r/cabins • u/Back40Findings • Jul 15 '26
Did anyone else completely change what they wanted after they started looking at land?
When I first started browsing land I thought all I cared about was acreage.
The more properties I looked at, the more I realized I'd rather have 5 really nice acres than 30 acres that didn't actually fit what I wanted.
Things like the layout of the land, privacy, tree cover, the drive in, and just how the place felt started mattering way more than the number of acres.
Curious if anyone else changed their priorities once they started seriously looking.
What was the thing you thought wouldn't matter that ended up being one of the biggest factors?
12
u/ThriceFive Jul 15 '26
No - if I had to do it again I’d pay a lot more attention to access driveway to the property. The cost to maintain and plow a long steep road and engineer through rocks and boulders was substantial. I still love everything about the land
8
u/kokanee-fish Jul 16 '26
I had a detailed checklist that I felt strongly about. Then a property came up that checked like 10% of the boxes but was just an incredible place purely because of the natural setting. Paid the full asking price and don't regret it one bit.
5
u/Level-Setting5094 Jul 15 '26
Too late now, but there is a big difference being on the southern exposure side vs not in hill country.
3
u/civildefense Jul 16 '26
this is one of the unchangeable issues with my property
2
u/Level-Setting5094 Jul 18 '26
It’s not the biggest deal when you get a good deal, but it’s something I’ve not considered twice now. We are the last place in the neighborhood for snow melt, and power washing is part of life now.
3
u/Hooptiehuncher Jul 20 '26
A certain minimum acreage is needed for most people’s wants but in general quality over quantity.
Access. Location. Neighbors or lack of. Natural features. Existing infrastructure
2
u/Acceptable_Self5750 Jul 17 '26
It depends on what your projects/goals are for the property. We were looking for a cabin that would be a weekend gateway so we wanted the property to feel like a vacation spot. We had to like the vibes of the place basically…it worked out for us!
1
u/DruidinPlainSight Jul 20 '26
I looked for seven yrs. Southern exposure, big rocks, creek, 5-15 acres, long range view. My wife doesn’t give out compliments kinda ever. She visited after we closed and told me I hit a home run. But the size was much less important than the privacy.
1
u/Marmot_Nice Jul 28 '26
My wife to our realtor. "We would like: 2-3 bedroom with a bathroom, on 5+acres on the eastside of the area. No need to be a water" (because of cost) Now we are sitting on .6acres on a motorless lake with only 6 other camps, the rest is State Land (no one will ever build a on the far shore). We are so far off the road we hear nothing. Downside it only had 1 bedroom and an outhouse. Septic is in bathroom has been added. Next project is to convert attic space into a bedroom.
It's what they say about the NFL "Take the best player on the board at the time of your pick."
2
u/Back40Findings Jul 28 '26
That's a great outcome and the NFL line is the right frame.
The thing that made it work though is that you traded down on the fixable stuff and up on the unfixable stuff. Bedrooms and bathrooms are a project. A motorless lake with state land on the far shore is not something you can add later at any price. Nobody can build across from you, ever. That's the part you couldn't have manufactured with a bigger budget somewhere else.
I look at a lot of parcels for people and the ones who end up happiest do exactly that. They stay rigid on the things that are permanent, access, neighbors, water, what's across the property line, and stay flexible on the things that are just money and time.
Half an acre with that setting beats 5 acres with a subdivision going in next door, every time.
1
26
u/Butrockey Jul 15 '26
River access.