Advice for a Newcomer

Okay, so I am a bit of a noob at homesteading and am looking for advice. For some years, I have always wanted to build my own house and be self sufficient like our family was until losing the farm I have read many books as well as have my own first hand experiences to sustain me, but my problem seems to be getting started. I settled with the Idea of a cob cottage and drew up my plans, as well as religiously read "The hand sculpted house" and built a cob oven for a friend, for practice. At the moment, I have a basic idea of the the outlay of the house and have about 10,000 saved up. I am wondering if this is enough to start poking around, or if I'll need more money (land seems to be pricey) and what not. Any advice is greatly appreciated as I am very eager to do this

Wow, this is going to very greatly depending on the area your looking in, your credit rating, etc.

I'm no expert, but I'd say you should get pre-qualified with a good lender so you will know what you can spend/afford before you start.  Or look at least to own deals, or maybe consider going in on some land with a friend or family member. 

There are lots of ways to go....

I'm guessing its about how closely tied you are to the area you are living in now.    Family,friends, job, climate.      Could be lower cost land in another place.

If you are tied to that area maybe it can be some marginal land that is low priced because it needs restoration that permaculture can provide.      By marginal I don't mean polluted or anything like that but maybe something that has no possibilities for development but could be great for growing things.  .

@Jami : I had been speaking with some people about going in on something so perhaps I should continue. I just wanted to find something for myself as well because, unfortunately reliable people are a dime a  dozen nowadays. As far as lending/credit goes...there-in lies the problem.  After seeing what banks do to people, and how badly credit screws people in this country (not a fan of the credit, and with
our wonderful economy, I have learned to only be more self sufficient) I have chosen to just pay it
for it up front if possible (if im short by a grand or two...eh Ill bite the bullet and take the loan perhaps  ) By the end of the summer however, with my off the book income, I should have even more to play with. I've just been going crazy as how to start doing it lol. I search online, but every property I show any interest in results it "it's already under contract".  Reading your comment made me alot more optimistic

@Gary: Im not really tied anywhere so to speak, Parents are split now and doing their own thing likewise
with friends, so Im up for anything.

If you can't get enough cash up-front, there's bound to be various 'ethical' possibilities available. We discussed some of these when I did my PDC in New Zealand; I'm sure the U. S.  has heaps.
The main thing I would look for is a receptive, friendly and helpful community, or be willing to make the effort to draw like-minded people to your area and create your own!
That's presuming you want/need 'community'...but as it's pretty much impossible to do everything yourself, it's well worth cosidering and cultivating potential bartering arrangements.

not sure what area you are in ..but right now in Michigan you can find an awful lot of repos for very little money, look for something with a livable structure on it..but mostly pay attention to the land itself and the water availability rather than the structures, as you plan to build anyway.

check on Northern Michigan Craigslist to give you an idea what is available..but then also check with all the banks to see what might be available as far as repos.

put an ad on the site that you are looking for a piece of land to homestead and that if it had water and some sort of building it would be helpful..and see what you come up with

@Brenda & Pippi: Thank you both for the info as well. Recently I was sent a link from a realtor in Colorado selling 5 acres at any where form 8,000-13,800, and I may also check that out too. I plan to really shop around for a good deal. Her are the links I was sent, seem pretty nice:


http://www.landwatch.com/Costilla-County-Colorado-Homesite-for-sale/pid/144006380

Brwmeister wrote:
@Brenda & Pippi: Thank you both for the info as well. Recently I was sent a link from a realtor in Colorado selling 5 acres at any where form 8,000-13,800,

http://www.landwatch.com/Costilla-County-Colorado-Homesite-for-sale/pid/144006380

Be very sure to check out what the water rights are on property in CO!

Good luck!

go to  www.craigslist.com (or org?) and then click on Northern Michigan or what ever area you are interested in and then go to the real estate for sale areas..you can also go to the banks and real estate co's and ask about repos

Try buying an old house with a good well and septic .. electrical there so you don't have to buy telephone poles at $1,000 each or more. Clear your plans with the Building Dept. before you buy anything. Build beside it as you live in it and rent it out later if feasible. You will need a tractor. Try and get one at a farm sale and get one with a good three point hitch and a bucket out front. You can add a cement mixer to the back and mix your mud, scrape your snow and road, plant your garden, lift heavy posts, deliveries etc with it. What you look at .. test your water .. is there sand and clay nearby. There are a million things to think about.