Buying land in a state that you don’t live in.

[66chevelle]

My wife and I are thinking about buying some land in Tennessee. It would be used for a long weekend getaway/vacation home. We currently own 20 acres and the only issue I have now is the occasional trespasser. I’m thinking of buying somewhere between 50 and 100 acres. I figure I will have issue with trespassers since I will not be living there the full time. I’m curious if anyone else has land like this and what issues you have encountered from it. What advice can you give me or what are some issues to look for? Thanks

 

[OutdoorDad]

First issue, purchase your real estate in a trust.
And transfer your existing real estate to the trust as well.

Or you will be settling your estate in two different states when the inevitable occurs.

 

[phylodog]

My wife and I are thinking about buying some land in Tennessee. It would be used for a long weekend getaway/vacation home. We currently own 20 acres and the only issue I have now is the occasional trespasser. I’m thinking of buying somewhere between 50 and 100 acres. I figure I will have issue with trespassers since I will not be living there the full time. I’m curious if anyone else has land like this and what issues you have encountered from it. What advice can you give me or what are some issues to look for? Thanks

If you aren't opposed to allowing someone to hunt on your property, a pretty good way to have it looked after would be to give a local LEO permission to hunt your property. These days, finding land to hunt on is far from easy. We currently have given LEO's permission to hunt on two pieces of ground we manage for that very reason and it's worked out well for us.

 

[Leadeye]

Southern Indiana has pretty inexpensive land if you're looking for 100 acres.

 

[SnoopLoggyDog]

Own a couple of acres on an island in Alaska. We have family that lives up there and have a cabin adjacent to our property. Property taxes are super cheap. The cost of transportation to get there, is the expensive part. We use Alaska Airlines Visa cards to earn airline miles. The location is beautiful and completely off the grid. Built our cabin last year. Going back this summer to finish the inside and install the decks. Will have solar panels and a generator for power.

There are many other land owners on the island. Most have never been there. The few that have, might make one trip and then never return. The crossing is pretty rough at times. The weather can change in an instant. The waves can stack up and swamp a boat in one or two surges. Water temp is 38-40 in the summer.

 

[amboy49]

If you aren't opposed to allowing someone to hunt on your property, a pretty good way to have it looked after would be to give a local LEO permission to hunt your property. These days, finding land to hunt on is far from easy. We currently have given LEO's permission to hunt on two pieces of ground we manage for that very reason and it's worked out well for us.

Why should the preference be for a LEO to hunt it ? Just curious. Your presumption is that a LEO flashing his/her badge to a trespasser carries with it more weight than a normal “citizen” who would encounter a trespasser ? I would assume a “normal citizen” would have the ability to contact law enforcement should a trespasser issue become a problem.

I see other folks that have either espoused this premise or know personally a couple of property owners that, in fact, have given permission to a LEO or a CO. Perhaps this the new normal. Rent a cop and pay with hunting permission.

 

[amboy49]

My wife and I are thinking about buying some land in Tennessee. It would be used for a long weekend getaway/vacation home. We currently own 20 acres and the only issue I have now is the occasional trespasser. I’m thinking of buying somewhere between 50 and 100 acres. I figure I will have issue with trespassers since I will not be living there the full time. I’m curious if anyone else has land like this and what issues you have encountered from it. What advice can you give me or what are some issues to look for? Thanks

Depending on your planned use, I would certainly think you should look into all of the applicable zoning laws. Additonally, you might want to check on the property taxes and assessments that are in place. If possible, look at the land use surrounding the potential property and what the future might hold for that land. Is a local town or city nearby known for being aggressive in acquiring land to be encompassed into the town boundaries ?

Is water and/or public sanitary and storm sewer available. What about electrical availability - how far off the road might you ever plan to build a structure and would you want eletricity run to it ? All of these questions are based on whether there are non of those amenities on site.

I would approach a distant land purchase just like a local land purchase. I certainly would require that the closing be performed at a local title company and also require that the closing would be insured. It might even make sense to employ a local attorney and spend a couple hundred dollars to have him help with writing the purchase agreement as well attending the closing. Remember, if there is a real estate agent involved, even if the seller is using one and you are using another, both real estate agents are really working for the seller since that is where their fee is coming from.

Good luck with your search.

 

[KJQ6945]

Why should the preference be for a LEO to hunt it ? Just curious. Your presumption is that a LEO flashing his/her badge to a trespasser carries with it more weight than a normal “citizen” who would encounter a trespasser ? I would assume a “normal citizen” would have the ability to contact law enforcement should a trespasser issue become a problem.

I see other folks that have either espoused this premise or know personally a couple of property owners that, in fact, have given permission to a LEO or a CO. Perhaps this the new normal. Rent a cop and pay with hunting permission.

You have a pretty good idea what kind of a person you are getting with a LEO. Here on INGO, to buy a gun, most will request a LTCH. Why? Because you were vetted through the system. It's the same thing. Most people apply for a job, go to an interview, and either get it or they don't. Apply to a police department, it is a process, very few survive. Sure, an occasional bad apple gets through, but it is a rare exception, rather than the rule.

 

[singlestacksig]

It does not have to be in another state for you to have trespasser issues... mark the boundaries & consider getting a few cell capable game cameras..

 

[phylodog]

Why should the preference be for a LEO to hunt it ? Just curious. Your presumption is that a LEO flashing his/her badge to a trespasser carries with it more weight than a normal “citizen” who would encounter a trespasser ? I would assume a “normal citizen” would have the ability to contact law enforcement should a trespasser issue become a problem.

I see other folks that have either espoused this premise or know personally a couple of property owners that, in fact, have given permission to a LEO or a CO. Perhaps this the new normal. Rent a cop and pay with hunting permission.

Was not intended as a knock on no LEO's by any means but I'd prefer to have someone with access to the property who also has the authority to drag a trespasser to jail on the spot. We spend a fair bit of money on signs and I'm not too forgiving to those who choose to ignore them. An LEO with a vested interest in keeping scumbags off of the property has a bit of an edge over most everyone else, I want my guard dogs to have big, sharp teeth lol.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Why should the preference be for a LEO to hunt it ? Just curious. Your presumption is that a LEO flashing his/her badge to a trespasser carries with it more weight than a normal “citizen” who would encounter a trespasser ? I would assume a “normal citizen” would have the ability to contact law enforcement should a trespasser issue become a problem.

I see other folks that have either espoused this premise or know personally a couple of property owners that, in fact, have given permission to a LEO or a CO. Perhaps this the new normal. Rent a cop and pay with hunting permission.

LEO's generally know the local trouble-makers, they have friends on speed-dial if the need arises, they know signs of suspicious activity w/o witnessing that activity, they know how to diplomatically handle situations that could get heated or emotional.

I can tell you this; the property next to me is own by an IMPD LEO (he used to work w/ phylodog). He has had troubles with a couple neighbors treating his property as their own. He has related some of his accounts to me but the impression I was given was that he wasn't in any hurry to make it known that the place was owned by a "cop". That is something he wants to keep on the down-low; but he was still able to handle the situation and his badge wasn't necessary.

 

[phylodog]

I can tell you this; the property next to me is own by an IMPD LEO (he used to work w/ phylodog). He has had troubles with a couple neighbors treating his property as their own.

The thought of someone pissing him off to the point he decides to get creative in his responses brings me great joy. He has talents.

 

[CountryBoy19]

The thought of someone pissing him off to the point he decides to get creative in his responses brings me great joy. He has talents.

Haha, I can only imagine. I really like him, and we get along great. But you disrespect a man and his property and it will show another face... that being said, I don't know that he has done anything about it; if so he is tight-lipped. The situations I know of are trespassing hunters (couldn't ID them) and a druggie neighbor dumping trash on his place, intentionally (he just picked it up and moved on).

 

[66chevelle]

OutdoorDad I will look into the trust idea. I hadn't thought about that.

Phylodog I was planning on finding someone that I could trust to be a keeper of it while I'm not there. My buddy let a military father and son hunt his property in southern Kentucky. They were the only ones that had permission to hunt it. They had full access to 160 acres his only two stipulation were don’t hunt alone either be there together or bring a hunting partner. The other was to send him a text and let him know when they were planning on deer hunting it and which days. That way he didn’t drive down there and mess up there hunt or vice versa. 2 times my buddy was in his stand and they walked right by him and never let him know they were going to be there. The last time we went down there it looked they the son had a party there was trash everywhere and mud pit in the middle of his hayfield. He kicked them off of it and they acted like he was in the wrong and they did nothing wrong. He ended up finding a local hillbilly that has been great for him. The guy text or calls him every year before the season to make sure he still has permission. He even bushogs the property and cleans up any done trees in the trails or hayfield.

Before anyone gets mad or try's to yell at me about pointing out they were in the military. I'm not trying to say anything bad about military people I have a very high respect for them and work with them everyday. I am just pointing out that he thought they would be a good fit but there is bad apples all over this world.

SnoopLoggyDog that looks like a great location from what I can see. How big is your cabin?

Thank you all for the help.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Before anyone gets mad or try's to yell at me about pointing out they were in the military. I'm not trying to say anything bad about military people I have a very high respect for them and work with them everyday. I am just pointing out that he thought they would be a good fit but there is bad apples all over this world.

You're right, there are bad apples in EVERY class... but there are a few classes where you can decrease the odds of getting a bad apple... I think that's why the LEO suggestion came out. There are dirtbags in the LEO community, but not nearly as many in the other communities/classes/etc.