Former investment banker here. This is literally the exact process we use to try to find businesses that might want to sell.

I’m an absentee land owner of 80 acres living 140 miles away from the property. I get a letter like this 4 to 5 times a year. Always a stupid low ball offer, offering 20% what I paid for it 5 years ago and only 10% what the land is worth now. If you make an offer in the first letter don’t insult the intelligence of the land owner.

Here’s another sort of odd tip, but one that helped me buy property cheap once- scan the obituaries. So and so from another state dies but the obit is in your local paper, because that person used to live in your area, and may still own land there. In the case I found, his family all lived in a different state and was happy to sell to settle his estate. I bought it for half the assessment.

I'm guessing the seven "thumbs down" were from estate agents.

Renting sucks, thank you for your quality information

I just wanted to take a min. to say thanks for making these vids. I know that sometimes it can feel like growth on YT is slow and the views are low, but you are making a difference and helping ppl. You have helped me, and my wife and I doubt that we are unique in this experience. Keep going, you really are making a difference. LS

Hint: You can pay someone at county tax office to do that title/ deed search instead of hiring a lawyer. We paid then $200.00 for ours. Legal, good as lawyer, state and county seal approved.

27 year old here with a dream of someday owning land to live on. Tired of paying rent, I think it's time to start investing toward my future living goals. No likes or replies needed. Simply here to say that your informative videos are greatly appreciated. Thank you for uploading!

I spent two years looking for a small piece of land. I took a large scale topo out and circled acceptable area in the county of interest. I did exactly the method explained here with tax maps and online searching. Took lots of networking and speaking to folks. Made lots of connections, and spent a TON of time driving around, attending local functions and networking. A simple discussion at a barbershop found me face to face with a guy literally intending to visit a realtor to list it after he left the shop......we met the next morning at the property, the following day I took my wife, on day three we had a sale agreement and he had hand money. It's been a year and a half and we couldn't be happier. We don't live there full time, but I know nearly all the neighbors, farmers, etc.... We are now a valued local asset and are in "the network" of locals in that area and considered part of the community even though are permanent home is an hour away. Also consider delinquent tax auctions. We bought a neighboring property to our full time home for a song in that fashion. R

Very good info. I bought my first piece of property in Alaska at 22. I was ignorant and foolish. I bought it sight on seen. After I arrived I found out it was swampy and it would cost a lot of money to build a house. I would need a raised septic tank and just to get electric ity on my property would cost 15k as well as another 15k for natural gas. At this point it's just a vacation spot where I can park my camper. Always do your research.

I don't care how infrequently you may shower...your content is great. Thank you.

Real life advice which is not a scam or some shady scheme. Who would've thought!!

thank you my husband and I are really getting worried about the climate in society and political disagreements and becoming uncivilized all across the board. I live in CT which is the worst state to be in if your conservative pro life and Pro God. We are looking for undeveloped land to build a homestead without spending money that we don't have. We have a beautiful house and live in a great place very convenient and close to highways shopping centers and the schools. Which also means we are in the worst place possible for a great world wide catastrophe or nation wide uprisings. I am convinced that we have days or hours left before things really get ugly. I want to thank you for trying to help those who don't know how or where to look for cheap land and you are helping many many people weather you realize it or not God Bless you and your family.

Buy rural land. If it is residential and been grazed on or farmed for two previous years you qualify to make it a ranch or farm. If you farm or ranch your land you do not need to apply for permits from the county as long as you stick to the building code in your county. More info at ....right to farm act. Good luck homesteaders.

I'm a real estate agent in the Missouri Ozarks as well as a native born "hillbilly" who still lives in the sticks. Your advice is sound if a person is willing to put the time and effort in. Your advice on getting an attorney to close is an absolute must as well, and make sure it's your attorney and not the sellers. If someone does decide to use an agent, they should NOT use the listing agent. I can't speak for others states, but in Missouri a real estate agent has fiduciary responsibility to his client unless he's doing both sides of the deal, in which case he is merely doing the deal and not acting in either parties interest. You were also correct in stating that a lot of agents don't want to mess with rural property unless it's a high dollar property because they make more money with a lot less time and effort selling Urban property, and frankly most agents know very little about rural living. That being said, there are agents who deal mostly with rural property and that's who you need to use. Scott Pursselley

I am 31 years old and I have a 1 year old daughter and a girlfriend and I am sick of this consumer lifestyle. I had no idea there were tools like this online but I KNEW there was a way. Thank you and I WILL be doing this over the next few months, I had to pay $100 to get access but I know it was worth it. Thank you so much, and have a good day!

This does work. I just did work for a guy in my area who’s building a new house on 1.5 acres he just bought. He paid $75k for it off market when it’s worth over $200k! He found the owner through the tax info online and wrote her a letter.

I’ve done this twice and bought one of them. Was a house next door to me that had squatters. In the end, I had better neighbors and some extra money.

Check fema flood maps... don’t buy a swamp by accident

Some good tips. But to find the "ideal" piece of property, I think will be hit and miss. Iow, it may seem ideal at the onset, but in the aftermath, it could be a disaster, or vis versa. Many things can go wrong. Bad neighbors, bad industry in area, bad town, unproductive soil, and I think the list can go on. Some of these it is hard to know the extent of a problem until you live it.

The hand written letter with the description of what I plan to do to the land was recommended to me years ago. My "realtor" wanted nothing to do with this...He was my cousin and talked me out of it. I regret it and still dream about that lost property.

Well done, thought out, explained, and I echo other comments - so helpful to those of us seeking relocation. I just happen to want to get closer to grandkids in West Virginia, and this just may help me !! Thank you !

Buying land is super easy, most owners will carry sometimes with little or no down, look up parcels on the county assessors web site. I have 170 acres, some for sale right now but people don't even look! I'm in Arizona and the property is prime but you'd be amazed how short sighted people are, they don't even ask questions? You get all the info off the tax records as your saying so I'm in agreement with your advice.

Hey thank you for this valuable information. I’m currently 25 years old and I bought some raw land in Arizona and now I see how I could’ve gotten some land for cheaper. Thank you and keep the videos coming!

also see who is behind in property tax, make an offer plus delinquent tax

Thanks for making this video. My wife and I have decided we want our children to grow up with the freedom that land ownership gives you. I would have never thought about this method. Thanks again.

You had me at tax maps

great advice. this is Bryan that helped you out with the gas line on the cooker this last month. I use that same type of contact to look into tapping peoples maples. Hand written letters got me a 75% response back.

Great video and the comments section is a great resource, too! Thanks to everyone who shared their story.

LOL I literally just did this today with a guy who lives in Holly Springs, MS. He doesn't even live in my town, so I got on facebook and wrote him and I'm currently trying to work out a land contract. :p This is great advice.

Troy, you are 98% correct - from a Realtor of 15+ years! Nice points for the public. You got a STEAL on your property, an absolutely INCREDIBLE price. Thank you for your videos, keep them coming... P.S. Don't show the wackos where you live!

Very excellent video! I'm an appraiser, real estate agent, and a farmer. Enjoy your videos!

This is exactly the information I’ve been needing. Thanks!

Your county map is easy, my county really makes an effort to hide the property owner's real address. Colorado folks, click the three little dots at the bottom right of your pop-up, then click "view in attribute table" to see more info

This is amazing. Planning on having a food forest and building natural homes on a plot of land and this is another tool to the kit. Thank you!! Great work!

I've heard of writing letters to people in financial trouble in an attempt to take over their mortgage payments and purchase their home cheap, but haven't heard this tip before. Great info sir! I hope to be able to purchase some land in the next few years and will definitely incorporate this approach. Thank you much!

Great great videos! So informative and helpful. I am young so when you make your videos I feel like I am listening to a parent and it’s been so helpful for me since I don’t really have anyone helping me out. Thumbs up!

Great tips! So much land is owned by absentee owners. What does salatin say... something like 50% of our agricultural real estate will change hands in the next generation... lots of people inheriting land they don't know what to do with.

yes this was great information.But as an ex house flipper, and rhab than flip, actually, fix and flip, I thought about oh, what about owner financing! Low down payment, and also low momthlyu, name your deal, stating to the owner now you can be the bank! Also tax delinquent properties, wspecially those overdue so long, thecounty confiscated them and will sell for the price of tax owed. Hope this helps everybody!

did this years ago in new mexico for bad condition (diamond in the rough) houses in decent hoods !! about 1 in 10 was a buy!! the folks living near by were always quite happy !! lol put them all on owner finance contracts good times ... marc

Came across this randomly in my feed. The introduction to the tax map has made a big difference in what I have access to when researching metal detecting locations. Getting permission often feels like a shot in the dark but now I know the boundaries of an area and who owns it!

Hey, knowledge like this are more valuable than gold. I thank you for it, friend.

This is the exact way to yes get land at usually I've found out, about 50% of a realtor would liat it for or less. It's the way land brokers find land to resell, direct mailing

Great tip. I would add if you have a family include a picture of your family. If I received a letter like that I still wouldn't sell my land but I would probably call the person and tell them about other land available in the area would I would do as far as bidding on it and how hard it might be to Homestead near me.

Red Tool House - Homestead THANK YOU TROY! I've bookmarked this video into my watch later file for future reference. I've been stalking zillow frequently to keep my eyes open to the market in Washington state, where my husband and I want to buy acreage. I can't thank you enough for this short tutorial!

In the USA you are so lucky that your property values are so low, Id love to find that in Canada.

Sir, your land search method is brilliant. I am going to begin this process as of today and on behalf of my families future homestead success, thank you.

this is overly ambitious but this is my goal after i get out of college and land a stable job. i’ve already been making cuts and sacrifices right now to save as much as i can for a property/down payment, as well as to finish my education. i’m going for a mountainous plot of land, 30 acres max, within 45 minutes’ drive of denver or colorado springs(for you CO people, woodland park, pine, buffalo creek, deckers, deer creek canyon). im going to take up a construction job soon and that’ll give me connections as well as the skills to make building my own property much cheaper(i’ve already got a few connections!). and people scoff at me for starting my research 6,7,8,10 years in advance but hey, if this will all help me save money and get land ASAP to hold as a family asset, i’ll do it. plus, if it doesn’t work out and i end up stuck living in the city or suburbs again, i can at least have made a lot of money preparing for it as well as learned a lot about all of this. so it’s a win win in my book. just gotta keep at it and stay persistent, hoping for the best and preparing for the worst.

That's a nice idea but I don't know many people that have 50,000 dollars in their bank account.most people will have to rent to own or only buy just a couple acres at once.where I live in Rhode island,the land is very expensive.but I suppose some of your tips might work here

Most States/Counties dont have a in depth tax map like your video showed. Seems like privacy in my state is a concern unless you go directly to the County recorder's office!

I did a little quick math and I would have to write out about five-thousand letters to come close to paying out as much as a small commission on a land sale. I'm in with writing to an owner. They might not be ready to sell right now, but you may have planted a seed for future land or an expansion to open up more farm land. Great video. Thanks for the advice.

Great video. 100% agree that virtually everything you see on the MLS is priced high but.. in five minutes you can see a long list of properties that meet your criteria and are definitely interested in selling. Pull “sold”report to get an idea of how negotiable the list prices are. If you spend six months searching for an off market property any honest assessment must include your time cost (even if you enjoy the hunt) which may more than exceed a realtor’s commission. Also, If you have to find & convince someone to sell they may also ask for top dollar. I don’t think there’s any one best way to find a property but the more tools you have the better. Great video. We enjoy all of your episodes!

Thank you__this goes perfectly with your E22. 💖🙌😺

I wish this was possible in Germany. Here it is almost impossible to find owners if you stand in front of the land plus you have to go in person to the townhall for every property.

This is great information! I'm going to do this. Thank you! God bless

This is a very good idea and yes you do have to pay for viewing the data but it is worth it if you find someone who is willing to work with you instead of a real estate agent or a bank.

I just stumbled across this video and it was excellent. Great information easy to understand kind of reminds me of the older days talking to a good old boy getting great knowledge. PS not that old just a little over half a century but the times are different. :-)

Great video. I looked and just found some cheap properties for under 10,000.

Thank you so much for this helpful info. i am in the process of looking for land for to place a tiny home in N. Alabama. A little of a challenge. Much appreciate your videos.

I am a new comer to your channel and I have already learned so much about buying land from your video.. Thank you.

This is the most informative and useful video I’ve seen yet! Thank you so much!

You're brilliant, Troy! Thanks for the advice.

Thank you so much this is life changing info rtie here i did what you said to do and i found my city rite away im going to bookmark it and save this video thank you

I'm from Boone Co Wv live in NC now but I sure enjoy your show.

Thank you for this and the other videos. It looks like you are living my dream, I live in a city in ca and would like nothing more than to raise my family out in the country. I'll be watching as many of your videos as I can and hopefully soon I can have a story similar to your. God bless you and your family and again thanx for the information.

Very good advise. We did the same thing. A hand written letter in which the owner replied. Unfortunately a realtor had been talking with them the same week and advise them not to “go solo” when selling land. Undaunted we continue to look for land exactly the way you have described. Also a future homesteader may want a region where there are 3 seasons of growing and a lot less winter. Per acre and taxes may be lower comparably in other states, long term living is easier and animals are still eating live green food grown on your property giving an advantage in winter markets.

I recently came across your channel when looking for farming and homesteading videos. I'm originally from Lincoln county in the Ranger area, small world haha. Keep up the great videos.

I think your rocking back and forth was hypnotizing me, very effective technique

Great info, thanks! Are you able to tell us how to take this a step further and find out the restrictions that may be on the land?

Your videos are interesting and informative - a nice combination. Thanks and keep them coming.

The online tax maps are the best thing since sliced bread. The best thing is being able to measure sections of land.

"Mr. Smith 123 main street, Orlando, FL..." wait a minute, is mr. smith living in disney world?!?! XD

Your vids are very informative and helpful. thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Thank you so much for this video. Very helpful tips. Your advice seems like it will save time.

Thank you so much for this video, you have helped me so much! This is the info I have wanted!

GREATEST CONTENT!!! Thank you so much!!

Thanks so much for sharing this. Great, great information and job!

Wow this is very informative thank you for sharing this!

Thank you for your information sir I am praying that my goals are met and I am able to find the perfect land for my family.

Thank you for the information, now I have a better idea where to start to buy some land.

I have subscribed as your channel is gold. You found your calling.

Very cool tip, might be a good "slow burn" technique while you're looking

Too much demand out here! Everyone thinks their land is gold :(

Great advice

This is too funny. I did exactly what you tell us to do. I went to the GIS site for my county and found a random property that looked pretty good. I didn't know the size until I clicked on the property record, and found that it was 60+ acres. I looked at the owner's name, and found that it was listed as firstname lastname (Trustee), and that they lived in St. Augustine, Florida. The property is currently not listed for sale, but the trustee would accept $35k for it. Because this was a random piece of real estate I just clicked on, I wouldn't really be interested in purchasing it for myself, but I found it hilarious that it went along so well with your example.

Red Tool House - Homestead Thank you for all the content you share!!!

Do you think this could still be beneficial with this current market? The location we are interested in, land is currently increased 44%. Edit: Would you even attempt to buy land in this market right now? We are ready to sell our home in 6 months after updates which will give us a large return regardless of market fluctuations.

I just ran across your channel. Fabulously useful info! Thanks so much for sharing your knowledge.

Great advice, thanks for posting.

Does this method work cash only or can you still get it financed ?

Hi, I did not get the next place you mentioned, I only heard Zillow. Sir, what was the next place you mentioned where I should go to look for land? Thanks for your time I appreciate your video.

Great video! Never saw so many weird comments though. 😊

Thank you for this information!

Actually in my mom's case the real estate agents was far more active in helping the buyer get my mom's property for the least possible money(we actually found quite a few other local property's that sold for more than her's and she had more land than any of those property's too)

Best video I have seen on this topic... Thanks!

Was recommended from the Hollar homestead!

Good advice, thank you brother

did you,have 55000 in the bank? how,did you pay that? did you pay monthly? i,don't know,anyone,with that kind of money in the bank

Thanks for your info. God bless.

How funny that I stumbled on your video. I have family in Lincoln county west Virgina!