Land
Buying land for a homestead
Find land that fits the life you want, and know it’s right before you buy. Learn the same system our team uses to grade properties every week.
Free class with Curtis Stone. Not sure where to start? Answer one question.
Our method
How we grade land before you buy it
Rule out deal-breakers and threats you can’t control. Then score what’s left on 11 weighted criteria, from what you can never change to what you can build.
Permanent
Can’t be changed
Weight ×2
- ClimateGrowing season, rainfall, fire, flood and storm risk
- GeographyElevation, slope and which way the land faces
- WaterSources, flow, quality and the right to use it
- Social and economicNeighbors, zoning, nearby industry and town
Semi-permanent
Hard to change
Weight ×1.5
- Access and circulationA year-round way in, and easements
- Vegetation and wildlifeWhat grows there, what lives there
- MicroclimateWinter sun, frost pockets and wind
- Buildings and infrastructureWhat’s there, and what it’s worth
Changeable
Can be built
Weight ×1
- Zones of useWhere the house, garden and animals would go
- SoilDrainage, topsoil and farming history
- Aesthetics and experienceViews, and how easy the land is to work
Score = each criterion’s rank (0 to 4, by the time, energy and money it would take) × its weight, added up. Lower is better.
Only A’s and the best B’s are worth a visit. Every property in the Homestead Accelerator directory grades A or B.
Built on the Scale of Permanence, first developed by P.A. Yeomans in the 1950s and adapted by permaculture designers Dave Jacke and Eric Toensmeier.
The path
From searching to building, in order
Know what you need
Your non-negotiables, your budget and the regions that fit, before you open a listing.
Check it from home
Water, access, zoning, flood and fire risk, and what’s next door, using maps and county records.
Plan the build
Water, power, permaculture and firewood, in the order you’ll need them.
Start free
Where to start
Free class
How to find your dream homestead property
The problems a listing leaves out, where good land hides, and how to use Google Earth to rule places out before you visit. With Curtis Stone.
For members
Graded land, every week
Each week members get properties we’ve already checked, with what’s good, what’s hard and what to verify before you call. Included with Homestead Accelerator and Freedom Farmers Pro.
Done with you
Rather have us run the search?
Tell us what you need. We build your criteria, grade candidate properties remotely and prepare you for every visit. You still make the call. Pricing comes after you apply.
Free download
The Land Checklist
The same system as a printable scorecard: your deal-breakers, the 20-mile threat check and all 11 criteria.
Questions
Before you buy
The free class goes deeper on all of this, with real properties.
Can I afford a homestead property?
Probably sooner than you think. The more than 50 properties we graded for our land course averaged about $262,000 US, most with 10 acres or more, a mix of raw land and land with a home already on it. The trick is knowing where to look and what to rule out.
I don’t know anything about land. Where do I start?
With the Land Checklist. It walks you through every check in order and tells you which ones you can answer from home. The free class then shows the system on real listings.
Can I check land without visiting?
Most of it, yes. Satellite views, public maps and a few phone calls rule out most bad fits before you spend a weekend driving. Save your visits for the properties that grade A or B.
How many acres do I need?
It depends on what you want to grow and raise, but most people we talk with look at 6 to 20 acres. Usable acres matter more than the total.
What’s the most expensive mistake buyers make?
Buying before checking water. A dry or very deep well can cost more than the land, and it’s one of the easiest things to check first.