Thank you esshup. I think you nailed my thoughts which are starting with a pond and having to renovate/restore would most likely be easier and cheaper than starting from nothing. Not to mention I wouldn't have to worry about permitting even if I had to drain it and rework the bottom(at least I don't think I would need to).
My wife hit on something the other day too which was if we get a place that doesn't already have a pond, most likely we'll never build one. Sad reality because we looked at another place last week that I really liked and had the perfect site for a pond. Those kind of placed are more plentiful than the ones that already have ponds.
This place is far from a done deal at this point. We did meet with the realtor last week and talked about some of our concerns. We're waiting to hear back this week after he talks with the land owner. Then we need to meet with a home builder to make sure we can get the house we want nestled in near the pond, check that a barn and pasture can fit where we need it, and see if we can secure a land loan. A lot still needs to fall into place.
I appreciate everyone's input so far.
