The time is near. I have literally spent thousands of hours over the last two decades, daydreaming about having a house and some property that I can create my own little sanctuary on. In great detail, even. While the type of property has changed as I have gotten older, the desire to own land has always been there. When you live on an island, space is at a premium and compromises must be made. Still….the house hunting begins!!
It is unlikely we will be able to get a place with any real acreage at this point. We will have to make some sacrifices and adapt to not being able to go gangbusters and have a one acre garden, half an acre for the rabbits and chickens, and then at least an acre to play with. Unless I win the lottery or some angel falls from the sky and grants me a significant financial gift – it’s not going to happen. Part of being a homesteader or prepper is the ability to adapt and make things work with what you have. I am taking the view that it will be a challenge that I can meet and overcome instead of bemoaning the fact that I am ‘stuck’ on a smaller piece of property. Part of the long term plan is to buy some raw land on another island and develop it over time, too.
With that being said, we went through our ‘must haves’ and “would like to haves.”
MUST HAVE
- Good southern light or the ability to cut trees and get the light
- Enough space for at least a 10’ x 20’ greenhouse, 20’ x 30’ would be better
- Enough space for a chicken coop and run for 12-15 chickens (total would be roughly 225 sq feet)
- A workshop (tinker spot for Mister Dreamer) or the room to build one
- Woodstove or the ability to easily install one (many homes here have them. It is almost standard in older construction)
- Out of town location (less taxes, more freedoms)
- 3 bedrooms laid out so the master is away from the others OR the ultimate set-up would have a mother-in-law unit as Mom is coming with us!
- A muskeg-free lot
WOULD LIKE TO HAVE
- A porch
- A garage and shop
- A main house and mother-in-law unit
- Waterfront
- An acre lot (very expensive here)
- Fenced area for privacy and growing space
- Water-catch system already in place
- Undeveloped areas of the lot (so we can develop it ourselves)
- Berry bushes established
I used to process mortgage loans and lasted about 2 years before I had was fed up and jumped on a different position that had come open in the bank. While I look back and grimace on that particular position, the overall experience has left me more educated on just how the process works on the paperwork side of buying a house. I am grateful for it because I really dislike going into anything blindly. We are brimming with hope that just the right place opens up for us when we start looking. We hope to be in a home around the first of the year but I think that is some wishful thinking.
Maybe we will get really lucky and the person whose property we like is a fan of the blog and will give us a deal, ha! One can always hope! 😉
Um, hi, I just saw your post, so, here- http://www.landwatch.com/ they have some of, if not the best properties for the cheapest prices. I figured you may like to know.
Thank you! We are using a real estate agent to find us a home. We cannot get something like this raw land…yet. Have to build up to it and get a regular house first! 😉
When we were looking for a home, we were shown a piece of land, dropped off the agent at her office,and somehow found ourselves again at the gate of that property. I was driving, and that was not where I had intended to go, but there we were. We got out and walked around the property, and as we walked, we could feel the power of the land calling to us. I know that it sounds strange and mystical, but I know that this is the place where we are supposed to be! 10 years now.
That does not sound weird to me at all! When it is right, it is right. SO few people ever learn how to listen to themselves and pay attention to the energies around us. Congratulations and thank you for the encouragement Mary Jo!