Homestead Land For Sale In Utah

If you’re looking at homestead land for sale, then you’re on an exciting journey! And we’re happy to be here with you. Your homestead will be the backdrop to many of life’s richest experiences ahead. Growth, learning, time well spent with loved ones, and yes–some struggles too. The decision to begin your homestead is an important one, and we don’t take it lightly.

We are your homestead real estate professionals. Although it’s possible to find real estate agents that work with land and acreage, very few agents truly understand the goal of having a productive homestead. We do. We’re here to help you however we can, and look forward to taking the journey with you.

Browse homestead land for sale in Utah below, or you can take a couple minutes and learn more about different kinds of homesteads.

The Beginning of Homesteading Land

Philosophically, the idea of “homesteading” something refers to taking something that is essentially “unowned”, and doing something to it to render it yours. This could be branding livestock, diverting water in a river, or perhaps copyrighting or patenting ideas.

The concept of homestead land and houses originated in 1862. It started with the “Homestead Act”, issued by the federal government. It was basically a way that people could take private ownership over public land. In other words… free land! The requirements were that you had to be at least 21, willing to live on the homestead for at least 5 years, and improve the land. Folks who agreed to these terms were granted 160 acres to homestead. The government issued these grants as part of an effort to begin to settle the more remote areas of the American West.

The Homestead Exemption

You may have also heard about the “homestead exemption”, and not known what it is. It is largely unrelated to the homestead that you and I are looking to establish. It is a series of homestead laws, that grant certain protections to people whose homeowner spouses pass away.

These laws apply to somebody living in their principal residence, and prevent the living spouse from being forced to sell the property to meet financial obligations. There are other protections such as the homestead property tax credit, which basically gives immunity from taxation on properties up to a certain dollar amount.

Homesteading Today

In contrast to the original Homestead Acts that gave rise to the term “homesteading”, homesteading today has taken on a different essence. The modern homestead (also referred to as a “hobby farm” by some people) isn’t always 160 acres. It can be any size and be located anywhere. The common thread interweaving today’s homesteads is production. Homestead land produces resources for the people who live there. Food, shelter, energy, and life-giving water.

For an urban homestead in downtown Salt Lake, this might mean a rooftop solar array, and some intensive small gardens. For a more rural homestead, away from the developed I-15 corridor, this could mean livestock, fruit and nut orchards, and a massive property size. It’s pointless to get hung up on one set version of homesteading, rather, the goal should be to look at your situation and resources, and see which needs you can produce on your real estate.

Homestead Ranch

You may be trying to find a homestead ranch for sale. Strictly speaking, a homestead is NOT about commercial farming. It’s about producing for the needs of the people who live there. But for folks that would like to draw an income from their land, this is a great way to go (after all, income is one of the needs of the people that live there right?). A homestead ranch or farm is more in the realm of commercial real estate. It implies that you are producing now on a commercial scale. This real estate will likely have an “agricultural” zoning.

Hunting Land

You may be looking fore for some vacant land that you can use as camping or hunting land. In these cases, since you’re really not going to ever develop it and live there full time, the property location isn’t quite as critical. Some of the best hunting land is up in the mountains, backed up to BLM or national forest. Usually these properties are mostly “untouched”, and haven’t had any real land management for a long time. This equals lots of natural habitat, which usually equals lots of animals.