Buying a Hobby Farm
Updated 2021
Long before we bought our 7 acre mini farm, we knew we were looking for a change.
Because of the military, we moved around a lot or spent a lot of time separated, sometimes living thousands of miles apart. After a few years, we found life had settled down, and we found out we were expecting our second child. At the time, we were living with family. We decided it was time to find our own place.
We bought our first house on a quiet cul-de-sac with a great fenced backyard. We planted a small garden and had a few flowerbeds. It was a perfect starter home.
After a few years, the neighborhood started changing. We realized that we wanted a life that looked more like our grandparents. We wanted to be more self-sufficient and surrounded by nature. Every weekend we started driving around in the country looking at properties. We could afford to buy land, but we couldn’t afford both our current mortgage and to build a new house. Or we could afford to buy land with a 1 bedroom small single wide trailer which wasn’t ideal with 2 kids. It was frustrating.
Eventually, Mr. Roberts was offered a new job which required us to move. We decided to take this opportunity to find a more ideal property that matched our vision of a homestead. That required us to live apart for almost 6 months, one in an apartment and the other living with family. Read more about our house hunting challenges.
Even after we bought the property it took us almost 15 months to make all the repairs it needed. The house only had subfloors, lots of plumbing issues, no landscaping, and some really ugly bathrooms. As soon as we moved in, the first thing we had to replace was the hot water tank. The old one was almost rusted through. We also realized that the dishwasher was broken and needed replaced. So, we did dishes by hand for over a year until we found what we wanted for a good price.
We put wood laminate flooring in most of the rooms. We pulled out ugly vinyl flooring and put tile in the bathrooms. We replaced all the bathroom sinks and cabinets. (That was a plumbing disaster).
We slowly started adding landscaping, flowerbeds and garden spaces. Sometimes redoing them 2 or 3 times until we were happy. We had to fix the driveway a few times after the creek flooded and washed it out.
We cleaned junk out of the old barn, taking trailer loads of trash to the recycling center or trash dump including old car doors, tires, and broken appliances.
We worked harder those first 3 or 4 years than we ever had. We still work hard, but thankfully not at the same pace.
Hobby Farm vs Homestead
Hobby Farm - a small farm operated for pleasure or supplemental income
Homestead - the place where a family lives and creates a self-sufficient, wholesome lifestyle.
Farming - producing food, produce, livestock, or meat for profit.
150 years ago, homesteading was setting up a home and a farm on 160 acres to make a living. A modern homestead is considerably smaller and a slightly updated purpose. It is about living simply, being more involved in the production of what you consume, and a return to natural living. Being a modern homesteader fulfills our pioneer spirit and helps us feel connected to our roots. Many homesteaders live on a few acres with some living in the suburbs.
We have always considered ourselves a merge between the two. We call our place a hobby farm because we don’t rely on it for our income, and we don’t intend to become completely self-sufficient. However, we do incorporate many of the aspects of a homestead. We have always had chickens, grow a large garden, and planted a small orchard.
Buying a fixer-upper means that we have used or learned many of the skills handed down from our grandparents. The more we learn, the more we want to learn and do. We feel more connected to nature and try to incorporate stewardship of the land. We spent months looking at soooo many properties to find one that fit our purpose and wants.
“Once you carry your own water, you will learn the value of every drop.”
Starting a Homestead
Whether you consider yourself a hobby farm, homestead, or a mini farm, the aspects of starting a farm remain the same. Before even looking at real estate listings, you should do some self-evaluations.
Know your purpose. Is your goal to provide all your income? Do you want to be off-grid? Do you want a more natural lifestyle? Knowing the goals of your homestead makes a difference in what you are looking for and your happiness level.
Know your strengths. If you already know that you hate living in a construction zone, don’t buy a fixer upper. Buying a farm won’t change your likes and dislikes, and it takes years to develop some skills. Recognize your strong points and weaknesses to avoid failure.
Be realistic. Know what you are willing to compromise on and what are deal breakers.
Start building your skills now. Even if you live in a tiny apartment, there are so many skills that you can start developing now. Cook every meal from scratch. Research plumbing repairs. Take a course on sewing or canning. Spend time volunteering in your community garden. Having hands-on experience before starting your homesteading journey will save you a lot of headaches.
Looking for a Property
We had spent years driving around looking at and talking about potential properties. So, when the time came to buy our hobby farm, we knew what we wanted. It just took us a few months to find it.
Housing. We knew that we wanted to find a property with an existing house. We didn’t care about the age and we weren’t too picky about the size. But, we knew we needed 3 bedrooms or the potential to build a 3rd bedroom.
What are your minimum requirements for housing? What can you compromise on? Do you want a house or just land?
Outbuildings. While having a barn wasn’t a requirement, the large old barn is what sold us on this property.
Do you need your property to have barns, sheds, or outbuildings? Can you build them later?
Distance to Town. When buying this property, we knew that Mr. Roberts would be commuting to work. However, moving from the suburbs where Target was 5 minutes away, there was a lifestyle change with needing to drive 20 - 30 minutes to the grocery store.
How far is it to the grocery store? How far away is the nearest hospital? How far would you need to drive to sell anything you grow?
Water. We knew when we bought this property we were moving from public utilities to a private well and septic tank. It requires more maintenance and time from us. If you have livestock, where will they get water?
How comfortable are you with maintaining your utilities? How much do you know about plumbing?
Utilities. One of our deal breakers was that we needed internet. While our “high-speed” internet is ridiculously slow, it does work. It is really hard to run a business or homeschool kids without being online.
Be sure to get a clear answer from all utility companies to know what services are offered at potential properties.
Terrain. We loved that our property was a mix of pasture and woodland. Buying a forest doesn’t work as well if you want to garden.
What type or mix of property are you looking for?
Proximity. While we are close to our neighbors, the way our land lays gives us some distance and privacy. We looked at multiple pieces of land with roughly the same acreage, but the terrain of many of them ruled them out of our search.
How close do you want to be to other buildings or neighbors? Do you want to be secluded? How steep do you want your property? Have you seen flood maps?
