Illinois...

[SnootyHen]

@cavemanrich great info!! Thank you!! According to the listing, it can be rezoned commercial or residential and it seems like they were targeting a builder but it's also been on the market for a very long time so I'm not sure why someone hasn't picked it up. It was contingent once years ago but it seems like they put it on the market and take it off a lot. I drive past it all the time (there's a farm stand, barn and little house at the front of it) and never ever realized it was for sale. The downside is it is 14.8 acres which is WAY more than I need. The upside is that the land is actually 3 parcels and I'm thinking if they would agree to sell me just the one where the house is, it would be perfect for size.

We could build on to the little house but we'd have to live there during the build because I can't pay the mortgage on our current house, the land and the construction loan. Not sure if that makes construction more complicated or not but it seems like it would be a nuisance to the workers to have 5 people, some dogs and a lizard in the house (and chickens in the barn). I was kind of hoping they could build right behind the little one and eventually just incorporate some small portion of it. Though without touring and inspecting, I am not even sure how habitable it is. And we'd have to store most of our stuff in the barn during the building process.

Or I wait until all my kids are moved out and just buy it then because then I won't need so much room. LOL!!!!

 

[Faraday40]

@homeschoolin momma built a home and is zoned Ag. Perhaps she can share how long things took. Building a house is a very long, detailed process. Of course you'd have to find out if the current house is habitable, if land is a floodplain, and if there are any building restrictions. Also find out if the area will stay zoned Ag. If developers buy up land around the property and build subdivisions, then you could get a lot of headaches. I grew up in unincorporated Naperville near a horse stable and a few miles away from a pig farm. Many high end 500K+ homes were built around our little subdivision in the late 1990s. The neighbors who spent all the money on their mansions complained a lot when they were downwind of the pig farm. The former stable and pig farm are now divided up into small lots with more giant houses.

Manufactured homes:
I have 3 relatives in California who each bought some acreage and ordered pre-fab houses. It saved them a lot of money. One had an in-law move in, so they added on another section to their house a couple years later. In a climate like California, the prefab houses were great. However with our crazy Chicago winters, I wonder how well they would hold up over the years. Would it be drafty or leaky roof or freezing pipes? I have no idea, just wondering...

 

[Justso]

Possum?
Lol look at the print it looks like a chicken or rooster crowing.

Yes this is a possum track

 

[Justso]

@homeschoolin momma built a home and is zoned Ag. Perhaps she can share how long things took. Building a house is a very long, detailed process. Of course you'd have to find out if the current house is habitable, if land is a floodplain, and if there are any building restrictions. Also find out if the area will stay zoned Ag. If developers buy up land around the property and build subdivisions, then you could get a lot of headaches. I grew up in unincorporated Naperville near a horse stable and a few miles away from a pig farm. Many high end 500K+ homes were built around our little subdivision in the late 1990s. The neighbors who spent all the money on their mansions complained a lot when they were downwind of the pig farm. The former stable and pig farm are now divided up into small lots with more giant houses.

Manufactured homes:
I have 3 relatives in California who each bought some acreage and ordered pre-fab houses. It saved them a lot of money. One had an in-law move in, so they added on another section to their house a couple years later. In a climate like California, the prefab houses were great. However with our crazy Chicago winters, I wonder how well they would hold up over the years. Would it be drafty or leaky roof or freezing pipes? I have no idea, just wondering...

My sister lived in one in northern Michigan, it definitely had that prefab look outside, but the inside of the house was very well made and had a great layout with lots of personal space.

 

[SnootyHen]

I think the problem with a prefab house is we just need more space than what we could do that way. Plus, the rest of my family thinks I am crazy for wanting to move out of our current house so in order to make it palatable to everyone, I need to give them something to be excited about (like each having their own rooms finally). Two of the boys have always wanted goats and cows and would love that, but probably not enough to trade all of their current comforts for it. The 3rd one is a sophomore and only has 2 years left living with us full time so spending a large portion of that time in a tiny space waiting for the new house to be built is already not tops on his list. My husband just says "yes dear" because he was born and raised a city boy and Tinley Park is already more rural than he ever thought he'd live. LOL!! This might be more than I can manage. But if I could make it work...

 

[cavemanrich]

I think the problem with a prefab house is we just need more space than what we could do that way.

You would need to inquire about the size of homes they offer. I cant help you there, but you may get your needs met with a small additional home attached to the large one.

 

[cavemanrich]

Just wanted to add this info about another friend that wanted to build a home. He lives in Hanover Park, and has a large lot. He wanted to build a NEW HOME, on his lot, near his home, and then tear old home down. He needed to live somewhere. The town would not allow that until he tore old house down.
He is still living in old house years later
Kind of puts a damper on advancing the American Dream when you have limited ca$h.

 

[SnootyHen]

Just wanted to add this info about another friend that wanted to build a home. He lives in Hanover Park, and has a large lot. He wanted to build a NEW HOME, on his lot, near his home, and then tear old home down. He needed to live somewhere. The town would not allow that until he tore old house down.
He is still living in old house years later
Kind of puts a damper on advancing the American Dream when you have limited ca$h.

Wow! That's awful. And you know if there's a way Illinois can tax it, fine it or otherwise collect, they will!!

 

[Molpet]

 

[Faraday40]

No, @Molpet. You're not an enabler at all.