Gabe Nelson – Growing Sustainability – Helping You Become Self Sufficient.

Buying the right place for the homestead is important. You need the right combination of different factors to make your homestead a success. Between needing to take into consideration the native benefits of each piece of land and trying to work out solutions to problems that need to be resolved, you might be feeling a little overwhelmed about how to make the right choice. This guide will help you to get the right homestead property so that your move to this simpler way of life can be a big success. The conversion from city or suburban life to homesteading doesn’t have to be tough if you are prepared in advance for the move and if you get the right piece of property. Following the tips and tricks in this guide will make it easy to get the best piece of property for homesteading success. Factors That You Need to Consider When Shopping for a Place to Homestead While there are some variables to every homesteading purchase, there are some essentials that you always need to take into consideration. These essentials are required to make sure that your homestead can support itself and meet your needs on a daily basis. Without these essentials, you will likely not be able to make your homestead work out. Being able to ensure that these factors are in place can make all the difference in your homesteading goals overall. Shopping for a homestead involves making sure that the law and your own goals will meet up and it also means making sure that you have thought of a wide array of considerations related to your use of the property. You want to be sure that you have thought of all of the following factors carefully before you make the jump to buy a homestead property. Also remember that, just because someone else has been using the property for a homestead, does not mean that you will find the property to be a good fit for you. 1. Water is What You Should Look for When Buying a Place to Homestead Homesteads can actually be on the grid, but most of these properties are not. This is why you need to be sure about the water situation on any piece of property before you even start to consider it for your homesteading plans. Without water, you don’t have a viable homestead, full stop. Water rights can be complex, and they can vary by state, city, and county. Rights to natural water on the property are not always assured, and you should never assume that you can just use the water that is on your property without seeking permission to do so and without approval. Most properties of this type will have some form of natural water somewhere on the property. This water will be connected to some form of local water access rights and the local drainage and water supply systems. You will likely need to work with a water rights expert to make sure that you are going to be able to get approval to use this water and that it will be enough to support your needs if you are living fully off the grid. There are also properties that come with wells already dug on them, or you could look into digging a well on your own. This can be very expensive, but often it is worth it compared to trying to source water entirely from rainwater or water run-off sources. The purification process that is needed for any water supply will be rigorous in most cases, so there is no material difference in cost with regard to purification when looking at natural water resources above ground and digging a well. You will need the approval to dig a well, just like you will need the approval to use the natural water that is on the property when you purchase it. Livestock and other farming plans might also impact your ability to use the water on the property and might increase the demand for water volume that you will need to meet. Always be sure that you are aware of the water requirements that you will need to meet in order to live fully off-grid, and make sure that you can dig a well or access surface water that will cover these needs. Consider the seasons as well, making sure that you know what the dry season does to natural water sources on the property. 2. Soil Quality is the Most Important Aspect of a Homestead to Consider Chances are, you are planning to live fully off-grid. This means that you will be farming at some level to support yourself. Even if you are an avid hunter and your property is adjacent to animal populations that will offer up your meat source throughout the year, you will need to grow other items on your property to remain self-reliant. A vegetable garden is a minimum need for most homesteaders and you need to be sure that you can grow these kinds of plants without a struggle. The soil composition is the main consideration that you need to keep in mind. You will want to be sure that the soil composition is such that you can readily grow food on the property without having to add a ton of topsoil or other kinds of material to the area of your garden. While it is not unreasonable to add some fertilizers and other enriching materials to your soil, you cannot work with any soil that is not of the right basic composition from the start. There are various do-it-yourself soil testing methods and you can use any of these if you wish. However, sending out a soil sample for analysis at a lab might be ideal. You will want to be sure that your soil is not exhausted already before you make the choice to buy the piece of property in question and this is a 100% accurate way to be sure of that. Digging test holes and processing test samples on your own can lead to all kinds of errors that might mislead you about the quality of the soil and your ability to grow food in it. If you have experience with these soil testing models that can be done on your own, go for it! Just always remember that a lab will give you a full breakdown of the health of the soil on the property, which can be a big benefit to you later on. 3. Consider a Place for Livestock and Chickens When Purchasing a Homestead Livestock and chickens are often critical to the success of a homestead. You will need chickens at minimum, but you might also want to be able to have room for cows or for goats. You need to have ample room for these creatures to live on the property with you and you need to be sure that their messes won’t contaminate your water supply or cause health issues for you and your family. Natural water sources are a big must-have for livestock support, and any property that does not have a pond or a stream for this use might need to be ruled out. You will also need to consider that you might be sharing this natural water resource with the livestock, which could mean that the volume will not be sufficient to ensure that everyone has the water that they need. Running livestock right alongside natural water resources is also a big no-no since they can easily contaminate the water with their wastes. Chickens are easier to keep near your home, but they bring with them a whole list of their own problems. First of all, they can be smelly, and second of all, they can be messy. Feeding chickens means that you will have mice and rats on the property in no time. You will need to be prepared to keep those vermin away from the house by placing your chicken coop in a location that will not allow the mice and rats to move into the home with you. You will also need to consider that chickens are primary targets for lots of animals like foxes, which means that you might have visitors on the property that you might not enjoy. Another consideration related to livestock that most people are not aware of is that covenants can be in place for the property that forbids you to have livestock. Chickens are commonly not allowed within city limits due to the aforementioned vermin that come with them, and larger animals like cattle might not be allowed either. Covenant restrictions have to be followed, and you cannot usually change them. If the property that you have in mind will not allow you to have livestock on it due to covenant laws, you will need to keep shopping. Thankfully, this is one of the things that you can usually look into right off and this means that you can save yourself time by checking on this item before you get too attached to a property and want to move right in. 4. Electricity is the Primary Factor in Finding a Homestead Even though you are going to be off-grid, you will need electricity. You will find that this is a key aspect of finding the right property, even if you are not going to be able to connect to the power grid in a traditional way. Most people who homestead intend to use as little power as possible, but the fact remains that it is really hard to do everything without access to power. Solar power and wind power can sometimes be an option for your needs if you want to avoid connecting to the regular power grid. You can also use a combination of both kinds of power and even sell some of your generated power back to the grid each year. Most people use solar power for the mainstay of their power needs but also have a backup connection to the grid just in case. There are going to be times when your normal power-generating needs might not be met, and if it is cold out, you will need heat in order to stay safe and healthy. You cannot totally write off a connection to the power grid, and you might want to think long and hard about properties that do not offer this benefit before committing. Like with your water and your use permitting based on covenants, some properties will not be allowed to have things like a windmill put on them. You will always need to check on what is allowed for power generation before you assume that you can place solar panels or any other power-generating item on the property. 5. In a Homestead, You Must Have a Place to Live You are planning to live on this property, which means that you will need to have a home to live in. There might already be a home on the property that you are interested in, but you might also have to build a house after you buy your property of choice. There are some considerations that are related to both kinds of purchase that you need to be aware of related to homesteading. If there is a home already in place, will you be allowed, by covenant or by convenience, to convert the home to a fully off-the-grid home? Sometimes the houses that are on properties like this are not currently disconnected from the power grid and are not being used as a homestead, so conversion might not be practical. If the house is too large or too difficult to keep warm or cool, you might not be able to make it work as a house that you live in off-the-grid. If there is no home on the property, is there room to build one? Can you sort out sanitary sewer and foundation requirements for the home? Are you allowed to even build a home on the property via the covenants? Most people like that homesteading means that your house does not have to meet the various laws that are in place for building codes and other considerations that matter in the city. This can be one of the biggest appeals about living on a homestead for most people. While it is true that you might not need to meet any building code requirements, there are some practical considerations that all homes must meet to be lived in. You need to be sure that your home will be insulated well enough to stay warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and you will need to be sure that it will not slide down a hill due to erosion. You might still need to consider foundation building and support needs, as well as the size of the home before you build. Practicality is a huge part of the choice to build a home on these kinds of properties, and if you are struggling to make the process of getting a home built on your homestead property, you might need to walk away. If there are too many complications, you are unlikely to be able to overcome them in order to get a home built on the property that will hold up to use and be safe and healthy for you and your family. 6. When Purchasing a Homestead, Consider the Heat of Location While cooling might be optional, the heat never is. You will need to be sure that you have the ability to heat your home when you live off-grid. You will likely have at least a cooler season to grapple with every year, even if you are not going to have to face snowstorms and rainy and windy weather for a big part of the year. You need to be able to keep your home warm and dry for your comfort and for its longevity. The most common off-grid heat sources will be fireplaces and wood stoves. These can be really efficient and effective ways to heat an entire house, and they are often quite cost-effective to buy and install as well. The limitations that might be placed on these heat sources are related to pollution and to the use of wood resources to burn for heat. You will need to verify that you will be allowed to heat your home with this kind of heat and that you will be able to source the wood that you need to generate warmth all winter long. If your home is on the grid, and you cannot install a fireplace or stove of some kind, you might be able to use the grid just for your heating needs. This can be possible if you are part of a community still living on the grid or if you want to pay to connect your homestead to the grid for a few specific purposes. Many off-grid homes still have a furnace or a heat pump for times when the weather is too cold to risk being unable to access heat. This is a safety concern, and it should not be ignored for any reason. 7. Self-sufficiency Items Are Necessary in a Homestead You are moving to a homestead for a reason, and usually one of the big reasons is a desire to take care of all of your own needs on your property. This means that you will need to have access to the right support structures and spaces to support food-making and preparation needs. Hunting and fishing can be a really ideal way to gather proteins, but there are other kinds of foods that you need to be able to make for you and your family. Food storage can be a big concern if you are planning to keep lots of canned goods on hand or if you need to store meat before it has been rendered down to be eaten. A meat locker, a meat smoker, and even a canning building might be needed for you to keep up with preparing and storing your food. It can be staggering for some people to realize just how much food storage is needed for this kind of food preparation work. When you can go to the grocery store all the time for a week’s worth of food, you will probably not be aware of the amount of space needed to keep food in the storage on a homestead. If there are buildings that are not present on the property for use in storing and preparing food, you can find out if you are allowed to build more structures on the property. This is yet another item that is governed by covenants in most cases, so you should look into this need early in your planning process. 8. Internet Accessibility is Essential When Buying a Homestead While this might not be essential to some people, the reality is that the internet is a big factor in people’s daily lives in many ways. You will likely at least need minimum access to the internet to be able to manage your finances, order things if something breaks, and so forth. When you are completely off the grid, you might not have cell reception, which means that you will need some form of internet access to lean on for some purposes. For those who want to move off-grid but who work remotely online, this can be an even bigger consideration. Lots of off-grid folks are still working for corporations all day each day, but the process of getting good internet access to these locations can be tough at times. Most off-grid homes can still connect to the internet by traditional means if they are close to a neighborhood or area that has internet connection availability. If you are outside of this range, you have some different options to explore. For those who just need the internet every so once in a while, using your cellphone or a cell phone hotspot might be sufficient. This can be a totally sufficient choice for access to the internet if you are not working all day long online and if you do not use the internet very often for any of your banking or ordering needs. For those who need to be connected to the internet at all times for work or just because they want to maintain this bond with modern life, satellite internet might be your best bet. There are many limitations to satellite internet depending upon your location, but you might be able to find pretty fast, and reliable satellite internet access is possible in the area of your homestead. A cell phone booster can also be an option if you are using your cellphone to connect for brief periods of time. Always remember to pay attention to just how much internet access you really need in a day. You might not be able to completely eliminate your bond with the internet. You might not want to have to drive into town and sit in a coffee shop every time you need to get something done. 9. Having a Vehicle in a Homestead is Advantageous The location of your off-grid property might be right by the main road, and you might have a manicured driveway or road that leads down to your property. However, if you are living really remotely, you might need to make some adjustments to your vehicles and your plans to get into and out of the property during tough weather. In places where it snows or is quite wet in the winter, a 4x4 vehicle is pretty much required. It can be very hard to navigate slippery gravel roads or dirt roads in the winter without the benefit of a four-wheel drive vehicle. You might also need to own snow machines or four-wheelers for times when the road is not acceptable for your car to drive on it. Many people are surprised by just how much a natural road or a gravel road can deteriorate in the wintertime. You might not be able to get anything but a truck or an SUV into and out of your property which can lead to big headaches if you did not think about this before. It is a good rule of thumb to plan to upgrade at least one vehicle to have a four-wheel drive and to have a backup vehicle like a four-wheeler on hand as well. 10. Pets Can Be a Big Part of Your Considerations While Purchasing a Homestead If you are living off-grid, your animals that are currently living in your home might be moving into a more outdoorsy lifestyle. This might mean that you need a dog run or a dog kennel or some kind of pet door arrangement to let your animals go in and out on their own. There are some considerations that you need to keep in mind related to these adjustments, however. First of all, remember that being away from the city means that there will be more natural predators for your smaller animals. Small dogs and cats can easily be killed by coyotes and things like mountain lions who might wander through your property from time to time. You also need to be cautious about pet doors that might allow things like raccoons and squirrels to get into your home on their own as well. For larger animals that are living outdoors, you need to make sure that the shelter that you have built will not attract raccoons and bears. Keeping pet food outside with your animals can bring in all kinds of unwanted visitors, and this can also lead to issues of territorial behavior, leading to fighting with wildlife. Pets can be a big part of your considerations, both related to space and to safety when you make this kind of move. Remember that your indoor-only pets might also not make the adjustment to living outdoors very well, and you should be cautious about letting these animals outside if you think they will get hurt or lost. 11. When Purchasing a Homestead, You Should Consider Whether It Will Be Profitable If you are moving off-grid, you might be able to change the way that you work as well. Considering being a tour guide, having a farm store on your property, or running hayrides or pumpkin patches can be a really good fit for those who have moved off-grid and who still need to make a living. There are so many ways to make your new homesteading lifestyle profitable, and blogging about it can also be a great idea. Make sure that you think about the ways that you might use your new property to make some money. If any of these appeals to you, make sure that you will have the space and the needed factors to make a business like this work for you on your property. There are many people who turn their passion for living off-grid into a business, and this can be a really great way to change your life for the better and for the long term. 12. When Buying a Place to Homestead, Financing is Necessary You will need to remember that you will likely still have lots of costs that need to be covered for your homestead building project. Even if you are buying a property that is already up and running as a homestead, can you buy it outright? If you can’t, you need to make sure that you can get a loan to cover the purchase. There are many lenders who will not lend out on this kind of property with a mortgage loan. This means that you will need to secure a personal loan in order to finance this kind of purchase. There are drawbacks to using this kind of loan to buy something as expensive as a property that you plan to live on. You should always try to work with a skilled realtor who is familiar with this kind of purchase so that you can be sure to get the right type of loan for your needs. If you have some time to plan your move to a homestead, consider saving up some money first before you start shopping. You will have much better luck getting a loan for this kind of property if you have a large amount of cash on hand for a down payment. Being aware that financing for these kinds of properties can be tough to get can help you to plan your purchase much more effectively. Many people are not aware that this will be an issue until it is time to make an offer on the property, and they realize that they cannot get a loan. 13. When Looking for a Place to Homestead, Safety is a Must Always make sure that you think about the safety of your property and your proximity to essential services and support. If you are very young and healthy, being adjacent to a city with a hospital might not be a big deal. If you are older, this might be a big factor in the safety of your living situation. Additionally, you might not be located close enough to a city to be able to call on the fire department if there is a fire on your property. When you are too remote, you might not be able to access help from the police if something should happen on your property. There are various considerations of this nature related to living well off-grid that you might need to keep in mind. Having first-aid supplies on hand and taking some basic first-aid classes is always a good idea if you are moving off-grid. You should also consider solutions for any kind of fire that should break out on your property and some form of security measures as well to prevent people from harming you or your loved ones. Living off-grid can be wonderful and peaceful, and idyllic, but you do need to be aware that you will not have access to common and basic services that you might not have thought about before your move. You need to make concessions for these essentials as well and make sure that you have a plan in place for the occasion when something might go wrong. Living Off-grid Can Be Very Rewarding When Buying a Homestead Living off-grid can make your entire life more peaceful, enjoyable, and rewarding. Many people love being able to tap into a more natural and quiet lifestyle when they move to a homestead that is fully off-grid or almost completely off-grid. If you are thinking about making this transition, you can use this guide to help you to pick the perfect property for you and your family. Always remember that you cannot compromise on things like water, erosion risk, space for livestock, and considerations related to covenant limitations. You need to do your research thoroughly on every property that you are interested in because you cannot assume that you can build your homestead in any old place. There are a lot of considerations that need to be looked at and resolved before you can buy a property for your homestead. The more prepared you are for this kind of transition, the more likely it will be that you will have a successful shift to this kind of life. Always remember as well, that you might not be prepared for food preparation, storage logistics, and safety considerations when you move to an off-grid location. Keeping all of these things in mind is important to make sure that you and your loved ones can enjoy a wonderful and happy life on your homestead.