A quick link since many of my visitors want to get right to the rustic lighting pages.

Rustic decorating is part flea market finds, part shabby chic, part ‘make-do’.

This style of decorating might, at times, involve antiques or country auction home and barn finds – that you fix up to the point of usability, and then display.

At other times, if you have a corner or use in mind first, you may have to buy something new and forcefully ‘age’ the pieces by paint finishes, stains or sanding techniques. We’ll talk more about taking new pieces and making them look old for the purpose of creating the rustic decor look in a moment…

Rustic Country Decor’s Newest Twist

Lately, both primitive and rustic country decor has taken a new twist.

This has just become popular in the past few years. I’ve yet to hear a name for it, but I’m about to suggest that ‘up country’ says it plainly.

"Up county is upscale primitive."

The primitive and rustic pieces are created new and of the finest wood and craftsmanship, then distressed to look old through paint applications and techniques, sanding and flinging the piece against the wall or hitting it with chains.

Now you might think that’s a little extreme, but I’ve seen ‘primitive country artists’ flog beautifully made coffee tables with chunks of steel!

These pieces go great in a room with antique-look signs or new, but rustic, hardware.

Now there are other forms of rustic country decor beside this newest trend…

• Prim country is most popular in painted pieces.
• Furniture, window frames and chandeliers that were once painted white, or the softest hues of yellow, blue or sage green.
• The paint is finely crackled through years of use or neglect.

You can make these pieces yourself for pennies on the dollar had you bought it new. You make them look realistic using a crackle paint treatment and some sandpaper – wearing down the areas that might be worn naturally over years of use.

If you can find it, skip over the standard Behr Crackle paint and grab the can that says Porcelain crackle – this will give you a ‘crazed’ finish such as you’d see on old china dishes.

You’ll find some great examples of home made, not antiques but aged, prim decor items in GoodByeCityLife’s country store here:
primitive decor.

Making it Look Rustic – Even If It’s New!

With my past business partner I learned many ‘aging’ tricks of the trade and I’m happy to pass these on to you, because it’s fun to do and a great creative outlet.

If you’re on a tight decorating budget, and you like the primitive decorating style, you really don’t have to spend a lot of money to get the look you want. You just need to have some time on your hands and a few paint supplies.

Making Your Own Rustic Decor Accents

To make your own pieces ‘on the cheap’ you will need to invest the time into scouting out some classic older pieces at flea markets, second hand stores, garage sales, and country auctions.

Once you have the furniture or wood piece at home you may need to repair wobbly legs, apply a faux finish, change the color, apply a little crackling mixture from your local home decorating store, sand down the corners, and so on.

Soon you’ll have the down-home appeal that is 100% to your tastes and matching the color schemes already present in your home.

Decorating Country Primitive

It all begins with inspiration and learning, decorating with what you already have and a passion for decorating.

Our home was very primitive (partly because the exterior has the appearance of a shabby rundown farmhouse – and we were working on refinishing the exterior, but a country fire took the house and contents. Today we’re building a log home.)

Inside the farmhouse, I began with some beautiful Better Homes and Gardens books and magazines, and brought my own style into the rooms.

Believe me, I’m no one special when it comes to decorating, and I’m definitely without training in this regard – but people loved to visit and see what my current projects and upcoming decorating projects are next – if I can do it, so can you!

You’ll find a few super affordable and quite
primitive pieces all ready to use in your home in our Country Store:

• Primitive shelves
• Primitive dolls
• Primtiive candles
• Primitive bears
• Primitive decor ideas

Or click here to see my favorite books on rustic country decor inspiration.

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Raising goats is, if nothing else, an exercise in laughter and stories to tell the grandchildren for years to come.

Often they’ll touch your heart in ways you never thought an animal could.

They’ll also drive you nuts in ways even your own children can’t. You can read some of my goat experiences here.

Goats are valuable for their meat, milk, hair and companionship (this can be annoying if they are not penned in as they will follow you all over the property and try to eat their way into your house).

Goats are an easy care animal, your biggest investment will be in fencing – and re-fencing, and then some fencing repairs, followed by buying and installing better fencing. You get the drift.

There’s some fencing supply products currently running on ebay below plus a lot of other helpful products to assist you in this venture.

If money is tight, once the fencing is done you’ll want to invest in hoof snips, tattoo kits, milk strainers or dehorning or castration kits.

This, of course, can all come later and is completely dependant on how you’ll be raising your goats.

Now let’s see what great deals eBay’s got for goat farmers today…

See All 17 items…

Raising Cows or Cattle

Raising cattle is not for the faint-hearted – they require a gentle hand and thrive on punctuality and routine.

Both dairy and beef cattle can be challenging and are equally rewarding.

Most of my family who farm are raising beef cattle and the word is that there’s a lot less money, but a lot less work, in beef cattle.

Dairy cattle farmers fare better if they have access to cheap labor (their own children with great work ethics?) or high priced supplies in the barn.

Money and hard work aside, it simply makes sense to raise your own beef if you have the room and a love for the animal (research proves that an animal owned and treated with kindness will fare better and produce a higher quality product for his or her owners).

Cows are gentle creatures who deserve great respect for their patience and sacrifices to humans.

If you are raising cattle for meat, milk, or market you’ll find that the cow, calf or bull that is raised with care is the one who’ll produce the most valuable end product.

You can read more about my personal experiences raising cows here if you’re interested.

I’ve spent years now shopping around for the best deals on farm supplies for all the animals we raise here. Specials come and go – and still they can’t compare with the deals you can find on eBay.

Here’s how to get the most out of shopping on eBay and save time as well as money!

View all 91 items in the Country Store

Raising Pigs

Meet a pig’s basic needs and you’ll seldom have a problem with them.

I grow mine outside and they always do well. Of course they have a roofed and 3 1/2 sided ‘house’ to get out of the elements, and lots of room to roam.

But my friend Shelley (just down the road from us), lets her pigs run free with the cows and donkey. Sometimes they’re seen in the sheep pen but the llama usually chases them out in short oder!

Shelley’s pigs have never run away, squeezed out of the fence (which would be really easy to do), and they cost her next to nothing to feed this way. Of course they don’t grow as fast as my pigs but 90% of what they eat is 100% natural – which, in the long run, is better for healthy human consumption.

However you decide to raise pigs, you’ll find they’re easy to keep. Provide them with some protection from the hot midday sun, a place to muck about, dry land, and food and water (water always available especially in summer). We’ve always had nice friendly pigs who at times seem more like pets than a future food supply.

You can read how to keep pigs in a barn here.

When the day comes to send your pig to the freezer I suggest getting a professional to do the dirty work – you’d be surprised how often even the toughest farmer realizes he has grown fond of a pig when kill day rolls around.

Plus, the work is messy to carry out yourself and some health restrictions in your area might not allow you to complete the task even if your family is the only consumer of the pork.

Feel free to drop me a line below for help or advice in these matters.

Now let’s see what local sellers have for pig farmers today…

You can shop in our country store by local zip code (see the advanced search feature) or browse the current sales below. These sales and auctions change every day, so add this page to add this page to your favorites and stop back in often. When you see something you like you can save the item to your personal watch list!

See All 29 items…

Random, but Related Posts

• Assessing the Value of a Farm for Sale Based on Barns and Out Buildings
• Poultry Feather Plucker for Chickens

There is always shopping in home decor and specialty stores, but after a while that can be expensive, buying items that looked great in the store, but really don’t fit the rest of your country home.

Every home we’ve moved into or redecorated, began with a stack of home magazines and books – and the creation of a tickle file (aka idea folder). You can do all your planning from the comfort of your own home, and leave the house knowing precisely what you’ll need for your decorating project.

Country Living resources (books and magazines) have always been my favorites since they’re loaded with lots of photos, ideas, and techniques to achieve the layout, theme, and environment you’re after.

Here’s why I recommend these books to friends, family, and now to you…

Most of the feature designs and country decorating ideas within our site pages are attainable on a modest budget. They’ll also get your creative juices flowing when you feel at an all time slump for dressing up a room (or, in the case of primitive country decor, ‘dressing down a room’).

Just as a writer, staring at a blank page or computer screen is the hardest part of getting the job done – so is the folly of the home decorator. On the other hand, when you have an outline (idea), an emotion (color), or a theme (rustic, primitive, log cabin), you’ll find your task half confronted and that much closer to completion. Start by clicking the book at right and browsing through the pages of other related books until you find a book that is just right for you and your new style.

Browse through lots of pictures in your magazines and books and learn about some fun paint techniques. Get instructions on do-it-yourself curtains, or easy wood treatments to dress up a room.

And don’t kid yourself – anyone can accomplish a country inspired decor challenge. As a matter of fact my previously not-so-handy friend Cindy re-designed her kitchen cupboards for under $100 from an idea in a Country Living magazine!

Country Decorating Feature Books

Ready for some more? Great – check out the Country Living decor line below.

A little pricier to obtain the looks within, but definitely inspirational! Most of my Country Living books and magazines are now dog-eared and 1/2 lent out to friends.

Find over 30 Country Living Country Decorating books here.

Country Living Decorating With Flea Market Finds – Hardcover

All Country Living Books Find the books above and below at way below retail. Many with free shipping or within your area.

Above all, have fun with your own decorating style!

Laura Childs

Primitive Decorating and Country Living Book Reviews

Find primitive pieces for your home in the Country Store:

• Primitive shelves
• Primitive dolls
• Primtiive candles
• Primitive bears

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By theme stores I mean those small shops that focus on just one area of expertise. Shops that are more of a destination and thrill than a mash up general store of stuff that you may or may not need.

These theme stores, these destination shops, are the way of the future. Truly I don’t understand why more ‘gift shop’ types don’t get this. On the other hand the mark-up on items are high which means you’ll pay nearly twice the price in a country decor theme store than you’d pay shopping online.

Go to any small town, or within a block of any mid-size city and you’ll see them – generic gift shops that carry 5 of everything, nothing coherent in the mix, seen it all somewhere else before. This is dull folks. Wonder why your small gift store is losing income every year?

On the other hand, the theme stores continue to pull in the numbers, continue to have full parking lots, continue to brand and make a name for themselves.

Saving on Gifts and Decor by Shopping Online

Now, if you don’t have time to drive to your favorite shop, but want a similar experience and get a great deal, eBay still fits the bill!

Lots of handcrafted items, lots of discontinued or overstock, lots of gift store ware (while they go out of business because they just don’t have ‘it’) — at lower than average prices.

The only trouble with shopping online is you can’t take it home today. This is a small price to pay when you’re getting a great deal with less time invested.

To give you an idea of what I mean, view the primitive and vintage items below. All from one category in eBay, varied in selection but working within one theme, one target.

Primitive Vintage Stackable decor Angel Boxes Storage

US $7.99 (1 Bid) End Date: Friday Nov-20-2009 21:01:53 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

Primitive Americana STAR Country Rustic Decor

US $4.50 (9 Bids) End Date: Saturday Nov-21-2009 3:17:55 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

Christmas gift tag primitive snowman country decor

US $6.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Nov-21-2009 5:44:06 PST Buy It Now for only: US $7.99 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

primitive handmade snowman tissue box cover/decor/gift

US $9.00 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Nov-21-2009 6:06:07 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

Primitive Star Tissue box cover Country decor

US $13.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Nov-21-2009 6:09:39 PST Buy It Now for only: US $16.99 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

Primitive WOOD CHAIR / Shelf ~ Country Home Decor

US $19.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Nov-21-2009 6:14:13 PST Buy It Now for only: US $24.99 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

PRIMITIVE BARN STAR CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY WALL DECOR NEW

US $8.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Nov-21-2009 6:47:28 PST Buy It Now for only: US $11.99 Bid now | Buy it now | Add to watch list

COUNTRY PRIMITIVE WOOD TRAY OR WALL DECOR FAITH

US $7.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Nov-21-2009 12:46:18 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

COUNTRY PRIMITIVE WOOD TRAY OR WALL DECOR LOVE

US $7.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Nov-21-2009 12:46:22 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

COUNTRY PRIMITIVE WOOD TRAY OR WALL DECOR HOPE

US $7.99 (0 Bid) End Date: Saturday Nov-21-2009 12:46:23 PST Bid now | Add to watch list

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The Encyclopedia of Country Living

You’ll find reviews on Amazon’s website on this one and discover that people either love or hate this book. Most of the people who don’t like it are those who find dis-organization insufferable as they’ll find concise set of instuctions on any one topic lacking.

Personally I love this book. Is it scattered? Yes. But when you consider the author and the lifeline of the book you’ll understand why. Carla was a city girl just like me who jumped into farm life without much knowledge. She shares her experiences, trials and emotions openly through her journey and through the pages of the book. Now that I’ve said that I must also say that the book over the years has had a fair amount of an editor’s hand and reads better today than ever. On a side note, Carla Emery is no longer with us but she is immortalized in the pages of The Encyclopedia of Country Living.

In 1999 or 2000 I spoke with Carla. She had given all she could to the world and was still ready to lend a hand or advice to any struggling farmer right before her death. However she was poor and living in a trailer. All the years of this book being a best seller did her little good in the long run. In Carla’s life she took in boarders interested in learning about life and travelled the USA giving talks to many clubs and organizations. She was a kind hearted and wonderful woman – if you read the book, you’ll feel as though you’re taking notes at her kitchen table. It only makes sense as that is how she wrote the book, and published it, in monthly binders sent out by subscription to a small group of ‘back-to-the-landers’ in the 1960s.

Her children and sometimes her husband Mike would compile the newsletter around the kitchen table where stacks of pages were strategically placed so that each family member could circle that large table and create each package by hand for every subscriber. Eventually the contents were picked up as a book and The Encylopedia of Country Living has been reprinted and edited numerous times. Carla never considered herself a gifted writer, but she is accessible in her style and honesty with her readers. This book is a favorite that is forever passed between friends’ houses and my own – even though many of them are third generation farming families. I had an older version of this book which for some reason I gave away, and now can’t even remember who I gave it to! They must have needed it…The book is a fun read that is valuable and helpful – even in the city! Recipes, how-to, gardening, first aid and more. Find out more about: The Encyclopedia of Country Living here.

Country Wisdom and Know How

Although this is one of my most recent acquisitions I have still had tie to enjoy the tips and guidelines I’ve discovered within the covers of this book. Purchased cheaply, I wasn’t expecting much, but I do enjoy the rustic, made at home, feeling the book’s pages impart. The book is an odd size – 10.5 x 13.5 inches – but the text inside is abnormally small and hard to read. You’ll need reading glasses to get through or even browse this 450+ page book that covers topics on Gardening, Home, Crafts, Cooking and Gardening. Topics, oddly enough, that are all covered here on GoodByeCityLife (with no expense to the reader) and we’ve even included raising pets and farm animals in the country.

Learn More about: Country Wisdom & Know-How, here.

Some Read, Long Ago, and Somewhat Forgotten

Other books I have read, that were all part of my own development here on the farm, were lent out to others years ago, or lost in our house fire of 2008 are below. Barbara Kingslover’s book is relatively new and the final of the three, The Joy of Keeping Farm Animals, was written by yours truly and is set to be published in Spring, 2010. You could pre-order now though and win my heart in the process.

Laura Childs

Country Living Book Reviews

Home decorators! Be sure to see my favorite Country Decorating Books – great on those cold, winter nights when you need a little escape or inspiration! Both old and used are available. And many now include free shipping and fast delivery!

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How Much Fresh Water Does A Farm Need?

That’s the first question. Let’s consider in-house water needs first. The average family of 4 uses 150 gallons per day. That includes drinking, washing bodies, dishes and laundry, and food preparation.

As for the barnyard animals and their needs, one horse drinks 6-10 gallons per day and a milking cow will consume up to 35 gallons per day. Factoring in the animals you plan to keep has significant impact on your need for water on a farm.

Testing Existing Plumbing

If you are considering buying a farm house with a drilled or dug well and plumbing in place, make sure you test all taps in the house and on the property. This includes hydrants by the barn or in the field, as well as garden taps and every tap inside the house.

While testing, you’re looking for a consistent steady flow from each. Run a few at a time that are in close proximity to each other and note the change in pressure if any. Keep in mind that almost any system will be adequate during spring runoff and considerably slower in the final hot dry days of summer. Also remember that each area of the United States and Canada differs in their available water supply – you’re not looking for any specific measurement, perhaps simply comparing the water capabilities between the many farms you’re viewing and considering.

Smelling and tasting the water are good first measures as well. Ask the owner or agent if the water has been tested and, if so, request a copy of the report. If not, you can take a water sample to a lab yourself to have it tested for high levels of minerals (primarily salt), or any presence of bacteria.

Natural Water Sources

If you have rivers/ponds/streams on the property and are considering keeping grazing animals you may also want to have samples of those water sources tested. An ounce of prevention, after all. It is neither difficult nor costly to have this done. You simply need to take a sample from the source and send it off to a lab. Your municipal office will be able to direct you.

You want to ensure that your farm animals aren’t consuming run off from any form of pollution upstream or a sewage treatment plant or for that matter a neighbor’s faulty septic system — not the type of water you’ll want your animals drinking or children splashing in.

Public Water

The government or a local association may fund water distribution to the area. If the government, check to see if there are limitations to quantity. If an association, ensure that rights to the shares of the co-op are included with your farm land purchase.

Water Rights

While your lawyer is checking for clear title and property easements, you will also discover whether another body (government, corporate or person) owns water rights to your property.

Final Consideration Regarding Water, Wells, Rights and Your Farm

If marshlands or shallow ponds exist on or near the property be fore-warned that these are prime breeding grounds for mosquitoes and other insects. You may have more than your share of bugs in spring and summer.

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After all, we can’t have you becoming dirt poor!

It doesn’t matter what you’re planning on growing on your farm. Whether you plan on growing fields of cash crops, cucumbers for dinner, or raising a herd of beef cattle, you’ll be planting something and relying on the soil’s fertility to make the farm sustainable.

Don’t worry if you hadn’t thought of this. It’s a common mistake is to overlook soil quality when purchasing a farm for sale. But overlook it and choose poorly and you might have to invest thousands to bring the soil up to meet your expectations and needs.

Take the time now to discover the quality of the soil on the acreage you’re buying.

A Visual Check for Soil Quality

There are a few checks and tests you can perform quickly on your own when you’re first viewing a property for sale.

First, you’ll want to know how many inches of topsoil is on the land, so bring a shovel along.

Ten inches is decent enough to grow a crop or garden on, 12-15" inches is far better. The topsoil should be dark, and feel soft, loose and crumbly.

Directly beneath the top-soil is sub-soil. A sub-soil’s drainage capacity is most apparent after a heavy rain — if the ground is muddy or spongy trouble is quick to follow (it’s not draining properly).

Investigate the matter further by digging a full 3 feet down — if the sub-soil is hard even after a heavy rain you will have a difficult time with both plants and septic systems. Hard sub-soil means that drainage is poor and both plants and seeds are likely to drown when setting roots.

What’s Happening to the Soil Next Door?

You can also look at the nearby farms. What are they growing? Talking to the locals about soil amendments or crops they grow is best. If you can’t reach them,  peek over their fences – just don’t go digging in their yards to see if they have the same problems the farm you want to buy has!

If your neighbor is having success with a crop chances are pretty good you will too. Plus, you’ve got an awesome resource just a stone’s throw away once you get to know that neighbor!

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Not that it’s an ongoing chore, or requires any specialized knowledge, but your septic tank is something that you should be mindful of at all times.

Oddly enough, it’s just one of those things that most of us never notice – that is until something goes terribly wrong.

And you don’t want anything to ever go wrong. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you the main reasons why, but I will tell you the most important aspects of not paying attention to your septic system.

First off, your family’s health relies on your septic system being in top working order.

• I’ve seen reports (I don’t remember where so I can’t cite them) that over a thousand people die every year from contaminated water in the USA.

It’s expensive to replace or install a septic tank.

A friend of mine just had a new one installed for his new house and paid the bill at $8,000. I’ve owned cars that ran for years for less than that!

Septic System Maintenance and Prevention Measures

The most common cause of septic system failure is due to the surrounding soil of the tank.

If the soil around the tank gets plugged and will not drain any more, the tank fills and eventually backs up.

To prevent plugging and filling you’ll have to start thinking twice about every item you flush or wash down the drain. Hence the reasoning for my big push on only bio-degradable solids! See the sidebar at right for the leading cause of a plugged septic bed.

How to Prevent Solids from Leaving the Septic Tank and Plugging the Septic Drain Bed

First and foremost, get your septic tank pumped every year when you’ve just moved into a new home. This is very inexpensive. After two years you can assess your family’s use and strain on this new house’s system and may be able to switch over to bi-yearly pump outs.

Talk to your septic pumping contractor about an effluent filter. These are installed by a septic contractor into the exit baffle of the tank. It’s job is to stop the larger solids from getting out to the drain field. The filters are cleaned every few years at pumping time. Although it seems like an added expense when you’re just settling in, remember what Gramma said "An ounce of prevention…"

Speaking of Grandma, Here’s An Old Septic Wives Tale

Some folks will tell you that using certain laundry detergents, bleaches and fabric softeners might kill the useful bacteria in your septic system, which in turn causes the system to fail.

Forget it. Moderate use of these products should not effect the operation of your septic system. Moderate. Although bleach and other cleaners do kill some of the bacteria that resides in your tank, given the huge amount of bacterial colonies thriving in there, the effect is negligible. Remember, moderate use – don’t be washing 5-10 loads of laundry with a heavy bleaching and expect your septic system to work normally.

Since we’ve determined that washing machines are particularly hard on your septic system, you’re probably wondering if there is an alternative. Yes, there is. You could use a separate system for your washing machine – apart and away from the regular household septic bed.

Every case, household, and septic system is different though. Some of the country folks around here have said that a washing machine should drain into the main system because everything keeps working better that way (especially in smaller households).

Laundry run off won’t generate the bacteria required to break down the matter in it’s own septic system.

What to Do If Your Septic System Fails

Call a specialist quick! You don’t want your family getting sick or have to replace the entire system on an emergency basis.

Often a simple pump out and filter tune-up can fix your system and you can avoid the high costs of replacing the system.

In some cases you may be advised to do something called "fracturing the soil". A hollow tube is inserted into the drain bed, then a 300 pound blast of air is injected into the soil surrounding the septic tank. This creates thousands of tiny air pockets in the soil and allows the drain field to continue doing it’s job.

Fracturing the surrounding soil is usually over with in a few hours and causes no damage to your yard or tank. It’s expensive, but no where near as expensive as replacing the entire septic system.

Now You Know All About Septic Systems

I do hope you’re reading this before you had to and not because you have a problem with your septic system at the moment.

If you don’t have a problem yet, make changes to your family’s laundry, flushing and washing down the drain rituals and be aware of your septic system’s health at all times.

If you are experiencing trouble with your system or your tank, check the local yellow pages for "Septic Tank Specialists".

More Septic System Tips

• Be careful what you flush or wash down the drain! Only biodegradable products and waste should ever go into your septic tank.
• Drain runoff water (from your roof, patio, or driveway, away from your septic drain field.
• As a precautionary measure you should keep your septic tank cover accessible at all times (or at least know where it is when you’re moving into a new farm or rural property! Trust me, it’s no fun digging around trying to find it when there’s a problem!
• Realistically, you should have your septic tank pumped on a regular basis. It should also be inspected for leaks, cracks, and to make sure the exit baffle is in place.
• Compost, don’t flush, your biodegradable garbage (you’ll get a longer life out of your septic tank and your gardens will be overjoyed – see How to Make Compost).

Leading Cause of Septic Failure

Washing machines are one of the top leading causes of septic system failure. Lint clogs the soil around the tank in your drain field. And standard washer’s lint screens do little good to sift out and hold back the tiny fibers that eventually cause all the damage.

Plus, if you’re washing a lot of household items and clothing that are made of polyester you’ve got a bigger problem, faster, on your hands. Polyester is not bio-degradable! If they end up in your drain field your only recourse if to replace your entire drain bed and start again. See what I mean? Big Problem, Very Quickly.

Don’t do this to your septic system…

• Don’t use a garbage disposal.
• Don’t flush feminine products, disposable diapers, or other non biodegradable items into your septic system.
• Don’t flush solvents, oils, paints, disinfectants, pesticides or any other poisonous product down the drain.
• Don’t dig in your drain field or build anything over it (not even a rhubarb patch!).
• Don’t drive over your drain field or cause the soil to compact in any way.
• Don’t plant trees or bushes in the absorption field area. The roots can get into the lines and plug them. Grass is the only exception.

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The first recommendation comes personally from me. I’ve seen this work first hand and the owner saved a bundle of cash on a home that sold for over $200,000.

Here’s how to save money before and after you shop for farm land…

Sell your city home or find your dream farm house, farm land, homestead or any home for that matter on For Sale By Owner (National Real Estate Listings without the Commissions!).

My neighbor, in our tiny Canadian hamlet, population 500, sold his home for his asking price in one month on that website! Make no mistake, if a retired farmer with no computer experience can do this, so can you!

Farm Foreclosures – Great Deals on Farm Land for Sale

Next I want to ask you to consider buying a foreclosure farm land. This is better than a country auction!

You know banks don’t want to hold titles on farm land, pay taxes or worry about maintenance. They’re in the business of carrying mortgages and making money off the interest! Therefore when farm land comes back to them – due to a series of defaulted payments – they’re anxious to sell that property.

So what does that mean to you if you’re looking for farm land for sale?

Only this – repossessed or foreclosed homes are highly negotiable and quite reasonably priced.

Read that again: Highly negotiable and reasonably priced. Likely the reason you see so many late night infomercials on buying and selling real estate – there’s good money to be made buying up foreclosure farms and other properties then flipping them.

If there’s good money to be made then there is definitely great money to be saved, by you, for your dream farm.

You may just find the gem you’re looking for at an absolute steal and start living the country life sooner than you’d imagined!

You can get a free list of every Bank & Government Foreclosure right here.

Or…this is fun! Check out the country online auction for listings of farm land for sale below. I’ve hand picked each one and they change daily, so come back often!

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Most of these terms and considerations will be on your legal documents so you will want to be well versed and comfortable with each term and it’s meaning before you sign on the dotted line.

This page and it’s contents are not meant to replace legal advice or counsel. If you are uncertain about any legal document you are signing consult with a professional lawyer first. It is their job to keep you safe from financial harm and ensure that all your land purchases are well researched.

Common Real Estate Legal Terms

Agreement of Purchase and Sale

• Standard document which describes the terms offered by both parties, vendor and purchaser. This document is also to contain any encumbrances on the land. It is in your best interest when submitting an offer to make it contingent on a clear title search and financing.

Easements

• An easement is a legally binding right of way placed on a block of property. These may be on your property for other’s use, or on another property for yours. The most common easement is for vehicular access through one property to an adjoining one.

Eminent Domain

• Some agencies have the right to expropriate land with compensation to the owner for public use such as school construction, power lines, roadways, etc. The local planning department will know of any current proceedings in the county agenda.

Land Contracts vs. Mortgages

• A land contract keeps the title in the previous owner’s name until the full purchase price has been paid. This is risky business and should be avoided at all costs. A mortgage allows the purchaser a full and clear title at the time of land transfer.

Encumbrances

• Encumbrances are legally binding rights of the Crown or previous owner to exploit natural resources of the property, e.g., minerals, timber, water.

Survey

• A legal map of the property and it’s boundaries. Surveys are usually registered at the time of sale with the County Registrar or Land Registry Office.

Taxes

• Set amount of money paid yearly to the local government office for local services; ie., school, water, sewer, etc. Aside from knowing what the annual tax rate is for a property, check also for tax liens that might have been placed on the land during previous ownership.

Title Search

• Usually conducted by a lawyer for a nominal fee to ensure that the title or deed is free of liens and encumbrances.

Zoning

• If the land in question is not zoned for your intended purchase ensure that the zoning can be changed by the local Zoning Board.

More on Real Estate Legal Terms

You may also like to visit GoodByeCityLife’s Country Living Land Rights page for more detailed definitions of rural land rights.

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