Buying a lifestyle block Q's

[spacemonkey]

I'm toying with buying a 19acre block.

Are there any KB'ers out there that have done this?
What are the things to look out for, and does anyone know about who to get in to take a professional look at it to evaluate the land's potential problems??

Any advice you've got would be good.

[BMWST?]

find out the flood levels if applicable...

animals take a lot of work and cant be left to fend fore themselves...

[kevfromcoro]

I had a lifestyle block for a while.. and really it was just like a big backyard.. had cows. pigs .sheep. chickens , ducks...
didnt make a living of it.... acctually i spent most of my time looking after animals . and working on the place.takes a lot of money to look after a big place like that.
dont want to dampen your spirts... but listen to a few coments first.
mind you.. the solidtude was nice.... at a price.

[sidecar bob]

Otherwise known as a life sentence block, big enough to take all your valuable free time to maintain, small enough so you will never be able to make a living off it.

[doc]

Water supply is the biggest limit mostly.
You mention it is a Lifestyle block. Don't get carried away with dreams of making a living . Great to raise kids on. Summer is great everything is growing. Winters aren't my favourite time.

If you have any worries about it ask the neighbours, country folk love to give advice.

Cos once you buy a block you don't have to pay for advice, everyone seems to wants to give you advice..

If I was going to start again. I wish I'd planted more trees.

[hospitalfood]

the comments re making a living are true, you wont.
but that may not be why your buying?
north facing is good.
not a heap happens in rural nz, i live rural and know.
what part of nz you looking at ?

[Mom]

I'm toying with buying a 19acre block.
Are there any KB'ers out there that have done this?

There may be a few of us around.

Otherwise known as a life sentence block, big enough to take all your valuable free time to maintain, small enough so you will never be able to make a living off it.

You have that right mate. It is a block of land that is destined to keep you poor. Not so much a lifestyle for you, more about attempting to keep your animals in the lifestyle they are accustomed to!

[Dooly]

We have about 20 acres.

Its hard work, and you will find you will need things like chainsaws, decent weed whackers & mowers, fencing tools, and lots of good handyman skills.

To keep most of my weekends free in summer so I can ride, I have to work every night after coming home from work about 6pm doing things like mowing, cutting, fixing etc. Thank God for daylight saving.

You will also have to have some kind of stock purely to keep the grass down, but then again in drought or winter may need to buy hay and supplements.

As said above, water is a major priority, you have to have that well sorted, and when it comes to bores or getting them, expect to pay big bucks.

But all that aside, I would never go back to town, country life is the best.

[geoffm]

As mentioned by others - they are a money and time pit. All the costs of a farm without the tax deductibility or income.
OTOH, if I won lotto and didn't have ot work for a living....
Geoff

[BiK3RChiK]

Depending on where it is, you could go niche market... say, olives or flower greenhouses for export or similar. I've seen this done quite profitably by the most unknowing people. All the best. Most don't make a living out of it as has been said

[TerminalAddict]

19 acres would be too big for me

I have 3 acres (house and paddock) .. big enough to have dogs, cats, horse (or other paddock beast) etc.

Not too much work, coupld of weekends every summer dedicated to cleaning things up.

3 acres ain't enough to feed an animal tho' so we have to buy food occasionally.

[cold comfort]

I'm toying with buying a 19acre block.

Are there any KB'ers out there that have done this?
What are the things to look out for, and does anyone know about who to get in to take a professional look at it to evaluate the land's potential problems??

Any advice you've got would be good.

Hate to burst your bubble but, as they say, its a fine line between a lifestyle and a life sentence. Had a small block. Ran it as a deer farm. Cost huge sums to develop and sink a well.Not economic as you need the same tools for 10 acres as you need for 100. The income just covered the costs of running it. Worked 6 days a week on my day job and the 7th on the farm. Fantastic for the kids and horses but NO life for the parent. Every petty local body has got their hand out for money and its a huge sink hole for cash. The commuting for work and kids school/activites will finish you off. Had a sign on the horse float saying "poverty is owning a horse" About said it all.

[Jantar]

Nine years ago we bought an 11 acre (4.4 Ha) bare paddock. We had to build a business plan showing how we would develop the block in order to get consent to put a house on it. By the time we went through all the legal channels, established a house, fenced the property, built an irrigation pond, planted 200 walnut trees etc, we ended up with a very desirable lifestyle block that takes almost no work to maintain more than a suburban property.

There is no way that it will ever be an economic unit in terms of being self sufficient and paying its way. But it does keep the freezer full of meat, and we produce enough free range eggs to give away the surplas. Once the trees mature we will also get a small income; enough to cover rates and irrigation costs, but that is all.

Would I do it again? I bloody well would for sure.

[Hitcher]

Be very careful. 19 acres in many ways takes as much work as a larger property. If you're planning to run stock like sheep or cattle, make sure you have easy access to handling facilities like crushes and ramps. Sheep need to be shorn, sprayed, drenched, foot checked, dagged, etc.

You'll need water supply, a barn for supplementary feed, a Plan B for dry summers and a Plan C for wet winters.

If you haven't got a farming background, make contact with a small-holders association and be prepared to learn a lot. Trial and error isn't a good way to learn how to farm livestock.

Then, if you think you'll like doing it, find a property that best meets your needs.

[tri boy]

Bro in law plants 800-1000 Xmas trees a year on 4hctr's.
$1.00 seedlings turn into $30 xmas trees in 3yrs.
Takes up 2weeks a year at xmas, selling them.
Plants the seedlings in a weekend.
A bit of spraying two-three times a year, (weekend)
And a bit of pruning twice a year for those that need it.

Whats the % return from $1 to $30 in 3years before cost of spray etc?
It can work. (Put both his kids through school at private education).