the weekends and Jefferson and Madison counties are just the ticket.

Sacrafice now, live on rice and beans, get land now or forget about it... it will only go up.  What seems "outragous" now will seem like a damn good deal in a few years.  My dad felt like he was getting "raked over the coals" when he paid for the 63 acres he gave me.

Quoted: Quoted: I looked at 40 acres in sumter county last week, it was a nice dry, rectangular shaped lot, lots of really big oak trees. Some of the property nearby was for sale as well but it looked like it was half wetlands. They want 5k per acre for the nice parcel (no split), I'm not sure about the swampy stuff- it could probably be had for less. Where at in Sumter County, I'm a Deputy for Sumter County and the land here is going up every day... $5k an acre sounds pretty good from what I have seen lately....

I'll have to get the map from my wife, we looked at property that weekend till we were blue in the face The things I remember about this spot was the road made a 45 degree turn, very sharp and it looked like a few cars had gone into the woods there. From the road the property sloped down and probably had a few acres of wetlands in the very rear and we could hear some heavy equipment , I think there was some type of shell pit or fill dirt operation nearby. Were from Sarasota and were kind of lost as we drove around. The other thing is the realtor had his nickname on his card, "Fat Boy" I think he is the guy that sent us to that place, though we talked to a bunch of realtors that weekend.

I just made the jump from Ft Lauderdale to eastern Citrus, we looked in marion, Citrus and hernando for last year and saw prices almost double and I was a realtor in Lauderdale so I know a deal when I see one, we were looking for small acrege 3-5 or mini farm, got a nice 4/2 pool 2cg and 2 carport on 3 acres for under $ 300, we did a little research a few counties to the north, but had other considerations for schools, shopping and prox to a little bigger city for ball games and such, Hernando is the worst of the 3 counties, almost all bought up, rediculous prices, Citrus is going fast, and forget about Marion, just too expensive

Quoted: Quoted: But even in those counties, for instance Jeffersen what is the going rate ? I am sure it is much more affordable than in Dade/Broward/Martin County but would it be as affordable as in some areas of GA,TN or the Carolina's ? I would guess that "better deals" are to be had in "rural" Georgia or South Carolina than Florida.  Land in Jefferson County is starting to go up big time as Tallahassee has gotten soooo big.  I grew up in Tallahassee and I would not live there today for anything. Rich Doctors, Lawyers, and Businessmen are looking for the "mini-farm" to get away to on the weekends and Jefferson and Madison counties are just the ticket. Sacrafice now, live on rice and beans, get land now or forget about it... it will only go up.  What seems "outragous" now will seem like a damn good deal in a few years.  My dad felt like he was getting "raked over the coals" when he paid for the 63 acres he gave me.

We just got a good(?) deal in Wakulla County, a postage stamp of land and a home for over $100K.


What's sad is, the land across the road is now being broken up and sold off for $9K a lot, the same chunk of land that was being given away at the state fair in the sixties!

.

Look at Putnam County, places like Interlachen, Hawthorn, Palatka surrounding areas. Within 50 miles from Jacksonville, 25 from Gainsville, 36 from St. Augestine and 60 miles to Daytona.
Just bought myself 4 acres with a 60' mobile and a 1999 pre manufactured 3br 2 bath home plus 2 sheds and a 20 x 10 workshop for $80000.00 only 15 miles from Palatka with a super Wallmart, Homedepot, lowes,Sears, Circuitcity etc.
Taxes is $216.00 p/y. Garbage removal $112.00 p/y.
Good places is still available but it takes a lot of research, hours and hours on the net,search sites of area news papers and MLS listings,forget about agents most only want to show you the $300000.00and up properties. I had to call the agent handling the property I bought 5 times before she responded.
Paradise is where YOU find it.
Joe M.

Look out at the live oak area, jasper, mayo they are not too rural but you can still find some deals if you look around.

There is land out there that is not always listed in a book you come up have breakfast at the local diner talk to some folks have lunch with a Realtor let them show you around.

Once you find an area you kinda like call the cops ask how many calls they get out that way swing by the fire department talk to guys if you can try to get a feel for what its really like.