Customer Reviews

Country Property Dirt Cheap: How I Found My Piece of Inexpensive Rural Land Plus My Adventures with the $300 Junk/Antique Tractor

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It's interesting that Turner comes from a background of technical writing, yet he manages to write a book that is genuinely from the heart. This book, which is his autobiographical account of his passionate search for solitude, simplicity and a peace of mind, bridges the gap between ethos and pathos.

Turner is very focused, very detail-oriented in achieving his objective and his account of that process is an uplifting tale that bears his soul and leaves the reader inspired to "live the dream."

He also manages to throw in some very good real estate advice!

Not a reference, just one man's story of how he went about purchasing his getaway property dirt cheap. Although not a how to, it does show some of the pitfalls to watch out for when looking for and buying country property. The author writes in a nice conversational style that makes this an easy read.

This is not a reference book, it is however an excellent read that goes through the processes that one man used to find his dream property.

Another book I purchased "Finding and Buying Your Place in The Country" was more of a reference book and doesn't go into much at all on techniques for finding your property. Perhaps you need to buy both of these books for the complete picture.

I learned a few things that hopefully I can use to find my dream property. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

This book was a quick and entertaining read. The author is indeed a good story-teller. He gives a lot of good information about what is available at courthouses, discusses legal descriptions, property boundaries, real estate agents, attorneys, deeds, water, utilities, surveying, house-moving, etc. But as for FINDING a piece of property or for finding one CHEAP, he really didn't offer much more than a few simple suggestions (and never even mentioned the internet!). There was no tax sale, no government auction, no re-po, no magic formula - just waiting for luck and a newspaper ad to produce a seller with the right property & price. But it was an interesting adventure.

Turner's book reveals the basic process of searching for rural land. The basic credo of the book is "those who refuse to accept anything but exactly what they want often get it". The most valuable thing about the book is that it is honestly entertaining. I could probably have picked up a more technical book that gave greater details and strategies, but frankly, knowing myself, I would not have read it all. This book I read cover to cover in 5 hours. That's pretty tough to beat. Turner needs to write some more books like this...

After reading this book I really became even more convinced that I could find and buy a retirement farm for myself. I have since delved into many book for a more indepth study before venturing out on my own. I want to thank the author for pointing me in the right and realistic direction, which I now know will save me a lot of grief when I finally find that piece of happiness for myself.

Ralph Turner tells an interesting and useful story of his quest for a piece of land in rural Iowa, and an antique tractor and a tiny house to go with it. He feels that the key to his success was to eliminate middle men. So he gives eighteen different ways to find sellers on your own.

This is a great book to read for entertainment and useful tips, but if you're seriously interested in rural land, you probably also should have Finding and Buying Your Place in the Country by Les Scher.

A captivating story. I seldom ever finish a magazine article, let alone a book. I received Ralph's book in the mail and began reading it to myselft at around 5pm, took a break for dinner and then started over reading it to my wife this time. By 1am, we had read the entire book. As I had hoped, it has stimulated our interest in the subject. I just wish more people would use Ralph's "story telling" or "narrative" format when writing books about their experiences in buying land and homes - it is so entertaining to learn through the experience of others.

This is an enjoyable, well written book. I would suggest it to anyone looking for a good read, regardless of whether or not they are looking for a home.

I just got the book yesterday from Amazon.com and read it cover to cover. In a non technical easy to read first person account, the author tells his tale of CHEAP LAND quest. The boyhood dreams of a small quiet. peaceful place in the country that is low maintenance and CHEAP is not the authors alone. Others myself included have had similar fantasies. The book reads like a novel, not a tech manual. Besides being easy reading the book is informative and worth the price. Its light and introductory and may not satisfy the more advanced and professional reader. The techniques are sound and can be expanded to suit your individual needs. The chapters on buying a cheap tractor and the chapter on building moving are both interesting and different from other country real estate books. One old time farmer told me the tale of buying 100 acres for $6,000 and then buying a tractor for another $6,000. Years later with the appreciation of land he lamented that he had bought that tractor instead of a 200 acre farm! Land is such a thrilling and basically fulfilling purchase. It has the lasting power of no other purchase, and the appreciation potential of few other investments. It may not make you as rich as Microsoft stock, but there is a strange spiritual satisfying feeling attahced to a land purchase. The author brings out the peace and quiet calming nature of a country land purchase. I recommend both the book and the land purchase.