How and Where to begin???

[LilCountryBlueLady]

Good Evening Ladies and Gentleman;
I am recently single and have always had a thing for homesteading but never jumped on it..I loved watching the Walton and Little house but neither really were into the homestead aspect of it..The shows were more family related..
Well here I am in my mid 30's and would like to start getting my dream to become real.The way that the government is going and the economy is going downhill I am wondering a few things?
How and where do I start to plan my homesteading life?? I have a stable job and I really don't want to give it up due to the poor job market but I'd like to start looking for my place in the country.
I am starting over with a clean slate(no money saved,no 401k) so I am going to start saving alittle cash but would also like to invest either in Gold or the market..
How do I start looking for land where I can buy cheap and will be able to raise some animals?
Right now I am living in a motel until I can get some money saved..
Thanks for your help..

[humbug]

I would say the best thing to do is start learning the skills that you will need when you finally do get your own homestead. Your local extension office can be a real resource. Take and go to workshops..canning, gardening ,livestock care, building anything you will need to help you on your homestead. I would also window shop at land prices in your area. Learn as much as you can. Everyone has to start somewhere...Good luck on your journey.

[jen_in_southtexas]

First of all, keep your job. If that is your only source of income then I highly suggest that you keep it. Then decide if you want to stay in the area or in a certain perimeter and start your search. There are many available search resouces online as well as locally. Realtor.com, your local county appraisal district, local paper, craigslist, and there is always Google to do property search. Those are just a few areas where you can start. Also i know that our county courthouses have tax foreclosure property listings that are detailed.

There will be alot of time and legwork during this process and look at all options before you commit. Be sure to know your restrictions if any and ask for a copy of them to look them over. I hate restrictions. Be sure that everything is legal and i highly suggest using a title company to ensure that there is a CLEAR title. It will be worth the extra money. My realtor/developer/owner paid for the title search and all closing costs. He was the best! Not all but very few will do this.

Another option is to find a realtor. That wasnt an option for me but the owner of the property also happens to be a realtor.

Be sure that your payments will be well within your range if you are paying out over time. If you are, you can always pay extra towards the principal with a seperate check indicating that on the memo blank.

Start your search and start getting an idea of how much property you want and think that you can keep up with. My two acres is enough for me. Drive around when you have time to get a feel of things. Your property has to feel right like it is a part of you. When i started looking, i would sit on the tool box of my truck to see if it felt right then walk around. See what kind of neighbors there are. Try to get something that already has a water well or some kind of water resource. Wells are expensive to drill. If there is no shelter on it, you can always start off with a camper trailer. I did that with another property i had. Kept me dry, cozy and comfortable.

I hope that you find something that suits you and please do not rush it. Set your mind on things regardless what anyone thinks and things will start to fall into place.

Its like this..plain and simple: How bad do you want it?

Good luck to you on your journey. It is the best thing I've ever done.

-j
eL Chiquito Ranch
Deep South Texas Brush Country

[Terri]

1. Find your job on a map.

2. Follow any interstates out of town with your finger. Is there land available within a decent commute time? Start land hunting there!

We have less land with our house than I hoped, (about an acre),because a job WAS necessary! We later bought further out, in the hopes that DH could land a job near there, but, then I got sick so we are staying put for now: we have enough to deal with!

[fnfredux]

First of all, it's nothing like "Little House", a little like the Waltons.
If you are single it will be difficult as a solo act out in the boonies is HARD.
BUT... here is the good news.
Find out where there is a "woman" shortage, you'll be able to find friendly menfolk to help, can you cook?
Get a job and live in town in the beginning. RENT rather than buy for a while, you might not LIKE it.
Small town/rural life is NOT what you're expecting based on TV.
When you have decided you want to stay, you will have made contacts and frioends that can help you find the land/farm that you can afford and is best suited to you.
Always take the advice of the "natives" they know the land and the people.
It will take years to accomplish what you want, take your time and it will be a fun journey, try to rush it and it will become a nightmare.
Best way to find a job, look for something that most folks don't want to do. Many job openings in the DOC (department of corrections) in many areas of the country. Decent job, decent pay, good benefits and retirement plans. AND every state has prisons and it IS a growth industry.
Oh, and if you truly WANT a homesteader lifestyle, forget about your idea of "stable". A homesteader's stability is based on independence and his/her knowledge and ABILITY rather than dependence.

[kawalekm]

Hi LCBL
It doesn't have to be one or the other. We didn't want to give up or suburban house, or our urban jobs, but we really wanted a homestead. Plus, we are in southern California, and there's not much here that isn't desert.

We did something along the lines of what Terri suggested. We found a 40 acre piece of land in the Sierra about 150 miles from where we live. Here is a pic of it at the front gate.
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r55/kawalekm/Andyatthegate.jpg

We bought the land 5 years ago and are slowly developing the land into our homestead. We build the shell of a cabin and am slowly finishing it. We are planting an orchard, and starting a garden. We are practicing self-sufficient skills like food canning to preserve what we grow. And we are slowly shopping for those things that a homestead needs, like a good woodstove that we picked up for 100$

Since we are just doing things on the weekends, the going is slow, but we don't have the worry of losing everything from a bad crop or an accident!

Your best bet might be to buy a piece of raw land out in the middle of nowhere. It would be cheap because of the lack of ammenities, but you could camp or set up a trailer to stay there on weekends while you figured out how to shape it into your dream land. As long as you have privacy, legal access, and water you can pretty much do whatever you please.
Good luck to you,
Michael

[fnfredux]

very nice piece of property. what time of year is that? what is the altitude?
How do you manage a 300 mile commute on weekends?
I commend your perseverence. That is what this "experience" is all about. You're getting in some really good learning while "doing".

[jazzy]

its taken us a few years to save the money to find a place, then weeks of driving around looking at places, so many that our eyes started to cross. we started out looking at cheaper places $69k-89k, most were decent enough but were on only about an acre and ended up buying a foreclosure for about $124k with a good bit of haggling.

it really helps to research the area you want to be in and still be able to keep your job. but maybe save all you can, get some pms if possible as that will protect the value of your money should inflation hit us as badly as ive read. it appears that the real estate market may still have a good way to go before it reaches bottom.

maybe you can find a little place with a few acres and do a rent-to-own while you are still working. then you can proceed at a pace you can afford.

best of luck to you in this, and God bless

jazzy

[michiganmom]

You have come to a good place to learn. It does take time when you start but so worth it. I started out by reading books and looking stuff up on the internet. We still have a ways to go but every year it gets much better.
Good Luck to You.

[flatwater]

The best time to buy land is in a few months. the price will drop a lot. Interest rates will be very low. Save a little money for a down. Get out of the Motel as soon as possible. If your credit is good you should have no problem. If it's bad then don't think about land , homesteading or anything else untill it's good again