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3,976 Posts
Interesting story...
Not giving you a bad time.....but we know that it takes a stash to get started
Was thinking that maybe the title should be "How to save money to buy your land until you can afford it"?
Instead of :
"How to buy land when you do not have much money...Folks that have also done this, please add your story."
Many will find that "Operation off the top of a hole,... is a whole lot easier than digging out of a hole....More room to maneuver.
When you do have that bigger down payment....make financing so much easier, better rates.and less expensive.
Spend less that you make...and pay yourself (save) like any other bill....It's hard but do-able.
We had always been about doing for ourselves, fixing, building, wheeling dealing, growing food, canning, drying , flea market stuff and yard sales...attempting to be self sufficient as possible.
Bottom line was....The mindset was there.......We were "Homesteading" in the city till we could afford land.
We bought our first parcel in 1989....10.6 acres on a river....
Wasn't all cash....but about 1/2...(had the cash) but wanted to use their money instead of mine....
Interest was just renting their money, and hanging on to mine...but would allow it to be paid off any any time, ....if I wanted.
Paid it off early but still kept my back up cash....
Started a build in 1997....hole dug in the side of my hill for the house....then stopped to build up more cash.......Didn't want another mortgage.
Good thing we did this as we were both laid off in 1999 factory that we both worked at closed.
Unemployed at 51 (both of us ).....Would have been a whole lot scarier...If we had not lived that lifestyle and were prepared for that version of "SHTF"
Retrained and moved on.
Added another 6.5 acres on a land contract...again had the cash...but used the owners money, (payments).....paid that off early.....
Didn't like the idea of a land contract, as many include the owner taking back the land if you miss a payment....
BUT
I did not want the other neighbor "that close to us"as they wanted to buy that parcel...so looked at it as renting till they moved on.
All this while we used a travel trailers and a shed....hunted, fished in the river, canoed, played with and learned about alternate water collection and heating, sawdust toilet, having a garden.(at the community garden 1/2 mile away...with several people.)
Basically "Homesteading" part time.....
Added a cabin in 2005, did all the interior work, plumbing, electrical, cabinets as we went along.
This is all paid for now, ....but has been almost 30 years.....
Have a goal/dream.....work for it,...gather tools, knowledge, and skills....
It will come.
Not giving you a bad time.....but we know that it takes a stash to get started
Was thinking that maybe the title should be "How to save money to buy your land until you can afford it"?
Instead of :
"How to buy land when you do not have much money...Folks that have also done this, please add your story."
Many will find that "Operation off the top of a hole,... is a whole lot easier than digging out of a hole....More room to maneuver.
When you do have that bigger down payment....make financing so much easier, better rates.and less expensive.
Spend less that you make...and pay yourself (save) like any other bill....It's hard but do-able.
We had always been about doing for ourselves, fixing, building, wheeling dealing, growing food, canning, drying , flea market stuff and yard sales...attempting to be self sufficient as possible.
Bottom line was....The mindset was there.......We were "Homesteading" in the city till we could afford land.
We bought our first parcel in 1989....10.6 acres on a river....
Wasn't all cash....but about 1/2...(had the cash) but wanted to use their money instead of mine....
Interest was just renting their money, and hanging on to mine...but would allow it to be paid off any any time, ....if I wanted.
Paid it off early but still kept my back up cash....
Started a build in 1997....hole dug in the side of my hill for the house....then stopped to build up more cash.......Didn't want another mortgage.
Good thing we did this as we were both laid off in 1999 factory that we both worked at closed.
Unemployed at 51 (both of us ).....Would have been a whole lot scarier...If we had not lived that lifestyle and were prepared for that version of "SHTF"
Retrained and moved on.
Added another 6.5 acres on a land contract...again had the cash...but used the owners money, (payments).....paid that off early.....
Didn't like the idea of a land contract, as many include the owner taking back the land if you miss a payment....
BUT
I did not want the other neighbor "that close to us"as they wanted to buy that parcel...so looked at it as renting till they moved on.
All this while we used a travel trailers and a shed....hunted, fished in the river, canoed, played with and learned about alternate water collection and heating, sawdust toilet, having a garden.(at the community garden 1/2 mile away...with several people.)
Basically "Homesteading" part time.....
Added a cabin in 2005, did all the interior work, plumbing, electrical, cabinets as we went along.
This is all paid for now, ....but has been almost 30 years.....
Have a goal/dream.....work for it,...gather tools, knowledge, and skills....
It will come.
