Many new homesteaders ask, “How do you afford land?” Buying homestead land is still possible — even with rising prices, foreign land ownership, and zoning restrictions working against small farmers.

Whether you’re dreaming of 2 acres or 100, the path to land ownership can feel overwhelming. Land prices are rising. Inventory is tight. Regulations are increasing.

But there is a way forward.

Buying Homestead Land and Competing with Foreign Ownership

In this guide, we’ll cover:

• What’s driving up homestead land prices
• The impact of foreign land ownership in the U.S.
• How to find cheap or even free land
• Creative ways to afford farmland
• How zoning laws affect homesteaders
• Practical steps to buy land when you feel priced out

Our Homestead Land Search

My family has been homesteading for over 10 years on just half an acre in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia.

When we first started homesteading, we bought a half-acre foreclosure with a house in a wooded subdivision. Thankfully, the subdivision doesn’t have many restrictions, and the ones it does have, we all threw out the window. We all have chickens, goats, ducks, and all those fun things. But now that we’ve been in this for a few years, we’re okay living here. I could live here the rest of my life.

We can do a lot on a half-acre. We’ve produced hundreds and hundreds of pounds of meat from this property. We’ve probably produced thousands of pounds of produce from this property. It’s been a challenge, but we’ve learned the property and how to work with what the property has to offer us. I might not be able to grow the most amazing abundance of fruits and vegetables, but I can grow quite a bit of food. 

Homestead Land Goals

We really want to kind of get into larger land ownership. Ultimately, my goal with Homesteaders of America is to have a large property of 50 to 100 acres, large enough so we can host the conference there. We could also turn part of the property into an educational farm experience where people could come and learn how to farm through workshops and other activities.

I’ve been looking for years and, even knowing the value of land, it still shocks me to see so many people charging an outrageous amount of money for a property.

• 25 acres with a house near us? Multi-million dollars.
• 400-acre family farms sitting unsold for years at sky-high prices.
• Smaller 10–20 acre parcels priced beyond reach for new farmers.

Of course, I am about 70 miles outside of Washington DC, which makes a difference for sure. But when I started looking in other locations in Virginia and it’s the same. There has to be a reason, right? Most of these farmers are not like, “Oh, well, I’m just going to charge $3 million for my hundred acres. And anybody’s going to give me that right now.” 

And it’s who is buying this land that is disturbing. 

Why?

Let’s talk about what’s really happening.

What’s Driving Up Homestead Land Prices?

1. Urban Proximity & Development Pressure

If you live within driving distance of a major city, prices skyrocket. Land within 60–90 miles of major metro areas is often priced for developers, not farmers.

Buyers aren’t just homesteaders anymore. They include:

• Developers
• Investors
• Corporate agriculture
• Foreign-owned entities

And they can outbid families every time.

2. Foreign Land Ownership in the United States

There is a staggering, surprising amount of land here in the United States that is foreign-owned. It’s something that is continuing to push up land prices throughout the country.

According to USDA reporting, nearly 30 million acres of U.S. agricultural land are now foreign-owned. In 1998, that number was around 10 million acres — meaning foreign ownership has more than tripled in roughly two decades.

States like Texas and Maine lead in foreign land ownership.

Foreign Land Ownership in Virginia

You may be surprised to learn that in Virginia alone, where we hold the Homesteaders of America conference, 526,000 acres are foreign-owned! This may be by either a company or an individual but that’s just in Virginia! 

In fact, China owns the Smithfield pork processing operation in Virginia (and throughout the country) which is the largest pig processing facility here in the United States. And along with that acquisition came plenty of farmland. 146,000 acres were bought in 2013 along with the Smithfield pork operations sale. 

So there are quite a few countries that own land here in Virginia. In fact, a German-owned LLC owns a historic farm right up the road for me. It’s a beautiful farm and I’ve taken pictures there. The owners don’t live here but pay a friend of mine to manage the farm. The company bought in several different parcels between the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s and now make one large farm. 

One of the most well-known examples was the 2013 acquisition of Smithfield Foods by a Chinese company, which included approximately 146,000 acres of farmland tied to operations.

Foreign entities also invest in:

• Seed companies
• Pesticide manufacturers
• Forestry
• Large livestock operations

In 2016 alone, at least 1.6 million acres of us agricultural land were acquired by foreign investors. Maine and Texas are the States with the highest foreign ownership of land. 

Much of this land is held under LLCs or corporate structures rather than individual resident farmers.

But it doesn’t stop there. 

Foreign Agriculture Company Ownership

In the last decade, Chinese investments in the agricultural sector have grown tenfold, according to the USDA Economic Research Service. But it’s not just meat and crop production land; it’s also not land at all. 

It’s also pesticide companies and seed companies. So China’s a big player right now. We hear talk about China through various different politics, but this isn’t one side versus the other. This is just straight-up politics.

We know the Communist Party of China’s goal is to gain control of more farmland, more grain products, more livestock feed, and seed so that they can manufacture products that support facilities and agricultural production to create large multi-national trade conglomerates. This is common knowledge information that they’ve stated themselves, not conspiracy theorist talk. 

Trade conglomerates are a combination of multiple business entities operating in entirely different industries but under one corporate group. It usually involves a parent company and many subsidiaries. They will have one parent company or corporation and that large corporation can have hundreds or thousands of subsidiary companies. 

Find out who owns the farmland in your neck of the woods.

What is the Foreign Motivation for US Land Ownership

If they can grow their crops here, why would they need to trade with the United States? When they can own companies here that raise livestock, crops, food all of the revenue exported out of the United States. And it’s streamlined straight to China (or whatever country they are supporting at that time.)

Instead of that production serving Americans, it’s being sold to a foreign entity. That money is going to another country instead of staying in our country. And with it goes any reason for countries to trade with the United States because they’re buying land here and doing it themselves. 

The issue becomes low-profit margins and trade wars that are increasing farm bankruptcies. Large farms, corporate farms, and even larger family farms are quickly being bought up or acquired by foreign countries because they can pay the big money. It’s hard to blame the landowner because if someone offered you millions of dollars for your land, you’d probably take it too. 

While some countries don’t allow foreign acquisition of land, it’s driving up our prices of land in America making it so a lot of people can’t afford land. You might be one of those people thinking you’re never going to have a large property because you can’t afford it. 

Why This Matters for Homesteaders

When large corporations or foreign investors purchase farmland:

• They can pay cash.
• They can outbid family buyers.
• They remove land from the local agricultural economy.
• They drive up comparable land values.

And when land becomes a commodity instead of a community resource, small-scale farmers struggle to compete.

This isn’t about fear, it’s about understanding market forces.

How to Buy Homestead Land When You Feel Priced Out

Now let’s talk solutions.

Most aspiring homesteaders aren’t looking for 100 acres. They want:

• 5 acres
• 10 acres
• Maybe 20 acres for self-sufficiency

Depending on your location, a property that size can range anywhere from $50,000 for 10 acres, all the way up to millions of dollars for even 20 acres.

Whether it’s five acres, even two acres or, or on up to the hundreds and thousands of acres, how do you afford to buy land and get yourself set up for landownership? 

Here’s how you can realistically make that happen.

1.Know Your Local Land Market

You need to start by knowing your market. Where do you want to live? I would challenge you to look outside of that area as well. Even if you end up within an hour of where you want to be, it’s not that horrible. Look outside of the area within a 60-mile radius of where you want to live. Moving even 30–45 minutes further from a population center can dramatically lower land prices.

Before buying homestead land, research:

• County zoning laws
• Property taxes
• Soil types
• Perk tests
• Water access
• Agricultural exemptions

2.Cheaper Land Isn’t Always Better

Keep in mind that really, really cheap land doesn’t necessarily mean that you want to live there. Oftentimes, when you see a lot of land for a cheap price, there may be something wrong with the land. Perhaps the land doesn’t perk, it’s marshy, or the cost of living is extremely low because there is no work available. Of course, if you work remotely or you’re going to try to make farming your job, that doesn’t really matter to you. 

If land looks too cheap, ask why.

Common issues:

• Poor soil quality
• Floodplain location
• No road access
• No well potential
• Zoning restrictions
• No job market nearby

Cheap land can become expensive quickly if you must install septic, drill deep wells, or clear heavy timber.

Start Small (And Use It as a Stepping Stone)

The next thing is starting small. If you don’t think you’re going to have enough money to afford a large piece of homestead land, you can start small. The land value stays. It may fluctuate, but we’re not making any more land and someone will always want land. 

When you start homesteading on a smaller scale, it will prepare you for the work of a larger property, so you can get the most out of it. Take this stepping stone and make it your classroom. Enjoy having just something small to maintain for a while. Then, you can perfect that by growing into something larger. Don’t be afraid to take stepping stones to the larger property that you may want. You might find you like the smaller property better because it’s less to maintain and absolutely doable. 

Land holds value. Even small acreage can:

• Produce food
• Teach skills
• Build equity
• Serve as a down payment for larger property later

Save Strategically for a Land Down Payment

The next thing you need to think about is saving up enough cash. You know, I’m all for getting a loan for land, but we have been through several economic crises in our 15 years of marriage. And we have learned that we never want to be in a place again where we don’t have money.

Yes, loans are an option. But cash provides power.

Ways to accelerate savings:

• Cut subscriptions and non-essentials
• Reduce internet or utility costs
• Set a strict monthly budget
• Funnel side income directly into savings
• Sell handmade goods
• Take on seasonal work
• Treat land savings as non-negotiable.

Cut Expenses

It’s okay to wait and save some money. Even if it’s just the down payment that you save, it’s worth it. You don’t have to rush into anything; take your time. And in the long run, patience will really make the whole experience better for you. And so how do you do that?

Ultimately you’ve got to be self-disciplined enough to put cash aside. Income that you don’t need to put food on the table, put it in a savings account, put it in a fireproof safe, stop spending money, cut corners where you can. You might not need the best internet. Get the lowest one, or maybe you can pay for a hotspot that might be cheaper than your Comcast internet or your cable internet. Do you really need a TV? How can you cut down on your electric bill?

Set a Budget

The easiest way for us to really save money has been to set a budget every month. If there’s anything left after that budget each month, we just put it away in savings. We act like it’s not even there. If you take on odd jobs just put away those earnings. Don’t act like it’s there. Try taking on more jobs, more skills. If you know how to build something, build it and sell it. Do work for somebody else that might require you to work late into the night or get up early in the morning.

Put in the work

I’ve told people for years that if you want to do this thing and you want to be sustainable at it, and you want to be working on your farm and working at home, you cannot be afraid to WORK! You have got to get up early in the morning, and you’re probably also going to go to bed late at night.

It’s just how it works until you get to that desired point where you can kind of step back and say, “Oh, okay, I’ve set up my homestead land the way I want to. Now it’s self-managing, and I can take a breather.”

3.Buy “Undesirable” Land (Wisely)

Buying undesirable land is one of the most powerful strategies for becoming a landowner. Land others avoid can become your opportunity.

Listening to Homesteaders of America conference speakers and authors of The Independent Farmstead, Shawn and Beth Dougherty, changed my whole perspective about this.

Once, a person asked them, “How do you afford land?” Beth advised that they buy undesirable land. Purchase the homestead land that nobody else is buying within reason. As I mentioned earlier, there are reasons you might want to avoid some undesirable land, but make wise decisions and don’t necessarily rule it out. 

Examples:

• Wooded acreage
• Overgrown pasture
• Old farm fields
• Steep but usable terrain
• Parcels without houses

Get inspired & learn about homesteading from the best experts in the community! Become a member of Homesteaders of America and watch the Dougherty’s and 70+ hours of conference lectures!

Buying Wooded or Overgrown Farmland

Many people don’t want to buy wooded land. But homesteads can work well on wooded acreage! Pigs can flourish in wooded properties. Of course, you can clear out some of that land.

Perhaps the land is an overgrown old pasture that’s never been maintained. You can turn that old pasture into a new pasture again. I would try to preserve as much wooded acreage that is as naturally wooded as possible, but it’s okay to clear out some land for a garden and home then you can work with what the land has given you.

Wooded land can support:

• Silvopasture
• Pig raising
• Mushroom production
• Timber value
• Wildlife habitat

Most of the information you find online is not tailored toward woodland homesteading and farming because most people don’t know how to do that. It is possible though. You might have to learn how to homestead differently than other people. That’s not a bad thing because that’s just part of being a really good steward of the earth. You have to think that indigenous people have been working with the land instead of trying to create land the way they think it should be for centuries.

Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty and buy that undesirable land because it can absolutely be turned into an amazing farm! Many successful farms began on “undesirable” land. For example, Polyface Farm, founded by Joel Salatin, was once considered poor farmland. And look at it. It is flourishing now!

Learn to work with the land instead of fighting it.

4.Consider a Community Land Purchase

Pooling resources with trusted friends or family can open doors.

How it works:

• Purchase a large parcel together.
• Subdivide legally into separate parcels.
• Each family pays for their portion.

Find friends or family members who may also want a large piece of property. This doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re sharing the property rights with them, but it does mean discovering if a large piece of property can be subdivided.

This means that you’re splitting up that payment between how many ways that property can be subdivided. The whole property, the whole contract for the land is coming out to the same amount that the buyer is asking for, but each family is paying a portion based on how many acres they’re getting from that subdivided property. 

“Subdivided” doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to put a subdivision on it. That’s the term the county uses for separating it into different parcels of land that different people are buying and building a house. That’s a really great way to start thinking about how you can help carry a larger mortgage or come up with cash out of pocket. A lot of people are doing this now, and it’s a really great option. Just make sure that everyone on your boat is rowing and not going to bail on you last minute. 

Just ensure clear contracts and legal protections are in place.

5.Where to Live While Building a Home

So let’s say that you are ready to buy homestead land. But you already own a house and can’t buy land, build a house, and hold a mortgage as well. There are a couple of different options for you depending on your county and state.

In the county I live in, if you own your land outright (with no mortgage) then you can build your own house. You can pull your own permits, or you can hire your own contractors. Or you can do it yourself and you can build your own house. 

Construction Loans

There’s also the option to do construction loans. You can buy a piece of property, whether you own it outright or not. And then you go through the construction loan process. The loan is dispersed to the contractors you’re hiring while building the house. And then you pay on that loan until your house is completed and you go to closing. 

A construction loan may be a scary option for some people because they may be worried their current house won’t sell. Or that the market isn’t good enough? Then you end up with a construction loan that you can’t pay because you still got a mortgage while waiting for the house to sell. 

Live in an RV

In this case, one of the most common things homesteaders are doing is buying land and living in an RV while they build their house. Unfortunately, many counties have restrictions against that and don’t allow you to live in an RV on a property. Some counties allow temporary RV living during construction whiole others don’t. Always verify zoning before purchasing.

Build a Garage Apartment

One of the workarounds to that is to go ahead and install your septic, well, and electric then build a one-bedroom apartment over a two-car garage (which you might want anyhow, right?) Or build a barn with a loft apartment in it, depending on the size of your family. If that’s something that you are already going to do, anyhow, go ahead and do it.

Then you can actually live on that property within all the guidelines of your county. You might be living in a smaller space, but at least you’re living there and working the property while building your house. It’s a really great option for people that can’t, or don’t want to live in an RV. 

If you can’t afford land + house simultaneously, consider:

• Construction loans
• Building a garage apartment first
• Building a barn with living quarters
• Installing well, septic, and electric first

6.Zoning Laws & Agricultural Restrictions

One of the most overlooked obstacles to buying homestead land is zoning.

I sent a piece of land to my realtor the other day for a 17-acre parcel. It was a beautiful piece of property but she sent it back and said I wouldn’t want this land because you can’t have any animals on it. It is zoned so you are not allowed to have any livestock on it other than horses. Why would you buy so much land when you can’t even put what you want to on it?

There’s another 25-acre property right up the road from us that you can’t make trails through the land. It wasn’t even in a conservation easement. These are just restrictions that previous owners or zoning laws have put on this piece of land. You couldn’t put trails on it. You couldn’t have cows on it. You couldn’t have chickens, you couldn’t have pigs.

Learn how to change the laws so that foreign entities are not driving up the price of land sales. Let’s work to change the laws so we are not held back by agricultural restrictions.

Always check:

• Agricultural zoning classification
• Livestock restrictions
• Conservation easements
• HOA covenants
• Deed restrictions

Sometimes restrictions come from prior landowners — not government.

Get Involved: How to Lower Barriers to Land Ownership

How do we fix this? This is where I keep telling you guys to show up. We have got to show up to our local government meetings and demand change because if I’m living in rural America, I want to be able to do what I want to do with my homestead land. 

So I would start encouraging you, don’t be scared. Show up at county meetings and talk about it, especially if you live in a rural area. You know, when something’s not talked about, it’s not in people’s minds. Get your community and other people in your community to link arms with you and start peaceful rallies. 

If zoning laws prevent agricultural use in rural areas, it may be time to engage locally.

Attend:

• County commissioner meetings
• Planning commission hearings
• Zoning board meetings

Many communities change policy when enough residents show up respectfully and consistently.

Through Homesteaders of America, I’ve seen counties revise agricultural restrictions simply because families brought attention to the issue.

Change starts locally.

7.Can You Find Cheap or Free Land?

Yes, though it requires creativity.

Options include:

• Rural land auctions
• Tax lien properties
• Owner financing
• Land contracts
• County land grants (rare, but possible)
• Agricultural land lease-to-own agreements

Some rural towns offer incentive programs to attract families, particularly in declining populations. These programs change frequently, so research by state.

Is Buying Homestead Land Still Worth It?

Absolutely!

Land ownership builds:

• Food security
• Generational wealth
• Skill independence
• Community resilience

Yes, foreign land ownership impacts pricing. Yes, zoning laws can be frustrating. Yes, land feels expensive.

But with market research, strategic savings, creative purchasing, community involvement, and willingness to start small, homestead land is still attainable.

Changing laws, knowing your area, saving cash, buying undesirable land, among many other things are ways that you can actually attain homestead land that works best for you. I hope that this encourages you to look at it and realize that it could actually be attainable for you. You just might have to put a little more elbow grease into it. Whether it’s buying land or saving up money, or even making a change in your local communities, it’s worth it. All of those steps are worth it.

Originally published by Amy Fewell in 2021. Updated by Homesteaders of America in 2026.