[cars_willkillyou]

Any members on here from South or Central American countries? Its a goal of mine to own a small farm some day, and in the last few years, ive been working towards that goal. Now, Im not trying to buy now, or even in the next year, but it has occurred to me that theres plenty of undeveloped, fertile land, for probably a lot less than in the USA.

In the meantime, I'm probably going to buying 5 acres or so in the north florida region by august of 2013, provided the world doesnt end, and just add the payments to my "rent" money every month. funny thing is, i live in south florida right now. to rent a piece of crap efficiency in a horrible, crowded spot of town (@ $800), is about the same price as a the 5 acre lots ive been looking at ($250-$350/month), plus average rent/utilities in gainesville ($400-$500/month).

Im moving back to gainesville in august to work in a warehouse, driving a fork lift for about $12/hr, with a guaranteed 40hrs/wk, and often an additional 10-20 hours of OT at time and a half ($18/hr). Im finishing up college this summer, and ive been paying my way through an AA degree for the last 6 years with part time jobs that dont pay shit. I grew up in the gainesville area, and ive been in south florida for the past 4 years. I hated it the entire time ive been here, and every time I think im starting to appreciate it, something happens to make me hate it more than ever before. So a return to normalcy, if you will, is going to be quite nice. Plus, most of my closest friends and family live in the area.

So there's a lot of benefits to moving back, but what i dont want to happen is falling back into old routines of simple living and easy spending. I want to take advantage of that increase in wages, by investing it into something sound, like real estate. I figure, 5 acres, once cleared, is a pretty decent size to plant pine trees, so that by the time the land is paid off, the pines are matured and can be used first, to provide lumber for a small house i can build on the property, and secondly, sell the surplus to lumber yards or something along those lines.

The only stitch in my plan is consistency. I ask myself, "Self, can you really stand to be living in the same area you grew up in 15 years from now?" I'll be 40 years old by then. But, provided I resist any temptation to start a family, something ive never wanted for myself, nor do i ever want for myself, at 40 years old, I'll outright own my land. If I'm not working at the same warehouse, by then I should be working at a golf course or some sports facility, as a grounds keeper (Im going to school for Turf Management).

I dont know, Im rambling. Maybe I should be posting this as a blog somewhere. I dont know. I guess the reason I felt compelled to post here is because of the international gathering that these forums host, and mostly intelligent posters, that I'd like to get feedback from. Anyone else out there aspiring to own land/farm/ranch/etc? Or is this a forum full of in-debt renters?