“Gentleman’s farm,” which crops up in real estate listings, describes property where people farm just for fun rather than to make a living.
The term dates back to the 19th century, when retired sea captains and shipping agents returned to Nantucket and started their own farms and dairies,” explains Mark Quindoy, a real estate agent with eXp Realty, in San Diego. “It’s merely a gentleman who farms for pleasure, not for profit or survival.”
Pull up an episode of the 1960s TV show “Green Acres,” starring Eddie Albert and Eva Gabor, and you’ll get the picture of this agricultural pursuit portrayed as a merry pastime, rather than a make-or-break grind where you battle locust swarms, blight, and other problems. Farming can be a good time!
Tax implications
Gentleman’s farms are often lumped together with hobby farms—pleasure farms that aren’t necessarily on a big piece of property, but may literally be in your backyard. It’s often part of a larger estate, notes Christy Murdock Edgar, a real estate agent in Northern Virginia and Washington, DC.