Couple’s 'crazy plan' fetches them 166 acres in Vermont — and it might be a way to afford homes in America

Owning land in the United States feels impossible for many young couples, but one pair decided to try a plan that most people would dismiss as unrealistic. Julia, a photographer who goes by @juliaelliephoto on Instagram, described how a plan that sounded almost too crazy to work led them to own 166 acres in southern Rutland County, Vermont. She shared the whole journey in her video posted on August 21, which has gained a whopping 7.5 million views and more than 230,000 likes so far.

"We sent out ~300 letters across the country to people who owned land in VT (so many people who don't live there own land there)," she explained, adding, "We heard back from about 25 people." However, not every reply was promising. "Many of those were people not interested in selling. We received some beautiful responses, including a voicemail from someone saying to talk to his neighbors because they might be interested. We also got a couple of handwritten notes back, which were so sweet." Others offered parcels that were far out of their price range, but the experience reassured them that their approach wasn’t as far-fetched as it sounded. "Every response we got was kind, welcoming, and affirming of our process," she wrote.

She explained that a handful of people were open to discussing a deal, but one offer stood out from the rest. "One of those landowners had a parcel and accepted a price we simply could not refuse," she wrote, "She lives out of state and wasn't doing anything with it. For anyone familiar with local property taxes, she didn't even have any of the parcel in 'current use'." That’s how the couple became the owners of 166 acres of completely undeveloped land "in a tiny town in southern Rutland County, Vermont." Reflecting on the whole experience, she added, "This was truly a case of, 'You don't know if you don't ask' and I am so incredibly grateful we asked!"

With housing prices constantly rising in the US, this unconventional move seems to be more pragmatic than waiting for the traditional housing market to open up. As per Realtor.com, the median home listing price sits around $439,450, well beyond what most median-income households can manage. Rising mortgage rates and economic uncertainty have given buyers more negotiation power, leading some sellers to lower prices or pause their listings altogether.

People who came across the story had plenty to say about the unusual approach. @ellaeve__ commented, "As a Northern New Englander, I receive letters like this from companies pretty much every day, and I wish them ill. But if a couple like you sent one and wanted to make my area their home, I'd do everything I could to pass it along to someone with land to sell." @kwaugh77 added, "Yay!! I wrote a letter to buy an 'abandoned' house… heard back 4.5 YEARS later and have now lived in and loved it for 13 years!! If you don’t ask, the answer is always no!"

@stephanieannford wrote, "Honestly, I bet a lot of landowners would love to have a couple come along asking that with the likelihood it would stay together :)" And when some people pushed back on the couple’s approach, many came forward to defend them. @homoveralls replied, "Anyone mad about this doesn’t understand the amount of residential land & homes in this country owned by corporations and private equity firms. This is so much better than that."

You can follow Julia (@juliaelliephoto) on Instagram for more photography and vlog-style content.

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