Knowing how to get free land to build a home is important to potential homeowners. Free land programs offer affordable ways to claim a piece of the American dream while revitalizing small towns.
Knowing how to get free land to build a home is important to potential homeowners. Getting free land to build a home may sound too good to be true. But in a few states, free land programs offer homebuyers just that. You’ll need to meet the program guidelines, and you’ll want to scope out the town offering the land to make sure it’s a place that meets your lifestyle needs and preferences.
Free land programs are incentive-based initiatives to attract homebuyers to certain areas. Most offer a piece of free property to qualified buyers – with some stipulations. Programs often require participants to begin or even complete construction on their homes within a set period of time.
These programs are designed to bolster the towns or counties in which they exist, so governments don’t want the land to languish or for people to snap up properties but then not move in and invest in the area. So if you’re intrigued by the possibility of getting your own piece of property at no cost, remember that while you might be getting free land, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.
Nonetheless, free land programs can be a great way to start a homestead or secure a plot where you can build your own house for less money than you might otherwise need.
And if you’re thinking the idea of getting land for free sounds too good to be true, consider this. Free land has been offered periodically throughout U.S. history.
Abraham Lincoln’s Homestead Act in 1862, for example, gave 160 acres to settlers who’d agree to build a homestead, in exchange for a filing fee. A series of land rushes in Oklahoma took place in the late nineteenth century.
Those programs existed for pretty much the same reason they do now: State and local governments want to incentivize people to settle down there. In some rural communities that have seen little growth or that have seen their populations drastically decline, free land can make an otherwise ho-hum locale a lot more attractive.
Many free land programs are located in rural areas of the Midwest. These areas saw population declines in the twentieth century as single-family farms gave way to larger, more consolidated farms. The towns offering free land want to revitalize their economies by bringing in more people and businesses. To that end, some may offer free property to businesses as well, in the hopes of building up local amenities that make the area more attractive.
The following are free land programs currently listed online:
Currently, some are located in Kansas (Lincoln, Mankato, Osborne, Plainville), Nebraska (Elwood, Curtis), and Minnesota (New Richland).
The specific requirements for free land initiatives vary by program, so you’ll need to contact the city in which you’re interested to find out their exact guidelines.
But you can likely expect the following:
Before you start packing your bags, you’ll want to assess whether a particular community meets your needs – free land or no free land.
Remember that free land programs exist in towns with populations so small, their local governments need to go big to bring in more people. That means the area may not have certain amenities, conveniences, and services on which you currently rely.
That doesn’t mean you should write them off, though. The town itself might be small, but it might not be that far from a larger area where you can access services as you need them.
For instance, one Iowa town with a population of 120 that was offering free plots was located only an hour from Des Moines, the state capital. Folks who moved there could take advantage of the free land offer while being a relatively short drive from plenty of dining, shopping, entertainment, health care services, and other amenities.
To make an educated decision about whether a free land program will work for you, consider the following:
If you can find free land in an area that suits your lifestyle needs, that can be a great way to start your real estate journey and claim your piece of the American dream. Just be sure to research the area and the program guidelines to ensure that it works for your vision of homeownership.
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*This advertisement does not constitute tax advice. Please consult a tax advisor regarding your specific situation.
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