Owning Land Poll

[SFAbowhunter]

Definitely B. I just did that. I'm 28 and my wife and I just closed on 70 acres about 1 hour 45 minutes from the house. Couldn't really afford much around here where we could still get to our jobs in a reasonable amount of time, so we went north of the Red River. Found out prices were much better there and taxes are insanely cheap as well. Would rather have it to get away from the concrete city and sell it down the line to retire on a big place.

[MQ32Shooter]

Always go bigger!

Especially when buying a tractor!

[El Paisano]

How does 28 acres of timber land on a state highway with 3 sides bordering Davy Crockett National Forest that is about an hour and 15 minutes from Tyler sound?
Bigger is not always better if you get the right place. Less land to take care of and pay taxes on with many thousands of acres to use.

[tps7742]

B
Enjoy your younger years on the said property but at the same time think about what you want and will be able to take care of in your elder years. I see some of the older folks around here that are overwhelmed when they can't take care of the property any longer.

[Balcones_Walker]

I went with 3.5 hours away and I’m out here every other weekend...

[Quackerbox]

B

I'm fortunate enough my grandparents bought 200 acres that's 101 miles from the house 40 years ago.

But, wife and I bought 2 on lake limestone in January to build on.

They ain't making anymore dirt

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[Sleepy]

Man, you guys are making it tough! Lol this has basically been the “battle” between the wife and I.

When I say small acreage and build a house, I’m talking 5-10 acres. That’s about the max I can afford around here and still build a suitable home. I can drive an hour in 3 directions and buy three times that with the same money, but I wouldn’t be building a house so if we were looking at a bigger chunk it would be around 50 acres. Tough decisions for sure

[Fmjag64]

B

[WItoTX]

I was in your shoes about a year ago. We decided option C, which is move near public land, and save the expense of having to maintain land, maintain tractors, pay taxes etc...on it. All the outdoors you can enjoy, for free.

We are in the process of moving somewhere out west. However, in your case, in east Texas, there is tons of public land between SHNF and DCNF.

[KactusKiller]

I was in your shoes about a year ago. We decided option C, which is move near public land, and save the expense of having to maintain land, maintain tractors, pay taxes etc...on it. All the outdoors you can enjoy, for free.

We are in the process of moving somewhere out west. However, in your case, in east Texas, there is tons of public land between SHNF and DCNF.

Public land is nice, but nothing like owning your own. Just driving in the gates gives me a child on christmas day feeling. I'm sure it will wear off eventually and it's not fun writting the checks but it is a piece of dirt with my name on it. When I was a teenager we lived on a big ranch that someone else owned and I had 1,000s of other family friend land to roam on. But it wasn't ours, I always had to worry about what the landowner/boss would say if I made ruts or did something wrong. Same with a lease nowadays. On my land I do as i please and come and go as I please. No restrictions, and best of all if one of these days my girls have families of their own I can maybe take my grandkids out there to teach them the outdoors.

Owning land isn't for everyone and has different meanings for everyone. From where I came from as a kid I never really thought that I would own my own land, it's been a true blessing!

OP with all that said, I would still buy as big as you can afford where you can easily enjoy it. If you don't have children yet take that into consideration because they will def change things financially but especially time wise once they get active.
Good luck!

[McClain]

I don't think there is a right or wrong answer here. You will just need to weigh the pros and cons for your situation and family. At least you are on the right track by thinking about investing in some land.

As for my situation, I bought some rural property in Cherokee Co. years ago with the full intention of building on the place at retirement. However, as we got older and wiser, it became apparent that living in a remote setting late in life may not be the best move for us. Therefore we settled in Tyler, close to doctors, hospitals, pharmacies, and supermarkets, yet only a hour's drive from our rural property. We think we have the best of both worlds now. Since we have a small living quarters on the property, and are retired, we can spend as much time there as we desire but are not forced to remain there or commute back and forth during times of illness or other needs that require us to be close to "civilization".

[Rush2Judge]

We chose door number 2 years ago. It was the right decision for us. As someone stated, it was also important to us to keep the kids in good schools.

[BigCountry101]

I would go with option A and get something that you and the family can enjoy everyday. Sure, it would be nice to have a large place and go out there all the time, but life has a way of getting busy and all of the sudden you haven't been out to your place in a month or two. Buy something you can enjoy all the time right now versus something you buy now and then have to wait 30 years to retire on.

[Italianxbowuser]

i bought smaller tract 5 years ago, had option to buy two additional tracts and didn't. Today price has doubled, and one of my new neighbors is a complete jerk. I can't think about my property without thinking about the missed opportunity

My Dad once told me " If you like the view, you better buy it, because it won't stay that way."

[TxAg]

I'd rather live on 5 acres than own 75 acres two hours away.

If you're talking large acreage, then I'd rather live in town and have a big place within a few hours.