Homesteading still??

**celticsavage** · 02-09-2009, 03:32 AM

Is it still possible to get cheap land using the homesteading act or any other way?

**crashdive123** · 02-09-2009, 08:16 AM

Cheap land? I suppose you can come across it from time to time (My Mother In Law has 54 acres for sale relatively cheap). If the Homestead Act you are referring to is this one

From Wiki: Homestead Act was a United States Federal law that gave an applicant freehold title to 160 acres (one quarter section or about 65 hectares)-640 acres (one section or about 260 hectares) of undeveloped land outside of the original 13 colonies. The new law required three steps: file an application, improve the land, and file for deed of title. Anyone who had never taken up arms against the U.S. Government, including freed slaves, could file an application and improvements to a local land office. The Act was signed into law by President Abraham Lincoln on May 20, 1862.

Then goes on to say:

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976 ended homesteading; the government believed that the best use of public lands was for them to remain in government control. The only exception to this new policy was in Alaska, for which the law allowed homesteading until 1986.
The last claim under the Homestead Act was made by Kenneth Deardorff for 80 acres (32 hectares) of land on the Stony River in southwestern Alaska. He fulfilled all requirements of the Homestead Act in 1979, but he did not actually receive his deed until May 1988. Therefore, he is the last person to receive the title to land claimed under the provisions of the Homestead Act.

Now, there have been some groups that have proposed new laws that would re-introduce homesteading, but I don't believe they have gotten very far with it. There may be land or programs in other countries available with the guidelines that you have mentioned.

**crashdive123** · 02-09-2009, 08:20 AM

I got some interesting (albeit maybe not legitamate) responses when I Googled "cheap land for sale".

**Stairman** · 02-09-2009, 08:23 AM

Damn! too late again.Small plots of a few acres would be a better idea these days,for a small farm.

**Sourdough** · 02-09-2009, 08:50 AM

Homesteading was not free, in fact homesteading was expensive. You pay for what you get in life one way or another. The state of Alaska has tried several programs to give away land. And despite the dreams of the homesteaders it always ends poorly.

What makes land cheap, land is cheap when no one wants it. There is cheap land you can buy right here, but it is under the ocean, it sunk in the (1964) earth quake. There is swamp land, contaminated land, land with no water, land with too much water.

**wildWoman** · 02-09-2009, 11:18 AM

I'd say, if you look hard enough, in different places and make yourself knowledgeable under which conditions land is for sale...you will find something for a reasonable price. It just takes a LOT of time and effort, and you'll have to do all the footwork yourself.
Twice, I was able to buy land for an affordable price where everybody told me it would be impossible to get anything. You need to buttonhole the people who are in charge of selling land and read through all the regulations that govern the sales. If you have the drive to do that I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for. As soon as you start taking no for an answer, you've lost.

**MatthewnOK** · 02-09-2009, 02:26 PM

You can get land cheap down in my neck of the woods. About 400-500 dollars an acre will buy you a nice little farm 40-50 miles away from civilization look for land in Red Oak, Oklahoma if your interested...

**crashdive123** · 02-09-2009, 04:56 PM

Originally Posted by MatthewnOK

You can get land cheap down in my neck of the woods. About 400-500 dollars an acre will buy you a nice little farm 40-50 miles away from civilization look for land in Red Oak, Oklahoma if your interested...

Hold on just a minute there mister. Didn't you say in another thread that the only fishing in your area was scooping up the dead ones floating by? Hmmmm? I wonder if contamination of some sort is affecting land prices?

**MatthewnOK** · 02-09-2009, 05:51 PM

Originally Posted by crashdive123

Hold on just a minute there mister. Didn't you say in another thread that the only fishing in your area was scooping up the dead ones floating by? Hmmmm? I wonder if contamination of some sort is affecting land prices?

Actually red oak is about 40 miles from me. The contamination comes from chicken houses running into the blackfork/poteau river running into wister lake. Land is cheap there because it's on the backside of nowhere. It's bad about 7-10 deaths here are cancer. I reckon it's from chemicals/chicken manure.