information on getting started

Hi,
I'm new here and I'm looking for all the information I can find from picking a reliable contractor, proper air flow, heating & cooling and picking a location. I'm not looking to live off the grid just downsizing comfortably .

What are the pros & cons as you all see it.

Thanks Miki

Different climates have vastly different practices that work well. You will receive better advice,  if you will tell us your approximate location and what your goals for your place are.

Edit: Welcome to permies!

Welcome to the forums!

Also, knowing what are you planning to build might help our members give you advice.

Conventional home. earth sheltered home, etc?

A lot of questions all in one thread also is confusing.  What is the most important item that you would like an answer for?

MIKI, you have a lot of work in front of yourself.
I suggest get an A4 spiral bound notebook and start writing ideas down.
Then start lists of wants and dont wants
From you list you may find a trend, once a tend is identified you can start looking in that direction.

Thank you all for responding to my post.
*I live in IL my desire is to live in a more climate friendly state.
* I now I want a flushable toilet & I don't want a loft being older I worry about losing my balance and falling.

I appreciate your advice & thoughts.

Miki

So what states sound suitable to you?
Flushable toilet will mean some infrastructure on your land, or you live in a town, which suits?

Not really sure what state for sure yet . Some where warmer & retirement friendly. As I'm thinking about this I'm wondering if renting a tiny home would be helpful to make a decision.

Sounds like a lot of researching is going to be on the menu.

While all of your idea on getting started a worthwhile, to me, it seems that picking a location would be the first step.

Once you have decided on a location the next step would be to find a good real estate agent or a real estate lawyer.

When I am looking at properties I look at both with and without houses.  Sometimes a fixer-upper can save you a lot of money. Having a house to move into rather than building one is also a plus.

Another thing to look at when looking at raw land is what utilities it already has.  It is costly to bring electricity to a rural property.

Looking for land with a water well also saves a lot of money.  Some rural areas have water supply companies that will sell you a meter which of course is much cheaper than having a well dug.

Best wishes getting started.

What part of Illinois do you live in? There are a number of us here from south of I-64.

Natural ventilation is one area to research, this link below takes you to a good aussie site
passive-design/passive-cooling

I'm not sure how to reply to each of you so I will post a general reply.
I live in the West Suburbs.
Anne Miller  thanks for the information.

John C. Daley thanks for the information on ventilation.

A General Thank you to everyone.