Hi

Hi

We are a young family based in Canterbury, we are currently looking at acquiring a LSB with the goal of having a sustainable family orientated way of life. Although we are both from rural backgrounds we are not from farming families so are researching how to find the right property for us and how to run a property to suit the lifestyle that we seek .... to be honest we are still in two minds due to commute and the awareness that this is a 24/7 lifestyle- can we hack it?? and is this the best way of life for our kids?? (18 months and 3 yrs one obsessed with animals and the other machinery...) hopefully we will find out!! Looking forward to your support, wise words of wisdom... and hopefully humour along the way x

I'm surprised that nobody seems to have noticed your post and replied to it yet! Anyway, if you do decide to purchase a LSB then I'm sure you'll find plenty of guidance here. There are many people with various experiences in different ways to utilise a block of land. So ... welcome to the forum!

not surprised you have not received any replies as it's such a big question! Where do you start?
I think it is a matter of luck finding the "right" place, there are so many issues to consider. Is it possible to rent a property to see if LSB is for you?
I think the right thing to do is to establish how much you can borrow and then go to all the land agents and let them know you are looking for something. Put adverts in the farming papers too.
The things to consider for kids are Internet access and school bus routes.
As said, there is heaps of info on this board, so keep your fingers crossed and keep looking.
Good luck and welcome!

Hi jedbec, just seen your query too. Yes a big question indeed. I would only say, can your income support yourselves and the cost associated with a LSB. Takes very clever and determined folk to make even a $1 from a block of land and dam hard work. Most realistically go in to it not expecting to get anything back but food, peace and quiet and enjoyment, after all the work. Oh and don't forget insurance if you have stock. All the best.

With farming there are cycles of when what you grow is profitable, and when it is not profitable. You can expect 2 very good years, 3 just break even years but getting worse, 2 years big losses, and 3 years improving. In these bad years you will have to support your block by finding other work ..... which means that when the good years appear the property is not set up to take full advantage of them .
With farming I hugely dislike having to make the decision of which animals have to die, and which are worth keeping alive at any cost. The Manager is even worse, which is one reason why we have 25 donkeys that are expected to live out their natural lives here.
The major purpose of our 25 hectares and various other leased LSBs is to keep me fit, and giving me something to do, some of which is pleasurable and others are awful (I hate shearing sheep, lambing ewes, the feet of goats, sheep and donkeys)..
I'm not certain if being on an LSB was good for our children. Trying to get them to help was a constant battle, and our place is not child and youth friendly so they went to visit their friends rather than their friends visiting us. 6 km from Brightwater and 12 km from Richmond was far to distant for their parents to bring their children to us

you did not mention trying to make an income from the LSB, but please don't consider it as it is almost impossible. OK, you can reduce your outgoings with veges and meat, but trying to sell produce is very hard. When I started, I let the local butcher graze the paddocks and he gave us all the meat we wanted!
Don't be tempted to register for GST, it will come back and bite you when you sell.

tonybaker wrote: you did not mention trying to make an income from the LSB, but please don't consider it as it is almost impossible. . . .

I think, Tony, you mean making an income as a primary source of income. Granted that would be difficult - although I'd hesitate to say totally impossible. However, you can certainly make a decent supplementary income, depending on what you choose to do with the land and the resources you have at your disposal.