Would love to hear your story of affording and finding land

We bought way back in 2013.  I cannot afford what the property in my neighborhood is going for now.

If I were looking for property, I would buy now as property is not going to get any cheaper.

My suggestion would be to start saving and start looking.

Hi  all who are chiming in -  great to hear your desire and vision!  I was looking at property and figuring out $$ to finance it for 5 years, while I was studying permaculture, regen ag, and learning practical skills in a rented postage stamp permaculture plot.  And honestly now that I am on my purchased farm, and using the skills, I can't imagine getting through the work I am doing now without having so many books, lectures, and hands in the dirt and on the critters under my belt. And STILL SO MUCH TO LEARN.

While you are exploring and shepherding your vision for being 'landed', it can help you to use every minute of your time that you can to build your farm skill set!
You might want to explore Paul's brainchild of SKIP  (Skills to Inherit Property). Read the SKIP book, review all the posts in the SKIP form  (find it in the forum buttons on the left column), and begin doing the SKIP tasks. Becoming experienced and onboarding the skills you will need once you are on some property can tip the scales in your favor for any kind of special deal or connection with landowner.  Start now, with where you are, with any little step you can take...  "When you work for Mother Nature, you get paid by Father Time"

And cheers to those who are suggesting renting property.  My years on rental property, learning and practicing farm skills on a postage stamp plot were invaluable (though the transition to move 100+ plants and flocks and fluffles from there to the land I bought was darn hard.)  

Also there is HUGE VARIATION in the regulatory openness or oppression of county planning offices. There is a reason why Paul calls the regulatory and permitting processes of local property associations / city / county / state jurisdictions 'The Department of Making You Sad'.  You can read the dismal story of my first year's regulatory challenges in this post: https://permies.com/t/380043/acres-Western-WA-resilient-permaculture   It has been discouraging to have fully researched the Washington state regulations, for example composting toilets, and make plans based on the state regulations, and then learn that the county where I am located completely prohibits composting toilet, no possibilities, no negotiations, no debate. The regulatory environment within which any property sits is EQUALLY IMPORTANT to the land, the climate, the local vibe, the access to transportation and markets, affordability etc.

Just my two cents.... good luck!

Step 1: Find several different plots of land you would like to own.
Step 2: Learn to write an offer to purchase land.
Step 3: Find out with an online property tax gis website, or with a platbook, who owns the land.
Step 4: Stop by each owner and ask if the ever thought of selling some acres. Ask them if it would be okay, if, in the future, you throw an offer to purchase in their mailbox.
Step 5: For all the owners that said okay, or even seemed " on the fence" put an offer in their mailbox.
I bought 10 wooded acres with a small house on it some years ago. The lady was looking to move as her husband died.