Buying off grid land- you'll never hear this from Realtors

I am a disabled US Marine Combat veteran who served in Iraq. My wife passed away about 3 months ago. It was our dream to own 4-8 acres, and just live off grid in a tiny cabin with a loft. I plan on making our dream come true. I am not sure where I am going to buy land, but I will eventually get it done. I am slowly saving money, as you may know Veterans don't make a lot of money. But it's my dream, our dream, and I will make it happen. Thank you for the video.

For 2023, it’s hard to nail down specific predictions for the housing market is because it’s not yet clear how quickly or how much the Federal Reserve can bring down inflation and borrowing costs without tanking buyer demand for everything from homes to cars.

33 years off grid I can say this is well thought out advice. I chose a location with gravity feed water, south slope, fertile soil and walked a half mile, each way to the car, for eight years before building a road, and putting in a standard sceptic to raise a family. still solar power but I ran a 3000 foot phone line in 2 inch conduit. I also dug a spring and trench 1600 feet through forest and stream , by hand, to run the water line. Definitely worth the learning curve.

You're right about cash. I bought 58 acres for $38,000, with multiple seasonal streams and plenty of substantial trees to build a log home. I offered cash with no contingencies. My closing attorney called to say everything checked out, but also he couldn't tell me exactly what I'd be buying. He asked me, "Are you sure you want to buy this?". I said I did. The thing is, I had already walked the land more than once and seen all the survey markings, so I knew the neighbors had done that work -- the corners were known and established, but no one had filed a plat with that info for my parcel. I closed, and walked across the street to the courthouse and got a map showing all the metes and bounds, and then hired a surveyor to make it official. Done.

Brooke and subscribers will you allow me a few comments? I’m an Escrow Officer and have been since 1992. I worked out of Anchorage Alaska from 1997-2012. I’ve closed thousands of transactions. Alaska is an escrow state vs Michigan which is an attorney state. If you want to buy off grid land in Alaska especially please get title insurance. I closed many transactions that DID NOT HAVE legal access. It’s what we call land locked. Your title report will disclose that to you. That means you have to fly in and land on your property. There are many parcels of land in Alaska where there’s an “agreement” between neighbors where you can cross their land to get access to your property. I would not suggest purchasing that property. There must be written and recorded easements for ingress and egress or look elsewhere. Especially if you buy without realtors or are not familiar with the process. It could save you much heartache not to mention funds. ♥️ Buy land with legal access or be very friendly with your neighbors.

Your one of the few You Tubers that pinpoint the real issues, not pie-in-the sky crap you see on so many channels. I'm off grid 23 years. If you want city amenities, stay in the towns. There's lots of more you didnt have time to mention, but you're the most realistic channel I've ever seen on YouTube. That comes from living it.

I’ve been off grid for 2 years. It has its challenges but overall I wouldn’t go back. It’s so peaceful and wonderful.

As a realtor in Idaho and a fellow off-grid enthusiast, I take these things into account. I give advice that many realtors won't or can't due to lack of knowledge. I like to actually help people vs just making another sale. ❤️

Brooke, you and Dave should collaborate on a book filled with all of ya'lls knowledge. I am sure it would be invaluable.

Protect this woman at all costs

The biggest thing I’ve dealt with when looking at and buying off grid properties are surrounding neighbors , trespassers, squatters, entitled old men that “have been hunting there for years” and aren’t about to listen to any new owner telling them what to do, corrupt police, popular party spots for locals, etc. The other bad thing to deal with is the constant calls, letters, texts and email from people wanting to buy your property from you.

You made me realize how lucky we are! Bought three off-grid acres in Ward, Colorado with existing, well-constructed, cabin for $125K (2017). Rustic, 400 sq.ft., insulated, 1970's cabin with a metal roof has a wood stove, propane heat, an upstairs sleeping loft, two decks and unobstructed views of the Indian Peaks mountain range. We bought the three adjacent acres on James Creek, fronting forest land, for $95K (2022). No neighbors in sight but friendly people nearby with seasonal cabins who respect privacy. Two miles off scenic highway on a privately maintained, rough dirt road with year-round access. A few neighbors plow the snow in winter. 15 minutes to Ward, 40 minutes to Nederland, 60 minutes to Boulder or Estes Park, 90 minutes to Denver. All surrounding property is off-grid with no electricity. The sound of the creek is the only thing we hear. Total dark skies at night. We added solar, a cistern for water, a septic system, internet dish, propane, a generator, box freezer, indoor plumbing, water heater and a shower. Planning to dig a well next year. Compared to other options, I realize it's the ideal off-grid property people would love to find!

My advice is never be in a hurry to purchase a particular property. If it gets sold out from under you, so be it! Go to the property under different weather conditions, if at all possible. Go there during a rainstorm or snowstorm. Go there after a rainstorm or snowstorm. Check out the areas over a time period of several months so you know what it’s truly like out there. Are there squatters in the area? Is there a dispute over land lines? Michigan can be notorious for that. Wonderful videos and I subscribed! Thank you!

Just a tip, you want to know the flood plain...you don't want to build too close to even the smallest crick!

Impressive video. I started a bit late (graduated from my doctorate program at age 30 in 2016 with 170k in school loan debt). Managed to pay off my debt by 2019 and currently have a house and 250k total in investments (combo of profit share, 401k and a brokerage account). I'm not very knowledgeable in investing, so I just have my investing currently in index funds mainly voo, but have been putting a lot into schd the past few months. I dunno if that's the optimal strategy, but psychologically it is very set it and forget it, and prevents me from obsessing over individual stock performance.

In Europe when I was young there were still medieval type dwelling. They utilized thick walls and deep basements for their animals that were brought in at night. They were kept near and safe. As their home was above or/and next to the basement area. It was a massive basement that included storage rooms. The animals were watched almost constantly when they were in the fields. They could do that because they were a village. Plus they had guardian dogs. They brought their animals in at night and took them to pasture every morning. Chickens, ducks stayed closer to home and kept the courtyard clean. They had water troughs. They milked their cows. They made their own cheese, and butter. No one harassed them back then. They were always very clean.

The place where they pushed the soil and branches/trees/whatever into a berm has an upside. They basically created a Hugelkultur mound which is why currents are growing on it. The wood under the soil absorbs rain and moisture and then releases it to the plants over time. And it decomposes to feed the plants. Eventually, it will become really good topsoil.

I grew up till I was 12 using an outhouse. My dad said the reason for a two seater outhouse is so that you rotate using each side to fill it up equally and not have to move it and dig a new hole as often.

I live off grid on rural property and one caution: you mentioned that you can’t get inside a little house because you did not contact anyone about access. You advise people to drive around and just walk on other people’s property. Here in Texas, NOT a good idea and technically you are advising that trespassing is ok. No one likes surprise visitors when living out on the land. Don’t most horror movies begin with innocents exploring property they don’t know?

Hi Brooke Great you’re educating people. I’m looking to get an off grid property but already got the hell out of Los Angeles County and up in Humboldt. I bought a coffee pot like the one you used on ALONE. I’m in my sixties and still work more than 20 year olds. Finally have some peace of mind. Lifetime Television made a movie about my family, Miracle Run, and you can guess a had a difficult life. So when I moved up here I made a self promise and that was to connect with nature. So I grow my food, can, talk long walks and long prayers. Once in a while while a problem pops up and I tell my husband I don’t care , just want to be happy. Going back to the basics is the only way.