Almost ten years ago I bought an old farmhouse, 40 acres, and two barns in NW Il. At the time it was selling for 2500 an acre. The land is divided between pasture, tillable, forest and swamp. I have some river frontage also. I still own it and enjoy it but I'm very handy with repairs and don't mind being alone in the boonies in pitch blackness with yotes howling all night. Be very careful with what it entails. If you want to buy now for future use it will surely appreciate if it dosen't kill you first. In the winter I can't get to the house without four wheel drive. I have to heat the place so the pipes don't freeze. In the summer I spend almost three hours a week cutting grass. I've had to buy two tractors and countless tools to keep the place up. You will need chainsaws, shovels, picks. sledges and many other unexpected things. If you don't live there year around eventually someone is going to try and steal your stuff. You will need to learn country skills, like making Barb wire fence and felling trees or killing varmits. You will have to deal with trespassers. You will be truly alone at times, cell phones may not work, cable and DSl may not be available. Most of your neighbors will be miles away and probably won't like you anyway since to them you are an outsider who bought up land that was taken out of production. You will make some new friends and learn how to prime a well pump among hundreds of new skills. It's a tradeoff in many respects. Life is harder but to me more rewarding in the little things. I simply want you to look at it realistically and make an informed decision.
