Buying land in Northern Arizona

[SupportTheSecond]

Maybe someone here will have some information. We've been looking mainly online and the same few people seem to come up and most of the time they are not forthcoming on the property or some even have "restrictions" for the property you would buy outright.

We're looking at anything really that isn't completely scrub in the 30-40 acre range with the main purpose of just using occasionally for camping and shooting for the most part. One group of properties that are for sale look nice but has an HOA? NO THANKS. This is what we are seeing a lot of.

One group G-Bar Ranch properties are selling 40 acre parcels but have an HOA and that's just not even o.k. for me. They advertise "hunting", "fishing", "camping" etc. then when you dig into their HOA "laws" on is "NO OUTDOOR SHOOTING", because we want to preserve our elk and deer....uh ok. So I guess that hunting part only takes place in a structure?

Personally when I do buy a piece of property I want to use it for whatever I want, what happened to that being the norm?.

 

[rockbronco]

We occasionally look for the same from time to time and find the same. Its better to get a relator involved if your serious but even then gotta find one that is educated in land. We have not gone down that road as its not feasible for us yet but would love to have something to utilize in the summer months and eventually put something more permanent up there.

 

[SupportTheSecond]

We occasionally look for the same from time to time and find the same. Its better to get a relator involved if your serious but even then gotta find one that is educated in land. We have not gone down that road as its not feasible for us yet but would love to have something to utilize in the summer months and eventually put something more permanent up there.

I finally did just that, called the realtor we used here and she is going to hook us up with people within her office that specialize in land sales. I'm thinking that this will be the best way as well. I was surprised at the level of stupidity over this though. I guess times are good for sales still. Fingers crossed now.

 

[G34]

I have 37 acres off anvil rock road. theres an HOA but its to cover the costs of the wells and road maintenance. Im right next to the national forest so i have two miles plus out there. Its not like a normal HOA.

 

[Suck My Glock]

The whole HOA thing started coming about 30 years ago when various ranchers started looking into selling off some of their holdings. Their advisors told them that unless you are selling tracts larger than 40 or 50 acres as a whole to purchasers, the majority of sales would be 1 to 5 acre parcels. And with that being the case, they would maximize their sales prices if the whole subdivision was structured and regulated from the get go, including setting up CC&Rs, an HOA, etc. And it was true. Buyers didn't want to invest in building the perfect cute little getaway cottage only to have sloven rowdy rednecks living nearby ruining the whole vibe.

Your best bet is not to look for land that "allows" anything, but for land that borders or is adjacent to public land where you can then go recreate in whatever way you please.

But the gems are still out there. A friend who moved out here in the 90s from Taxachussetts bought himself a 38 acre place in Wittman with a graded airstrip that borders BLM land. It was subdivided from a large ranch operation back before the HOA craze, so there is nothing prohibiting gunfire on his property. The far end of the dirt airstrip (impact zone) is BLM, so he has a nifty 600 yard range. As long as he keeps it maintained as a working airstrip, he doesn't have to worry about the state or county designating it as a range and he escapes any extra regulation as a result. He just keeps bright orange wind sock up and a dilapidated old corrugated tin "hanger" standing, and he has been left alone.

 

[SupportTheSecond]

The fun is just starting, I will take the suggestions from all. Thank you!

 

[EarlCordova]

I have 37 acres off anvil rock road. theres an HOA but its to cover the costs of the wells and road maintenance. Im right next to the national forest so i have two miles plus out there. Its not like a normal HOA.

Wished we had something like that.
We are near Globe and the road and a culvert got trashed badly in the floods two years ago.
Since it is private land the county will not do a thing.
All the neighbors refuse to help pay for it, even though some of them are millionaires.

 

[Cbvanb]

We own acreage in Westwood Ranch, east of Seligman. There is a road association that has a mandatory fee annually for road maintenance but otherwise you can do what you like on your own land. We have a 100 yard fixed range, a trap range with solar powered automatic trap, and a steel rifle range that goes out to 700 yards at the moment. It’s in GMU 10 and my wife has taken an elk about a quarter mile from our cabin. It’s another option to check out.

 

[SupportTheSecond]

We own acreage in Westwood Ranch, east of Seligman. There is a road association that has a mandatory fee annually for road maintenance but otherwise you can do what you like on your own land. We have a 100 yard fixed range, a trap range with solar powered automatic trap, and a steel rifle range that goes out to 700 yards at the moment. It’s in GMU 10 and my wife has taken an elk about a quarter mile from our cabin. It’s another option to check out.

Thank you I will, just what I want too.