Getting your Survival retreat

By Joseph Parish

Many people often complain that they simply can not afford to establish a homestead of their own for they either fail to possess the necessary funds needed to purchase the land and supplies or their credit may be less then perfect. To this I say open your mind and use your imagination. There are many different avenues that one could take which could lead to that desired homestead. I will list but a few in the short article.

It used to be that the federal government would allow you to reside on public land for an x number of years. You would never actually own the land but you may have a lease on it for 99 years or so. These public lands belong to all of us as taxpayers and often you will find that many people have successfully homesteaded on these lands at no charge at all. The quality of these homesteads vary from that of a simple camp which would be set up and often moved from one location to another to a more permanent homestead location which is becoming rare.

Usually you will find that you can squat on just about any Federal public land (depending upon the state) for a fixed period that may range from 30 days to 180 days and then you must move your campsite to a new location. Failure to do so could result in a hefty fine with a possible jail sentence. Make certain that you check out the laws in your area of interest and contact the appropriate authorities to ensure that you are in legal compliance.

In many cases people might have a family member who just may have excess land available and would not mind parting with a small piece of it. Possibly they would like to sell it or even would permit you to establish a homestead on it for free if you agree to exchange some work or other services as payment.

Campers and Travel trailers can be set up anywhere you can get permission to place it. All you would need to complete your home would be a solar cell system, water tanks and some sort of composting toilet.

You can check eBay for any auctioned lands that may be listed. Oftentimes you can find many small parcels of real estate available at reasonable prices. I would like to warn you that any time you plan on purchasing land from auctions such as eBay you should always plan to make a personal visit to the land and inspect it, contact the proper county offices to check on any restrictions that may be placed on the land and above all do your homework in researching the property prior to buying it.  

Occasionally you may run into a rural farmer who is selling a small chunk of land from his acreage. Introduce yourself to the farmers in your area and get to know them personally. Generally these types of properties are sold by word of mouth and let’s all remember that “Cash talks”. If you have the necessary money to pay for the land you could perhaps get some pretty good deals on it. Lastly, do not forget those tax liens which can often be purchased for pennies on the dollar.

Cash you say? But you don’t have that much ready cash available. No problem. You can always sell those unnecessary items of property that you own such as boats, extra tools, jewelry or those unused expensive electronic units that are collecting dust. To gather the necessary funds for your homestead you may have to get a second job. Granted its hard work but you can accumulate a ready supply of cash in a quick way.

I have merely touched upon the many ways that you could obtain your dream homestead. Now it’s up to you. Tax your imagination and get going.

Copyright @2009 Joseph Parish

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