One of my friends owned 160 Acres in Bouse, Az. He was a flake like me and had planted most of his acreage in aloe vera which failed then he subdivided the land on paper into 2+ acre lots and sold a few to his relatives and offered me a 'killer deal' on one. It was supposed to have water/power when functional but he lost it all in a questionable deal with another investor.
Bought used motor home, then wife put her foot down and said NO! Actually her exact words were, 'I hope you stop in and see me on your way through.' Now, here we are in the Pacific Northwest planted in a senior manufactured home park. Sold motor home & travel is limited to short trips around the city. 'Better laid plans of mice and men'.
Yours may not be as unusual a story as it sounds at first glance! We looked at 9 acres in Bouse, with a good producing well, $ 22,000. Took a pass. Years passed, and evidently, from what we hear, Bouse has grown considerably, as have many rural AZ places appealing to retirees.
We then considered the RV route, live out of the thing, have only limited local contact, no property taxes, etc. Questions arose, especially in view of 9-11. Many states still MAIL the driver license, must have street address, no box numbers. OK, have it mailed to a friend or relative; they wanted proof in the way of paid utility bills with one's name & address. How T. H. then do the Canadian snowbirds do it? They cross not only state lines, but an international border to boot! Reconsidering the fact that living within a 2,000 sq. ft. dwelling, we are at each other's throat often, what about within the confines of a motorhome? The idea quietly died, we spent 2 winters renting a furnished condo, proved the area out, then started house-hunting, during the big downturn. Buyer's market for sure, foreclosures, short-sales galore.
So, we're stuck with the last thing I wanted in retirement, fixed debt, a mortgage. We initially got a variable-rate loan, all we could get then, paid $90K, borrowed $72K. Year later, refinanced with a fixed rate, appraisal required, the guy doing it thought the work we had done increased the value by $10K, and gave it an appraisal at $120K! A 30-year loan, I joked with the loan officer it would be paid off when I turned 100!
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