The Top 9 Best States to Buy Land in 2021 - Discount Lots (2024)

FAQs

The Top 9 Best States to Buy Land in 2021 - Discount Lots? ›

Alaska has the largest land area in the United States followed by Texas and California.

Alaska has the largest land area in the United States followed by Texas and California.

If you want to find free land, then the top states that offer free land include Kansas, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Some restrictions typically apply, such as building a home within a certain time frame or using the land for agricultural purposes.

Unfortunately, there are no states without a property tax. Property taxes remain a significant contributor to overall state income. Tax funds are used to operate and maintain essential government services like law enforcement, infrastructure, education, transportation, parks, water and sewer service improvements.

Statewide, an average acre of Tennessee land is worth $14,400, but it's all about location. The average sales amount for a 251,911 square foot lot in one of Unicoi County's prime locations is $59,408, according to FindAnyAnswer.com. Tennessee's $14,400 per acre average cost compares to $12,100 in the lower 48 states.

How much is an acre of land in Texas? The average price per acre of rural land in Texas was more than $4,000 per acre in 2022, according to the Texas Real Estate Research Center. That average climbed each quarter: $4,116/acre average in Q1 of 2022.

What states have the highest land taxes? ›

Parts of Wyoming can have some very large ranches that seem relatively inexpensive compared to ranches in other areas and other states. This may be because the land is not as productive, is a long way from a major town, and may have limited water or other resources.

The 2022 Land Report 100, compiled each year by The Land Report magazine, released its annual list of landowners who own the most acres in the United States. The nation's largest private landowners are the Emmerson family in California who own over 2.4 million acres.

Arizona. A desert climate will be a challenge, but not an impossibility, for growing your own crops and farming the land. It's one of the cheapest (if not the cheapest) of all 50 states to buy land in, but you'll need to check whether the specific location you might have in mind actually allows for homestead building.

The United States had 895.3 million acres of land in farms in 2021. Texas had the most land in farms in the United States in 2021 followed by Montana and Kansas.

No state actually gives out free land, but there are cities that are offering free land. Most of these cities are located in the following states: Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado, Iowa and Texas.

This will be similar to purchasing a home, in that you have to sign your contract, known as a purchase agreement. However, since you are buying land with cash, you won't have to sign all the mortgage documents. Typically, you will request a cashier's check at the bank and exchange it for a deed.

That's just short of 44% of the total number of blocks. Those empty blocks add up to 4.61 million square km (1.78 million sq. mi), which corresponds to just under 47% of the total area of the United States.

1. Hawaii. Hawaii residents enjoy the lowest property tax rate in the U.S. However, the high cost of living and limited housing opportunities make it a very expensive place to live.

In 2020, the average American contributed 8.9% percent of their income in state taxes. Alaska had the lowest average overall tax burden – measured as total individual taxes paid divided by total personal income – at 5.4%, followed by Tennessee (6.3%), New Hampshire (6.4%), Wyoming (6.6%) and Florida (6.7%).

What state charges the highest of property tax? ›

1. New Jersey. New Jersey earns the top spot as highest property taxes not only in property tax rate, which is over the 2% mark, but in the actual dollars spent in property taxes; here the average home value is the highest on the list.

An entire Tennessee town — named Water Valley — is up for sale. And it could be all yours for $725,000. Nashville-based real estate broker Christa Swartz said the approximately 7-acre parcel of land is actually what's left of Water Valley after the town was incorporated into nearby Williamsport, Tennessee.

Defining Subdivisions

Tennessee's current framework for subdivision regulation allows but does not require local governments to set standards for the division and development of land into tracts that are five acres or smaller or that require extension of roads or utilities.

'Cheapest' places to buy land in US (five acres)

Among the least expensive areas to buy five acres of land, Hudspeth County, Texas tops the report category with the lowest price for five acres of land listed at $1,200.

In 1993 the Texas Legislature passed a law seen in Texas Local Government Code, Section 235.042. The law allows for individual counties to prohibit hunting with firearms (or bows) on lots or tracts of land that are 10 acres or smaller and located in the unincorporated area of the county in a subdivision.

Rural homesteads are limited to 200 acres for a family and 100 acres for a single adult, including improvements on the property. An urban homestead is limited to ten acres with improvements, which must be in adjacent lots.

One of the best strategies is to pay cash, because lenders consider vacant land a riskier investment than a house that's already built, and charge more to finance it as a result. If you plan to pay in cash, you'll want to budget for both the land and additional expenses like property taxes and utility installation.

Con: The Process Requires More Research

You will need to conduct soil tests, check local building codes and zoning regulations, obtain building permits, and make sure that you have access to underground utilities. Encroachments can be a real problem with vacant land, same as boundary disputes.

Texas. Texas tops the list of states offering cheap farmland. With its lengthy hot seasons and mild winters, the Lone Star State is especially ideal for growing cotton. The state is also a big beef cattle producer, so the price per acre may be lower due to the high demand for grazing land.

What five states have the highest property taxes? ›

1. Alaska. Alaska is the most tax-friendly state for retirees because it has no state income tax or tax on Social Security. And its sales tax rate is the fourth lowest on our list - fifth lowest in the U.S. But keep this in mind: The cost of living in Alaska is higher than in most states.

Every single state in the United States has some form of property tax on real estate and hence, in part, a tax on land value. However, Pennsylvania in particular has seen local attempts to rely more heavily on the taxation of land value.

The 29 matching properties for sale in Wyoming have an average listing price of $64,341 and price per acre of $1,755. For more nearby real estate, explore land for sale in Wyoming.

Bill Gates, the co-founder of Microsoft, who remains one of the richest people in the world, bought this historic ranch in 2009 (for $9 million). Known as the Irma Lake Lodge, the property was settled by Buffalo Bill himself, in 1902.

Wyoming has the lowest average cost of living among all of the Rocky Mountain states, beating out neighbors like Utah, Colorado, Idaho, and Montana. It also ranks among the top 20 most affordable states in the nation, according to MERIC data collected in 2022.

China owns roughly 384,000 acres of U.S. agricultural land, according to a 2021 report from the Department of Agriculture.

Best State to Live Off Grid: Hawaii

The best state to live off-grid for those seeking warm and temperate climates is Hawaii. While the Aloha state does get its fair share of rainfall, there are no rain harvesting restrictions, so you won't be short of water.

Where is the best place to have a small farm? ›

The best states for farmland in the US include Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, South Dakota, North Dakota, Texas, Iowa, Kentucky, Wyoming, and California. Consider factors like profitability, cost of operation, infrastructure, and availability when selecting a location.

Alaska and Hawaii. Alaska has extreme weather conditions, especially winters, and does not offer homesteading programs. In 2021, lawnstarter.com ranked Alaska as the worst state to start a farm, with a lower rank on returns on investments. Hawaii's cost of living and the value of land is very high.

Texas had the most farms in the United States in 2021 followed by Missouri and Iowa. Texas accounted for roughly 12% of the farms in the United States in 2021. Thirty nine (39) states had 12,000 or more farms in 2021.

What US states produce the most food? (Ranking 1-50)What US states produce the most food? (Ranking 1-50) California ranks first in the U.S. for agricultural cash receipts followed by Iowa, Texas, Nebraska and Illinois.

Iowa has some of the most fertile soils in the world. this “black gold” is found in northeast Iowa's gently rolling terrain, molded by climate, water and plant life.

How much is an acre of land in Texas? The average price per acre of rural land in Texas was more than $4,000 per acre in 2022, according to the Texas Real Estate Research Center. That average climbed each quarter: $4,116/acre average in Q1 of 2022.

Wyoming has the lowest average cost of living among all of the Rocky Mountain states, beating out neighbors like Utah, Colorado, Idaho, and Montana. It also ranks among the top 20 most affordable states in the nation, according to MERIC data collected in 2022.

wyoming Farmland Prices

Over the last 20 years, the price of farmland per acre in wyoming has risen by an average of 3.6% per year to $1,540 per acre as of 2019.

This might not come as a surprise, but you can find some of the cheapest vacant land in the country in Texas. Within Texas, Wilbarger County was the cheapest county in which one could buy a vacant lot since 2014.

How much is an acre of land in Montana? ›

Dollar per acre sales price for properties with 640+ acres in western Montana have been steadily increasing over the last 30 years, with an average dollar/acre value of $1,255 (1990-2020). Dollar per acre sales in western Montana reached a new high in 2021 at $2,115/acre.