What Is Arizona Homestead Act 5 Most Common Questions Answered
When filing for bankruptcy, many homeowners assume they will lose everything. However, the Arizona Homestead Act was put in place to protect homeowners and let them maintain equity through the Homestead Exemption. Under ARS 33-1101, homeowners can exempt up to $150,000 of equity in their home from attachment, execution, and forced sale.
Ahead are the most common questions about Arizonas homestead exemption, answered.
How Do I Qualify for the Exemption?
Any person, married or single, age 18 and older residing in the state of Arizona is entitled to own a domicile and hold a homestead. Further, homestead protection applies to dwelling houses, condominiums, mobile homes, and the land upon which that mobile home is located if the person resides in any of these places. If you qualify, the homestead exemption automatically attaches to the persons interest in the identifiable cash proceeds from the voluntary or involuntary sale of the property.
Only one property can qualify for exemption. Homeowners may be required to designate which owned property is the homestead. Further, there is only one homestead exemption per household, meaning that married couples cannot double their exemption.
How Much Equity is Protected?
The Arizona Homestead Exemption protects up to $150,000 in equity from general creditors.
What if I Got Divorced or Had Children?
Can I Use Federal Bankruptcy Exemptions?
Where Can I Find More Information?
Find an Experienced Phoenix Real Estate Attorney
Growing Food In Arizona
Arizona has two optimal growing seasons with one in the spring, and the other in the fall. In the winter, days are very cold and short, while summer days are long and reach extremes of temperature.
Because of the high variation in climate, choose plant varieties that mature quickly so they complete their entire life cycle in a single season. More information on growing plants in Arizona on the Arizona extension website.
Arizona spans USDA hardiness zones 4a to 10b, depending on region. However, due to climate variations, hardiness zone numbers are not particularly telling about the climate in Arizona.
Koppen climate designations are a more telling indicator of what can be grown in a particular area. While most of the state is arid or desert, mountainous areas have a more bountiful Mediterranean climate.
Many areas of Arizona are suitable for growing wide variety of foods and self-sufficient agriculture, although water efficient plant varieties should be preferred.
Vacant Land And Commercial Properties For Sale
The following properties are now available for sale. Please call 602.712.7587 or email us for additional information. Please specify which property you are interested in.
The pictures and parcel sizes listed are approximations only and are not to be relied upon for contract purposes. All information provided is to be independently verified by the buyer. This listing is also available in a .
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Free Land Through Land Investing
If none of the above options work for you, you can also fund your land purchase using the money you earned investing in vacant land.
With land investing, you buy an undervalued property and resell it at market price.
Do this a few times and you can afford to buy that perfect parcel of land for your own use.
Is Land In Arizona A Good Investment
When it comes to smart investing, real estate and land have always been contending options. Unlike many companies in the stock market that produce products or offer services, the land is one commodity that is not being produced and never will be. This fact alone makes buying land a good investment, most of the time.
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Free Land In Marne Iowa
In recent years, Marne has had a massive decline in its population due to the decline in the number of family-owned farms.
Theyre hoping to boost their numbers by giving away lots.
Update: according to our research, it appears that Marne has suspended its program, but please contact the town for more information.
Understand The Obligations Ahead Of Time
Everyone hears free land and wonders how they can get their own.
However, there are often obligations that come with homesteads that not everyone is prepared to take on. These include:
Meeting deadlines
Building a house or business
Providing jobs
Establishing residence
These factors often catch individuals off guard.
However, free land comes with deadlines to build homes and businesses and provide jobs .
It can also come with unanticipated costs like deposits or assessments for water, sewage or electricity depending on the area.
Make sure you do your due diligence on the property before putting down a deposit.
Finally, since its typically used to draw people to specific cities or towns, free land may come with a residency requirement .
All of these factors can be difficult to fulfill for those who do not fully understand the process.
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Gardening On The Cheap
Gardening has a reputation as an expensive hobby, but as our ancestors knew, it can be done with almost no money.
Free Compost and Biochar Soil Amendments
The first order of business when starting a garden is to improve the soil. Most virgin soil will not produce great vegetable yields without work.
Initially begin by composting any organic material you can find, which there will usually be plenty on the homestead. Also consider bringing domestic animals whos manure is great fertilizer, chickens being a great low cost choice to get started. Lastly, consider utilizing your own waste as compost with safe Humanure composting techniques or a Biogas digester.
Another powerful and free soil amendment is biochar, which is simply a cool name for charcoal added as a soil amendment. Charcoal has been used historically, to drastically improve soil productivity, sometimes for decades at a time. Charcoal can burned from brush or useless branches. See above video for a demo on how to do this.
Seed Exchange Programs
Seed exchange programs are cooperatives where gardeners and farmers give some of their own seed and receive some back. Some exchanges allow you to take seeds even if you have none to give. Others allow you provide seed from wild plants, which you could collect free on public land, in exchange for domestic verities.
EDIT: Here are some great additional ways to get free seeds for your garden:
Food Forests
Not Much Public Land For Sale
The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for the sale of surplus public land. Because of congressional restrictions enacted in 1976, the BLM generally retains most public lands in public ownership. However, the BLM does occasionally sell parcels of land where the agencys land-use planning division finds disposal of surplus is appropriate.
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Free Land In Elwood Nebraska
Elwood is located in southern Nebraska and is the quintessential small town.
There are several local stores, and youll never feel more old-fashioned than when you start calling Elwood your home .
To get a deed with your name on it, youll need to make a $500 payment.
Other than that, the land is totally free. However, be sure to pay attention to the home instruction requirements.
The minimum size is 1,400 square feet, and it must be on a foundation.
You can find more information here.
Free Land In Marquette Kansas
This is another small city thats located in the heart of America, Marquette is a small town founded as a Swedish settlement in 1874.
If youre looking for a blissful place to raise your family, you wont be sorry when you move to Marquette.
When you obtain free land from them, youll need to start building your home within 180 days and complete it within a year.
The city also imposes residential design standards and occupancy requirements.
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Low Cost Or No Cost Off Grid Housing
The next big hurdle to get started living off grid is housing. While some of the options provided above may come with a living arrangement, there are may free or low cost ways to live comfortably off the grid.
Homes are usually the mainstream familys biggest expense, but if you are willing to work and to live conservatively, a dept free or even plain free home is within your grasp. Building a tiny home is well within the skills of most people with minimal training. And, they can be built quickly and cheap or free depending on your building material foraging skills. There are also may natural building styles like cob building, light straw clay, earth bag, and straw bale that can be build largely from earth already on site, and can last for generations.
Getting Land For No Money
Free land is still out there and still available. Right now there are many out of the way towns and villages offering plots free or basically free if you are willing to live there. Out in the country, there also opportunities for farm caretakers or land contract deals that will not be advertised online. You have to know where to look. Lastly, there are many tracks of land sitting, unused, that could be yours for free, using the unknown law called adverse possession that exists in some form in all 50 states!
Free Off Grid Guide
Thinking about going off grid? Receive the 30+ page PDF that helps you get there! My gift to you.
You will receive your free guide, exclusive discounts, and occasional announcements
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Free Land In Anderson Alaska
Anderson is the only incorporated town in the Borough of Denali.
As the name suggests, the area is known for Denali, the tallest peak in North America.
Anderson is a small town of only ~250 people and is perhaps one of the most remote options on this list.
So, if you truly want to be a modern-day homesteader, this could be the spot for you.
Update: according to our research, it appears that Anderson has suspended its program, but please contact the Town of Anderson to confirm.
Federal Land Policy In Arizona
| Endangered species policy in the U.S. |
|---|
| State environmental policy |
Federal land policy involves the ownership and management of land owned by the federal government. As of 2012, the federal government owned between 635 million to 640 million acres, or 28 percent, of the 2.27 billion acres of land in the United States. Federal land is managed for many purposes, such as the conservation and development of natural resources, grazing and recreation. The federal government owns 42.29 percent of Arizona’s total land, 30,741,287 acres out of 72,688,000 total acres.
| Arizona ranked seventh in the nation in federal land ownership. |
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Off Grid Energy In Arizona
Arizona is plentiful in solar energy potential, averaging between 67 Wh/day for every watt of array potential you have. That means a 1kW array would produce about 6.5 kWh on average throughout the year. Some of the highest energy production in the United States.
Note that you cant plan an off grid solar system around yearly averages. If you are considering an off grid solar system, read my free complete guide to designing your own low cost system
Wind power potential in Arizona is fairly low on average, with 80m wind speed averages around 4.5 m/s in most of the state. However, some localized areas have average wind speeds approaching 7 m/s, making it a potentially useful energy source in certain parts of Arizona. See the wind map below for details.
Note that this map shows average wind speed at 80m, about 250 ft, above the ground. Ground wind speeds vary considerably due to terrain, the tops of hills or valleys that act as wind tunnels usually being better. Be sure to measure the wind at any particular property before you commit to installing wind power at that location.
Free Land In Claremont Minnesota
Claremont is a small town in southern Minnesota located in Dodge County.
The surrounding region is a rural area blessed with fertile soil and rolling hills.
To apply for a residential lot in the city, you do have to meet certain income requirements and pay a $1000 application fee.
You can find out more about Claremonts free land program here.
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Expressed Or Written Easements
Many easements are created by agreement of the landowners by agreement in written documents. These easements are usually not the subject of disputes between the parties. The documents memorializing express easements the servient estate will grant an easement to another property, the dominant estate. The legally binding document is then recorded to put others, including subsequent purchasers of either property, on notice of the existence of the easement. One common example of this type of easement involves a property owner splitting his or her lot and selling one of the lots to someone else, but requiring an easement over the lot being sold to allow for access to the lot being retained.
How To Get Free Government Land
The concept of free government land might seem fantastic and unreal, but it is very real. In fact, anyone with the freedom to relocate already qualifies for free land in some way or form. During hard economic times, it is critical to cut as many unnecessary expenses as possible, and paying for steep living expenses when you could easily relocate to an area where land is free is no better than throwing money away.
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Free Land In Loup City Nebraska
When local governments analyze their population pyramids, it often indicates how well an area will do in the future.
Loup Citys population is aging, which means that young individuals need to come and inhabit the area in order to help it grow.
How is Nebraska doing that?
Through free land of course!
West of Omaha, Loup City is a serene place to live with golf courses and fishing ponds.
Update: according to our research, it appears that Loup City has suspended its program, but please contact the town for more information.
What If You Are The Low Bidder
Winning bidders on public land sold by competitive sales or at public auctions are required to submit a non-refundable deposit of no less than 20% of the bid amount before the closing of business on the day of the auction. In addition, all sealed bids must include guaranteed funds, such as a cashiers check or money order, for no less than 10% of the amount of the bid. Balances of the total sale price must be paid in full within 180 days of the sale date. The public notices of the sales will contain detailed information on the requirements, terms, and conditions applicable to the sale.
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Free Land In Grafton Illinois
Grafton is a small town in western Illinois located on the banks of the Mississippi.
The city has 26 lots that it is selling for $5000.
The lots are right at the intersection of the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers and are on a bluff so you dont have to worry about flooding.
If you build on a lot within three years, you will be reimbursed the purchase price.
You can find Graftons website here.
Free Land In Manilla Iowa
Manilla is a vibrant town nestled in rolling hills in western Iowa.
As part of its economic development efforts, the town is offering lots in a subdivision with amenities, including utility hookups.
Like other cities, Manilla is offering a lot for free in exchange for building a home.
You can read more about the program on their website here.
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Log Cabins Cob And Natural Home Building Methods
Not yet widely know, but increasing in popularity, are earth based natural building techniques. Generally based on centuries old techniques that predate modern construction, natural buildings can be quite inexpensive, as you may be able to build with hand tools and materials you find on site or can buy cheaply.
Log Cabins
Cutting and stacking logs, if you have the woods around you this is a fast and cheap option.
I recommend the book How to Build and Furnish a Log Cabin which is a classic resource that teaches old fashioned methods requiring inexpensive tools. No expensive chainsaws necessary. Plus its step by step details make it easy to make both the cabin and log furniture from the woods already on your property.
Cob
Cob is an ancient form of building from all over the world using earth, sand, and straw. Cob houses have been know to last centuries, and are great for off grid living because the thick walls naturally regulate internal temperature like the inside of a cave. Yet, they also help regulate moisture and buffer loud noises.
Depending on the soil in your area, you may be able to build from earth already on the building site. But in every case you can amend the solid with local clay and sand to get the prefect mixture. Cob buildings can be anysize, including multiple stories, and can be quite low cost if you build yourself from free materials.
The classic book on the subject of Cob house building is The Hand-Sculpted House which I highly recommend.
Free Land In Curtis Nebraska
Curtis, NE also has plenty of available lots as well.
Its an incredibly livable town. It has a small population of 1000, but all the amenities you may need.
Its also known as Easter City because of the local Palm Sunday pagent.
You can visit the towns website here to learn more about relocation incentives.
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