Some want to leave the big city and find a home with a lot of acreage. Others want to stay in the city, but would like some land to garden, or for privacy. Whatever the reason, there are many homes with acreage for sale. There are many ways to find and pay for such homes.

How much land is an acre, exactly, and how much is it worth?

An acre is equal to 4, 480 square yards or 43,560 square feet. An acres worth depends on a variety of factors. The most important of these factors include location and development potential:

Location: The location of the home is important in determining the value of the house and the acreage. Oftentimes houses that sit on a lot of acreage are located in scenic areas, including mountains and near the ocean. Of course, homes with acreage are also located in large and small cities. Some come with farmland. Find a location that meets your needs, and then search in that area.

Development potential: Some people purchase a home with a lot of acreage because they want privacy. Others want the acreage so that they can develop it. Of course, there are some plots of land that would be impossible to develop, (like the side of a hill) but other plots of land have the potential to be developed. Development potential may increase the worth of the acreage.

Do you need help finding and buying your dream home?

A realtor with Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) or a Certified New Homes Sale Professional (CSP) designation will be able to help you find and move into your dream house. Certified Residential Specialists have 10 years or more of home buying experience. If you are looking at new homes with acreage, then you may want to find a Certified New Homes Sale Professional (CSP). They are specially trained in every aspect of buying, building, and selling a new home.

Paying for your home and the acreage:

Homes with acreage are often expensive. There are a couple of types of loans you can take out that will help lower your monthly paymentsat least initially. Two of these loans are an adjustable home mortgage and an interest only loan.

Adjustable home mortgage: One way of getting into a large home with a lot of land, if you dont have the money now, is to get an adjustable home mortgage. The interest rates start out lower than most fixed rate mortgages, and so will allow you to make lower payments. Just make sure that youll have enough money to continue making your mortgage payments when the payments rise, as they probably will.

Interest only loan: Because you will only be paying the interest on your loan, the payments are smaller than they would be with a standard loan. The theory behind an interest-only loan is that you will save the money you are not paying on the principal and invest it. If you are planning on a significant raise or an increased income, they you could use an interest only loan to get by with your large house payments. This is risky, however, for obvious reasons.

Of course with any loan, you must qualify. If you dont make enough, then start in a smaller home with smaller payments and work your way into a home with a lot of acreage.