Up to $16,000 in Incentives to Move to 36 Places: May 2021

Back on Friday, April 16, 2021, I told you about an Internet web site called MakeMyMove in this article which is actually devoted to listing areas around the United States where incentives are offered from as many as 33 places to which you can move as of April of 2021. These places are attempting to attract people — typically remote workers and small business owners; but not necessarily isolated to only them — with incentives to improve their economies and general way of life…

Up to $16,000 in Incentives to Move to 36 Places: May 2021

…but links to three other resources were provided by DaninMCI — who is a reader of The Gate — and he wrote: “I always find these types of deals interesting. Because of my jobs over the years, I’ve had a chance to visit nearly all of the locations on your list. The rural locations in Kansas, Iowa, etc. are usually very small towns with an aged population and nearly no industry. Houses can be found very cheaply and some even give away free land. In addition, there are some areas that will pay back or part of student loans. The downside with the free land offers is that you usually are required to build a new home on the land they give you but that doesn’t make financial sense in a small town with high vacancy rates and low house prices. The real trick to nearly all of these incentives is that you need to have income that is not dependent on the local economy. Remote work is great but some of these areas don’t have good internet either. Skylink might help some of that soon. Another approach is to bring money with you. Either retired with savings, moving a successful small manufacturing company to a rural area to get cheaper and eager labor, or bring your cash to buy into the farming industry in many of these areas. Of course, if you have that kind of money you likely don’t need incentives of this sort.”

The aforementioned links are:

• Best States for Homesteading: Know Your Options
• Want Free Land? These Small Towns Are Giving it Away
• Rural Opportunity Zones in Kansas: Student Loan Repayment Application

The places in the United States which are offering free land for people to move as of May of 2021 include:

• Elwood, Nebraska — 100′ by 115′ lots are part of a home ownership program that makes available to an owner a buildable lot for an owner-occupied residential property and home. Construction must commence within 1 year and be occupied within two years of purchase date. These lots are FREE, but require a $500.00 deposit which is refunded at the completion of the home.
• Flagler, Colorado — This town now owns approximately 480 acres of land. The land is being offered free to business or industry. The amount of land offered will be determined by the number of jobs the business will employ.
• Plainville, Kansas — The lots are approximately 155 feet wide and 93 feet deep and are located in the Plainville North Addition. Homes must be new construction. All homes must be on a full foundation, whether stick-built or modular. No single wide mobile homes. An agreement will be entered into between the City of Plainville and the Buyer. The agreements specifies that the Buyer has six (6) months to enter into a contract with a building contractor to build a single family residence on the property. Construction on the home must begin within twelve (12) months of the date of the agreement, and construction must be completed in eighteen (18) months.  The city requests that you meet personally with the city council at the time you apply, or soon afterward, so they can meet you and approve the plans for your home. The plans and specifications for the home must first be approved by the City Council. A $500.00 deposit shall be paid to the city. This deposit will be refunded to the Buyer at the time of closing provided that the Buyer has performed all of the covenants contained in the agreement and all terms of the contract have been completed. After completion of the terms of the contract, the property will be deeded to the Buyer at the time of closing.

The 33 other places in the United States which are offering an incentive for people to move as of May of 2021 — as listed in order of total financial incentive from most to least; with links to additional information; and in alphabetical order if the total financial incentive is identical — include:

• Southwest Michigan — $16,000.00
• Augusta, Maine — $15,660.00
• Newton, Iowa — $12,500.00
• Harmony, Minnesota — $12,000.00
• Topeka, Kansas — $11,000.00
• Tulsa, Oklahoma — $11,000.00
• Northwest Arkansas — $10,750.00
• Bloomfield, Iowa — $10,000.00
• Britt, Iowa — $10,000.00
• Ontario, Oregon — $10,000.00
• The Shoals, Alabama — $10,000.00
• Natchez, Mississippi — $8,500.00
• Baltimore, Maryland — $5,000.00
• West Lafayette, Indiana — $5,000.00
• Bemidji, Minnesota — $4,000.00
• Claremont, Minnesota — $3,000.00
• Curtis, Nebraska — $3,000.00
• Elwood, Nebraska — $3,000.00
• Halstad, Minnesota — $3,000.00
• La Villa, Texas — $3,000.00
• Lincoln, Kansas — $3,000.00
• Manilla, Iowa — $3,000.00
• Mankato, Kansas — $3,000.00
• New Richland, Minnesota — $3,000.00
• Osceola, Iowa — $3,000.00
• Wilson, Kansas — $3,000.00
• Buffalo, New York — $2,500.00
• Honolulu, Hawaii — $2,500.00
• Savannah, Georgia — $2,000.00
• Janesville, Minnesota — $1,730.00
• Chattanooga, Tennessee — $1.00 This program is currently in development
• Las Vegas, Nevada — $1.00 This program is currently in development
• San Juan, Puerto Rico — $1.00 This program is currently in development

Summary

The information in this article was accurate at the time at which it was written.

While free money, free land, and other incentives may be enticing to move to another state, ensure that you do your research before you actually start the process of actually moving — such as whether you are even eligible to qualify for the program…

…and as a frequent traveler, you might likely visit the area of interest in person to get a feel as to what life is like there.

Also, ensure that the offer is still active, as I found several incentive programs which had already expired but are still listed in the sources used for this article. Subsequently, the title of this article had to be changed to reflect the information more accurately.

Unfortunately, incentives which are offered outside of the United States — such as securing a house for free in Japan or owning a castle in Italy for free — are not included at the sources used for this article.

All photographs ©2017 by Brian Cohen.