What to look for in buying your homestead!

[skeeterbay]

Ok what does a person need to look for in buying their homestead site:

Some of my ideas are:

How big?

Where/neighbors?

Soil quality?

Water?

What are your ideas on these and any others?

[sparkky]

climate
growing season length
local wild foodstuffs/wildlife
proximity to large cities, military bases, waste sites, high travel areas.
state laws
tax rates
employment, if needed
schools, if needed
medical facilities, if needed
access to utilities, if wanted
local zoning restrictions/building codes

[12guage]

might consider terrain. i do at least.

[Bidah]

From a different perspective, I also added the following criteria:

South Facing, especially in any sort of narrow canyon
Ingress/Egress routes
Year round water supplies with no well needed.
Wood supplies close by or on land itself.
Combustibles and fire activity (important out West).
Lookout location possibilities and lines of fire.
Local wildlife

-Bidah

[FREE RIFLEMAN]

climate
growing season length
local wild foodstuffs/wildlife
proximity to large cities, military bases, waste sites, high travel areas.
state laws
tax rates
employment, if needed
schools, if needed
medical facilities, if needed
access to utilities, if wanted
local zoning restrictions/building codes

I especially like the "employment, if needed" part. It is the only thing keeping me from panhandling outside the WalMart parking lot... It is the chain that keeps me from disappearing altogether. (I believe most can figure out what is on the end of that chain...:D