Buying the Farm: What exactly is included in my farm purchase?

I am less than 6 months away from closing on my new 10 acre farm, with the goal of turning it into a semi self sufficient homestead!

Here is what’s included in the farm I’m purchasing:

1. A 1,600 square foot Cape Cod style home, complete with a wood stove and a nicely updated kitchen.
2. A ~1,700 square foot, 3-story antique cow barn. It’s structurally sound, but in a bit of disrepair inside. It will be suitable for storage.
3. A small horse run-in that has been converted to a two-stall barn with a hay loft.
4. Approximately 5 acres of fenced horse pasture.

Additional benefits include: a cold frame, a fire pit, a wraparound porch, TONS of classic New England rock walls, and a stream!

As you can see, it also has a fair bit of untamed land to the right of the image above. While much of this land is unkempt at this time, I believe it will be useable for planting and/or expanding an orchard after a few years of basic maintenance. There is also a bit of coniferous forest in the lower left corner, which extends into a much larger forest that is part of my adopted family’s farm.

Catch a glimpse of my future farm house and cow barn in the background of this video:

@farmninetysix

Life without trending audio… apples for Christmas edition🥰 plus a sneak peak of my future farm… I am in the process of finalizing the contracts to buy a 10 acre farm, including the house and barn shown in this clip. My horse, Virginia, lives at my adopted family’s farm, which is right next door. I’ll make a more in depth video once I’m officially under contract. 2025 is going to be EXTREMELY exciting!! For the record: Serena, the white horse, already got an apple of her own😂 #asmr #horses #homesteadlife

♬ original sound – farmninetysix

What will I need to build or buy to make this farm a semi self sufficient homestead?

This is an incredible starting point for me to build my dream semi self sufficient homestead… but there is plenty that I will need to do and buy in order to make this dream a true reality!

As part of my system for getting organized, I have been keeping a list of every major update that I will need to make in order to achieve my goals. In addition, I have assigned a dollar value to each idea, roughly based on what I think I’ll need to spend to make it happen.

Please note: many of these dollar values are very rough estimates, and I tried to estimate high if I wasn’t certain. More research is definitely needed to determine a more accurate cost.

Here’s what’s NOT included in the farm I’m purchasing:

• Garden plots & beds ($0-100 DIY)
• Fruit trees ($1,000) 
• Berry bushes ($100) 
• Asparagus patch ($40)
• Wood shed ($2000 for materials, DIY)
• Solar panels ($16,000)
• Auto-waterer for horse ($700, there is already a frost-free line in place)
• Inside:
  • Cosmetic updates
    • Scrape popcorn ceilings – ($0 DIY)
    • Paint – ($8,000 DIY)
  • Storage for preserved food
    • Shelves for jars ($ Depends on style – metal? DIY? TBD)
    • System for root storage ($ Depends on style)
    • Chest freezer ($500) 
  • Air conditioning (but there are window units)
    • Mini split ($8,000)
  • Kitchen island ($6,000)
  • Better TV for living room ($600)
  • Couch for living room ($5,000)
  • Kitchen Table ($6,000)
• Key Equipment:
  • Utility vehicle ($15,000)
  • Lawn mower ($4,500)
  • Snow blower ($500)

Okay, that’s… pretty overwhelming. But the good news is, I am blessed to have time. I am 30 years old, and I plan to live here for the rest of my life. While some of these items are rather urgent, others can wait months or even years to be accomplished.

I also take some comfort in knowing that I already own many items that will be useful: furniture, power tools, hand tools, a suite of Stihl yard maintenance tools, and food preservation appliances including a water bath canner, a pressure canner, and a dehydrator.

My next step is to prioritize: What needs to happen before I move in? Which projects should I allocate funds to immediately, and which can wait for the future?

I’ll post a draft timeline soon, but in the meantime – what would your priorities be? Is there anything I am missing in my “homestead dreaming wish list”? Let me know!

Talk soon,

KC

P.S.: I summarized this post on TikTok, which also allowed me to physically point out some of the features of the land.

@farmninetysix

Starting my homestead in Connecticut! I’d love your advice. I’ll be sharing everything along the way, so hit follow if you want to live vicariously through me!! #greenscreen #farmlife #homesteadlife #homestead #selfsufficient #gardentok

♬ original sound – farmninetysix