so obviously a huge obstacle in being self sufficient is getting land. for me this almost makes my dream seam impossible, how the hell am i going to afford to buy a peice of land without selling my sould to the devil?

So I thought we could use this thread to post links, tips or info about homesteading or affordable and reasonably priced land.

http://www.motherearthne...mesteader/free-land.aspx

thats a good article about modern homesteading, i didnt think this was possible anymore but it is to a certain extent. From the looks of it most land available for homesteading is going to be in or close to small rural communities. Not neccasarily a bad thing but I always dreamed of a secluded property in the woods. Also its seems like this land comes with plenty of restrictions and requirements, kindof a bummer but it still could make sustainable living a reality for those like me that cant afford land.

http://ozarkland.com/
^ this is a pretty cool link, and ive read a couple very positive reviews for this company as well. They offer very cheap land, usually about 2.5-5 acres in the ozark mountians of missouri. According to the website they wont turn anybody down whatsoever for 100% financing of the land, no down payment, and monthly payments usually under $200. That seems very doable to me and makes my dreams seem like they are actually in reach.

Anybody else know of some cheap or free land?

Thanks for creating this thread....

I'm trying desperately to move out of the city, but am flat broke.

that ozarkland link stinks man. $7500 an acre on average for what I saw.
dang, I will buy 100 acres this week if I can get 10 of yall to buy an acre for $7500.

also of note:
gt any idea what it'd cost to run electricity and a phone line 1/4 mile? I have no idea but it sounds expensive.

You should really find a field or other open area (big empty parking lot?) and pace off what two acres would be. It is always a nice reality check to see the actual size you're dealing with.

good luck!
rw

thanks for pointing that out ringworm, here in the black hills land is insanely expensive so that sounded like a steal to me. I guess I need to do a lot more research.

now as far as being off grid goes i want to keep my property like that anyway so thats a plus. Im not sure how im gonna do it yet, it mostly depends on the peice of land i get. Im sure between micro-hydro electricity, wind and solar power ill be able to figure it out though.

I have a rough idea of how small an acre is, my buddys parents used to have a lot that was exaclty an acre. Of course my dream is to have 40+ acres, use part of it to host music festivals and maybe open up part of it as a campground for part of the year, have plenty of room for family and friends to move into the community etc. That just sounds impossible right now unforturnetely, the only way i could see that happening is if i found enough people that are as dedicated as i am to this dream. And thats not only putting alot of trust into other poeple, but also expecting them to give me alot of trust in what could be a very risky venture.

heres another good motherearthnews article: http://www.motherearthne...omestead-zm0z11zkon.aspx

about how to have a self sufficient homestead on 1 acre. I was a bit releived to see that article. Yes it would be small and much more difficult but at least i know it is possible to be self sufficinet without alot of space.

http://www.ic.org/
thought id post that link too, it wont help you find land but it could help you find a community that is already established to move into, or one that is still in the planning stages and looking for help.

i purchased 5 acres of land for 20,000 here in florida about 6 months ago.

thats about as far as ive got since my funds have lowered too. my next step is digging a well.

baby steps.

yeah. round here, land is $1000 an acre for nasty land. $3000 an acre for really nice, high and dry land. $5000-$7500 an acre is for areas with a well, septic, and a power pole.

Always make sure you read the fine print.

It looks legit, unless you are ever 30 days late on a payment (in 15 years, it's bound to happen - even if just by mistake).


http://ozarkland.com/Missouri_Land/contract.htm

right on dan that seems like the hardest part from what i understand. are you living on your land currently? I always figured id just get a tipi and a camper and live like that while I build a more permanent shelter.

Ringworm: what part of the world do you call home if you dont mind me asking? $3,000 an acre sounds very possible, in fact if I would have pulled my head out of my ass a couple years ago and started saving money I would be able to buy some land flat out at those prices.


and thank you for pointing that out a1pha! that is harsh! ok, so ozarkland.com sucks sorry for posting that link guys lol. The prices suck, the terms suck, the interest sucks at 9% (you can get less than 4% with decent credit thrua bank right?), hey some of the land looks perty though lol.

Just thought I'd ad this: http://www.mdpub.com/

This guy has detailed instructions for how to build your own electricity producing, homemade wind power generator, solar panels, wood gasifier and homemade gas generator all on a budget.

If running electricity to your place is a problem, this might be a solution for some people. At least you can start small and add more as time goes along, which is exactly what this guy does.

Tokapelli, I live in the deep south (Georgia, just north of florida border).

It's pretty common to see old farmland here $150k for 100acres, with well, sewage, and electricity.
The prices I listed above are more common for smaller plots 20acre and under.

i wouldnt mind getting some land in the south, you guys have an awesome growing season down there right? They have land available in alaska for homesteading, and its probably beautiful but im not sure it would be the best choice for trying to be self sufficient with the climate.

four growing seasons really... Spring and fall are about like summer in most of the states. Winter is for carrot, lettuce, spinach, and kale production. Summer is actually the slow time, it's too hot to grow much of anything really. You can, but they need to be well watered and pretty intense plants.

http://www.land4less.us/...amp;exmenu=&p_id=183

that looks pretty good to me at first glance, but Ive heard alot of people say they wouldnt want to live in California, anybody know why? It does look like its in the desert it might be harsh out there. Only reason it appeals to me is the climate and the mm laws i guess, but there are quite a few other states that offer the same thing these days.

Wow thanks for starting this... my wife and I are actually starting to look for a place to settle down with a bit of land... if I find anything good as we are looking today I will post.

a couple good websites ive found over the past couple days, landwatch.com and landandfarm.com have pretty comprehensive search options that have helped me find alot of very affordable land.

At first I had the mentality that just about any cheap land would be good enough. But thinking about it last night i realized the importance of finding land that I can really fall in love with and develop a spiritual connection with. It might take a little longer to find land like that and its going to be more expensive but i think it would be worth it.

Yes sir you are absolutelely positively 100% correct I commend you for coming to that conclusion..

Before I purchased my homestead I drove and drove and drove. I knew a vicinity where I had a connection with and I conducted about a year long reconniassance. I drove looking for for sale signs. I did use the internet, but not until I had really narrowed things down a bit. Local realestate agents would be a way better resource, IMO, than national listing agencies. THINK LOCAL! Local agents are often tied in with the local community and they tend to have more inside information.

My 2 cents

Good luck,

IH

Thanks Ice House, obviously you have alot of experience in this area and I really appreciate your contribution to the discussion. I would like to find land that is relatively close to home, but the land where I live (western SD, black hills) is insanely expensive compared to the listings im seeing in other places. I have seen reasonable listings in wyoming and souther colorado though, thats not too far away.