Do you want a beautiful, isolated homestead with the world's best neighbors? Two friends of mine --- Steve and Maxine --- are selling 90 acres and a house for $225,000. If that's too much for you to handle, they're also willing to split the land apart into two parcels, like so:

• House + 5.4 acres --- $123,000 (Includes fields, woods, pond, spring and fenced yard)
• 85 forested acres --- $102,000 (Heavily forested land above house to top of Clinch Mountain)

This property belonged to Maxine's mother and is a quarter of a mile from Steve and Maxine's beautiful homestead. Having neighbors who've homesteaded for as long as I've been alive is an invaluable resource that should really be factored into the already low price tag. And even though I can't promise they'll teach you everything they know, I have a feeling the couple would quickly take anyone with an interest in farming under their wings. (They're some of the nicest people I know, are very interested in folks of all shapes, colors, and creeds, and are much less introverted than I am.)

The location is on the Clinch Mountain in Snowflake, Scott County, Virginia, a ten or fifteen minute drive from Gate City and less than half an hour from Kingsport (one of the towns we consider "the big city"). If you're planning on working in the area, chances are you'll be looking in Kingsport or Johnson City, and these towns are also good spots for shopping and entertainment.

Land features:

• Land extends to the top of the Clinch Mountain
• Pristine forest with old-growth trees, abundant birds and wildlife, rare and endangered plant species. (Editorial note from me: This is a truly beautiful forest! Very steep, though, so you'll be in good shape if you go walking.)
  
• Conservation easement on forested acres – protecting forest, mountain springs & reservoir (water supply for the house). This covers Steve and Maxine's property as well, so you won't suddenly be next door to a subdivision or a clearcut no matter how the land changes hands. The easement agreement is available upon request.
• Three mown fields totaling about 1 acre in combined size – could be grazed or converted to garden space
• Pond & dock
• Private road
• Fenced yard w/electric gate

House features:

• 6 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 2 baths  (1,164 sq. ft.)
• Custom-built manufactured home (standard building materials)
• Contractor-built large front porch and one-car garage
• Red cedar siding
• Hand-laid field stone over permanent block foundation
• 30/yr shingles on roof (reroofed about 10 years ago)
• 10” fiberglass insulation overhead; 4” fiberglass in walls and under floors
• Heat Pump – relatively new Carrier w/digital thermostat
• Windows – double glazed w/tilt-in feature for cleaning
• Handicap assessable 36” doorways
• Vaulted ceilings w/ceiling fans
• Sheetrock walls/ceilings throughout
• Hardwood floors in living room, dining room, hall and closets
• High-end major appliances – stack washer/dryer, glass-top stove, large refrigerator
• Tiled kitchen counter; oak cabinets
• Bathroom #1 - Tiled floor w/ large tile and glass walk-in shower
• Bathroom #2 – bathtub and stall shower
• Porcelain sinks & commodes in bathrooms
• High-speed internet access

At only $1,200 per acre for the non-house portion, this property is a great deal (and if you get the house, it's move-in ready). So if you're looking for an inexpensive homestead in an area that I consider one of the most beautiful in the world, this might just be it! Contact Steve and Maxine for more information: mountainfarm@mounet.com.

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About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.



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