I've been a Countryside subscriber for several years and this is my first time writing in, but I feel like I'm talking to old friends. This is by far the best magazine around - and the only one I subscribe to. The homesteading lifestyle is exactly what my family and I have been planning for and dreaming about for years now, and we can't wait to finally put down roots. I retire from the US Air Force next June (after over 20 years of service), and we would like to settle in SE Ohio - somewhere around Monroe County. We've been searching the net for properties, but there's not much listed, and we can't seem to find what we're looking for through the very few real estate sites we've found. If anyone knows of fixer-upper properties in the country (old farm, etc), 5 or more acres, reasonably priced, someone interested in a Trust of Deed sale, Land Contract, etc., please drop a line. We'd love to hear from and correspond with folks living the good life in that area (and others). We currently live in the middle of the New Mexico desert - and can't wait to get back to green grass and trees!! Thanks to each and every one of you - without Countryside to help provide the inspiration, focus, and determination - I'm not sure how we'd have made it!!

-- Lost in the desert (hmstdr@totacc.com), August 26, 2001

Answers

Hi "Lost", I have lived in Monroe county for seven years now and it sure is green, especially so this year! Buckets and buckets of rain, hay coming out of our ears! We do love it here, friendly folks that still wave to you on the street or in your car, beautiful countryside with rolling hills and deep, dark hardwood forests full of fat deer and crawling with turkeys.

Here's a few websites of the local realtor's: www.swisslands.com ; www.fliehmanrealty.com ; www.unitedcountry.com ( go to the Ohio listings). Of the three here, everyone likes Swisslands the best, they are honest folk who are just interested in helping you find your "dream place" in the country, not of the used car salesman mentality.

Free free to e-mail me if you have any questions about around here, glad to help out.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), August 26, 2001.

I once read a book on buying land and the author proposed the idea that there was always land for sale in any given area. It's just that the current owners may not realize they want to sell it. The author suggested that prospective buyers dress appropriately for the area and then drive around in the country where they would like to live. You're to look for overgrown properties and properties that look like they haven't been lived in for awhile. Then you stop at neighboring farms to make inquiries. Many times the owner may not have even thought about selling grandma's old place and might consider it with a buyer standing in front of them. Or they may not be interested in selling, but will know of other properties in the area that are or might be for sale. The author also proposed that nearly 80% of all farmland and country properties that are sold, never see a realtor or are even advertised. Word-of-mouth is how it's done in the country. He also suggested this stratagy works best in the fall just after the crops are in. At that time of the year, many farmers are more receptive to parting with some land to help pay the bills the low crop prices won't cover. He also says that farmers are less likely to sell land in the spring and summer when they have crops growing on the land you're wanting to buy.

-- Steve in So. WI (alpine1@prodigy.net), August 28, 2001.