Fair question @dudewithaj ,
My recommendation to you is:
- Start by finding a location that fits your passions and has potential to feed into future passions so you don't have to travel far to access the things you love to do.
-There is a wide spectrum of homesteading, I know people who live close to cities but have built cool homesteads that feel far and secluded but are a 10 min drive to Ben & Jerry's and I know people who are way offgrid in the middle of nowhere. (Being closer to civilizations makes it way easier to get building materials, technology, work etc) BUT if you want to deal with less “rules” aka permitting etc go farther away from population centers.
- Local laws: some places are supportive of homesteading and others are not, do your research before getting surprised by some local authority who will make your life hard for having a composting toilet while you are setting up shop.
- Buying land: This is tricky especially if you are starting from zero but many people find a way. If you don’t have enough money to buy outright or pay a down payment here is what I would do. Once you define the general location you want to live, go introduce yourself to the community/move there and find work. Make a point to connect with local farmers, homesteaders, off gridders and ranchers. Locals usually have a bead on the people willing to sell land and if they think you would be a good addition you the community they often will connect you to the right people. In my experience this is much more powerful than asking a realtor to find something for you. Some people are willing to crack off a few acres of land and even owner finance it for you, so you can pay it off over a few years. You can also buy as a group with friends and then divide the property into your own respective lots.
- Property: Whatever property you land on make sure you have access to water, it can be through a well or mountain stream that doesn’t dry up etc but you gotta have water. I also like to make sure I have buildable lots not on flood planes, some forest, some field.
- Access: If you have to build a road up a semi vertical rock wall to the lot…things are going to be a lot harder.
- Tech: In my opinion our generation has a major upper hand up in how much insane tech is available to us. I know most of us want to remove tech from our lives but here are a few key things that will make your life awesome immediately.
- Solar Power Generation: Get at least a 3kw Solar set up right away. I don’t believe in being connected to the grid anymore, You can spend a few grand on some solar panels, inverter and a 200ah battery and be set.
- Reverse Osmosis Water Filter: That mountain stream on your property can be run through one of these filters and you’ll have endless potable water at your disposal.
- Starlink: Staying connected through starlink is a huge leg up so you can coordinate with work, friends, materials delivery etc. (Again, skip connecting yourself to the centralized grids)
- Geodesic Domes: Don’t have 400K to build a house? Consider Geodesic domes or a Yurt to start out. Domes can be built in a few days, they last a long time, they give you a chance to get a sense of what it is like to live on your property, and they can become epic guest housing later on if you want to build something more permanent or traditional.
I’ll reiterate this one last time. Homesteading is a spectrum, you don’t have to be growing and milling your own wheat (although that is awesome, props to the homies that do this). Choose your own adventure! If you just want the stability and peace of mind of living off grid with low monthly expenses power to you. Choose a direction, own your decisions, and enjoy the ride!
