That size of tractor is fine on a thousand acres if all you want to do is mow a big yard and maintain a trail going through the property, collect the occasional boulder for landscaping and such. Dont discourage the fellow, let him buy his dream and allow his own desires afterward dictate his machinery collection. Keith, I just spent Memorial Day at a friend's Grandma's farm near Grand Haven Mi. It was an 80a. parcel, but orginally her grandpa had around half a section and was one of the first of many tree nurseries that dot that area.
The 5 bedroom farmhouse and outbuildings are post card perfect, but not for sale. The area is building up and land like that probably starts at 300k. North of that and east of Mears is an area that I like and acreage should be more reasonably priced. The plat book idea is noteworthy but I would prefer the less aggressive approach of dropping a letter to the owners instead of knocking on doors.
"Statewide" real estate has regional offices in Michigan which print listing books that are informative when I am curious of prices in a certain area.
A few tips I would give are:
Avoid south and east side of dirt roads (dust).
Make sure you own mineral rights!
Old Farmhouses may have old septic systems which could be a flush away from failing.
Avoid underground fuel storage tanks (possibility on a real farm)
Inquire about local zoning and building ordnances before you buy.

good luck

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