Finding our homestead

If you are looking to become more self sufficient its nearly impossible if you do not have land to produce your food. In addition, you need a place to live. This does not have to be the Taj Mahal; the important thing is that you do not have to pay a bank a mortgage or a landlord a rent payment.

When Jen and I started started looking we really had no idea how to get started. So we just started. I searched online for land for sale. Initially we started looking on www.landwatch.com. We did not purchase through them, but this was how we started learning. We explored what we wanted via their search engine. Here is my warning -- you will probably get discouraged because land that is cheap, is cheap for a reason. Be careful you are looking at land that has access (unless you have a helicopter), water rights, etc. Additionally when you are looking I would suggest you look into the county government where you may be buying. It would be very difficult to build a cob, or cord wood home if your county government is highly bureaucratic. We looked for areas that would have been perfect and then found local ordinances would not allow us to have livestock, so we moved on.

Another thing I would suggest is that when you find a property you are interested in, ask many questions up front. For example, we spoke with a seller through Craigslist. They were advertising 10 acres for 13,000. It had a well, a house that needed demolishing, and many fruit trees. It ended up that the seller, was not the deed holder. In addition, we found out that the deed holder was not quite honest with the seller. We discovered once we got a plot map that the land was actually about four acres. We walked away immediately.

On another occasion we drove to Missouri to look at 12 acres being sold for less than 12,000. I was excited. We met with the owner and walked the land. The reason the land was priced cheap is that it was 12 acres of gully. I am sure we could have built a home on it, but it would have been way more than we could have afforded in the future. This trip also taught me a valuable lesson. At the same time we were looking at this property, the seller of our future home site was selling his. The price was about three times the price per acre of the 12 acre property. So we did not take the time to look at the smaller plot. About two weeks later we drove back to Missouri and looked at the property we purchased. The lesson do not let emotion cloud your judgement. If you are close see all options that you can because the more you see, the more you learn. In addition you don't want to spend more on gas, lodging, etc when every penny counts to purchase and improve your future homestead.

In closing I cannot stress enough how important it is to get boots on the ground when you are buying. We put over 3000 miles on a rental car in a week looking at properties in Maine. The trip was great, although we did not buy there. It was quality time with family, we got to see a portion of the country we always wondered about, and more importantly we came to realize that all the land that was being sold would have required two to four times the amount of the purchase to grade and make buildable. We also learned that compost in Maine is not the compost you think of in the Midwest. Its made from shellfish shells, so just imagine the smell.

Once we made the decision to purchase our property we hired a company to do a title search, and arrange handling the closing of the transaction. It is amazing how much easier it is to purchase property when you do not have a mortgage attached to it. The whole process was done in about two weeks.

In the end if you are looking to start your homestead make sure to take your time. Ask lots of questions and call the county your potential homestead is in and inquire about the owners, taxes, etc. You are checking to make sure what is being sold matches the deed. If it doesn't its a good indicator to walk away. If all measures up then go to the property. This will give you a good idea of who lives around you, resources that are available, and whether the land is usable.

Blog update and big changes

So I want to start off with the big changes that are already occurring in our lives. Jen and I have been looking to be more self sufficient in the way we raise our kids and the way we live our daily lives. Like many people around the world, especially in suburban America we live pay check to pay check, never getting ahead. Like so many people we work for companies that pay you just enough to make ends meet. While I have received annual salary increases, these are soon eaten by the increased cost of rent, cost of fuel, cost of insurance, etc, etc. We could place Andrew and Samantha into a daycare and have Jennifer go back to corporate America. Unfortunately, this then brings on added expenses of day care, commuting expenses, more dining out, and having someone else raise our kids. I am sure Jen would enjoy getting back in the work force. For those of you who have shelved a career to raise a family, you know it can be a thankless job. There is no doubt that Jen is the most important person in our family. Without her things would fall apart, immediately.

Why do so many people do this (work a job for a cold heartless company) ? In my opinion, its to keep up with the Jones'. Its to pay rent on an apartment, pay the mortgage, the car note for two cars parked in the garage (if you can get them in). Don't get me wrong I'm not looking down my nose at anyone. If you enjoy this lifestyle I am happy for you -- it just does not fit us.

Thus we are doing the only thing that seems sane (your opinion may be drastically different) for the long term. We are quitting to retire early. We have used and will continue to use retirement savings to create a homestead in Missouri. This will provide us a place to live that does not require a monthly payment either to a landlord or a bank. This also provides us land to grow our own food, and raise animals also for the production of food as well. We officially quit on July 12. Its my last day working for DeVry. We will move into a small cabin on our property July 22. I am so excited because its not the same hum drum I have been living for the past six years. I am also very nervous because I know this is going to test my skills, Jen's skills, and our relationship.

That being said, I want to change the direction of this Blog. I want this to be a place to document what we are doing. There are many people who want to do what we have done. This will be a way to share our experiences and knowledge. I am going to introduce the blog to my wife and have her write here as well. Expect videos and other good stuff in the future. No doubt its going to be an adventure. I am going to be posting over the next couple of days things we have done to get where we are -- things like how we found our property, what are we doing to prepare for our move, etc. I would like to say I am going to post daily, weekly, etc. Unfortunately, I cannot make that commitment because where we are moving does not have internet access. Its something we are looking to get setup, but its not a high priority at this time. Thus I welcome your questions and feedback. This is a place to learn and teach. Let the journey begin.

Chris