Episode Details

Nobody puts a picture of the barn in the listing and says, "We're not completely sure what's holding this thing up." Buying a homestead is a lot like dating — and today we're playing Would you date this homestead?

We're past the basics. You know your price, your location, your acreage. This is what happens after the property catches your eye: what the listing photos aren't showing you, what to look for when you finally walk the land, the deed restriction that nearly cost us the property we loved, and the plumbing problem hiding under our slab that no inspection caught.

I'm Wendi Bergin — Realtor, homesteader, and someone who has crossed a beautiful property off her own list more than once. Preparedness brings peace, not fear. That applies to buying land too.

Chapters

• 00:00 — Falling in love with a listing before you've seen the barn
• 00:45 — Why buying a homestead is a lot like dating
• 01:05 — Welcome to Would you date this homestead?
• 01:20 — The dating profile: what the listing photos are not showing you
• 01:55 — Decoding listing language: "rustic," "peaceful country living"
• 02:20 — The Polk County drive-by, and the water we found
• 02:55 — Not in a flood zone yet: how new construction changes that
• 03:40 — The property that was 30 minutes from church, and why I crossed it off
• 04:25 — "Plenty of room for animals" doesn't mean you're allowed to have them
• 04:50 — The real question: the property, or the life you're imagining in it?
• 05:05 — First date: get out of the kitchen and walk the land
• 05:35 — Would that fence actually hold the animals you want?
• 06:00 — Why we tore out every fence on our property
• 06:15 — Outbuildings: is there water and power to the barn?
• 06:40 — The pig waterer I didn't know existed
• 07:20 — Pipes running there isn't the same as water that works
• 07:50 — Stand still and listen: traffic, dogs, shooting ranges, smells
• 08:30 — Distance matters: barn to house, feed, groceries
• 08:55 — Why our goats may never make it to the barn
• 09:25 — The one nobody asks: what will chores be like in the rain?
• 09:45 — The coughing goat, the nice sandals, and church
• 10:30 — What a good agent is actually there to do
• 11:05 — "Would I still want to live there on a tired Tuesday?"
• 11:40 — Meet the family: zoning, deed restrictions, and yes, HOAs
• 12:20 — Five acres each, horses allowed, goats not
• 13:05 — "It takes one person to pull up those deed restrictions"
• 13:50 — What I screened for: ag zoning, no HOA, flood zone
• 14:25 — Easements, insurance requirements, and animal rules
• 14:50 — Why we couldn't raise pigs in New Jersey
• 15:20 — Can you sell eggs? Park an RV? Run a business? Build a barn?
• 15:45 — Go deeper: episode 207 on buying land
• 16:05 — Well or city water, septic, who maintains the road, internet
• 16:40 — Calling the county until you get a real answer
• 17:25 — The baggage: every property has history
• 17:55 — Inspection questions worth asking out loud
• 18:50 — When the vines are doing most of the work holding up