does any body know any thing about gov't land. here's the address take a look and tell me what you think.

www.governmentland.com

-- jeremy (jeremyh77@webtv.net), March 06, 2001

Answers

Jeremy, This looks very interesting. I'm just wondering if it's land that's worth anything ( is water avalible, is it all hills and reveens, is the soil fertile, can you get approval for a septic system) ?Seems hard to believe that filling out of some paperwork that it would be top quality land for free. For $18 it's worth looking into, I'm going to show this to my husband and see what he thinks. Let me know if you decide to purchase the kit, what you think.

-- Kelle in MT. (kvent1729@aol.com), March 06, 2001.

Hi Jeremy. I visited the site, and have seen this same info in a pamphlet. I am suspicious : this company never uses the term 'deed' or 'ownership'. Also, since this is a government program, there should be Free info on it directly from Uncle Sam. Sandy

-- Sandy in MN (jpevans_56353@yahoo.com), March 06, 2001.

you can tell right away,, its NOT from the gov,,just by the web address.

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), March 06, 2001.

Sound like a mining claim to me. There must be minerals present to claim and, I believe, you may not live on the land.

-- Lynn Goltz (lynngoltz@aol.com), March 06, 2001.

Remember, the government gives away information that others sell. Save your money and contact government agencies though the thought of purchase is inviting.

Personally I'm of the opinion that there is no land available. I have read numerous places on the WWW that there is no longer homesteading land, so I looked up http://www.homestead.org and reread the information there. Here is a quote from their website.

"PLEASE READ!: (1.) The Homestead Act of 1862 is NO longer valid, having been repealed in the 1970's; I believe homesteading in that manner is no longer possible in the US or Alaska. (Says Steve Waltz, an AK resident: "...There are some state land programs in AK, but they are not 'give-aways'. Most of the land that is worth anything is either too remote or there is a lot of competition in acquiring it." Likewise states Gene GeRue, author of Ruralize Your Dreams: "You are correct that the Homestead Act of 1862 has been abolished. No state, including Alaska, currently has a homestead act.") The term "homesteading" on this site has a different, more modern definition (please read the FAQ for this definition)..."

Perhaps you can have Three Mile Island or Love Canal as long as you promise to clean them up. Doubt there is anything available that any of would actually want. Just my opinion though.

-- Notforprint (Not@thekeyboard.com), March 06, 2001.

Jeremy - Been there done that.... Right now, as a matter of fact. DON'T BUY THE BOOK. I can tell you what you need to know....

First of all.... There is no more "homesteading" law. Its demise came in the 70's. It was repealed. Now.... Claims ARE still available.

In most of the western states (NONE East of the Mississippi) you can claim up to 20 acres per person, and there is no limit on the number of claims you can have.

It costs $135 initially.... $100 for the claim for the first year, $10 for the paperwork and $25 for the filing fee. But.... you can't build on it until you patent it.

K. Here's how it works.....

You must go out onto either NATIONAL forest service or BLM land. State lands are not available for this.

You must find something to make a claim (gold, silver, gemstones, etc) Oil, natural gas, gravel are NOT claimable.). So, you must do a little prospecting and actually find 'something' before filing the claim.

Then, you go to the county assessor, and file the claim there, getting it notarized. Usually costs about $2 - $5.

This you take to the BLM office, and they have more forms to fill out, a map you need to fill in, and they take your $135.

Now you own your claim. You can sell it, will it, or whatever, but now there are rules.

You either have to do work in the amount of $100 (and be able to prove it with invoices) or pay $100 per year to keep the claim. If no actual work is done for five or more years, you lose it.

You cannot build a permanent structure on it.

You cannot fence it.

You cannot close the roads to the public (EVER... even if it is patented.)

If you intend to dredge a creek, you must get a permit.

No open fires if the fire risk is above medium - and none if there is a mandate, so you have to watch the local rulings.

You cannot blast without a permit.

You cannot cut any lumber for use off of the claim (ie: firewood, building, sale of timber)

If you own a claim, someone else camps there and starts a fire, YOU are responsible (and legally liable) for the damages.

You cannot patent the claim unless you can prove you can make a living from MINING for two years running.

These are the Federal laws, and each state will put more burdens on you as you go. I have three claims in Idaho. I am fortunate enough to have found some 'color' but have not had the land assessed as yet.

I own both load and placer claims. Placers, I think are better, A) if you happen to find a load later, its covered (if you file a load claim, and someone pans something out of a creek on your land, they can file right over top of you) B)if you patent, it gives you the rights to the entire surface of your land. With a load claim, you own what is UNDER the surface.

If you want further info, I'll gladly post it here, just ask.

I would recommend buying 'real' land.....

See also, my answer to the post about sharing a homestead.....

-- Sue Diederich (willow666@rocketmail.com), March 06, 2001.

Wow! Excellent info, Sue. Thank you for posting. Surely the gov must have a web site that explains this stuff. Do you know the URL?

Sandy

-- Sandy in MN (jpevans_56353@yahoo.com), March 06, 2001.

Thank you....you probably just saved folks a lot of money they don't have

-- (tlwwww@aol .com), March 07, 2001.