Does living off the grid sound like a dream you’d like to achieve but might not think possible? Even if it seems out of reach, it’s entirely possible to give up life in the city to move to the countryside, where you’ll get to live off-grid if you’d like.
Before you can buy a home like this, you’ll need to find options for sale. Admittedly, it’s not as easy as finding traditional real estate in the city. While it does require more searching and more effort, you’ll be glad to go through the process when you’ve finally stumbled upon the off-grid home of your dreams. Here is a guide to how to buy an off-grid home.
Start Your Search on Sites Like Zillow
When searching for any home, you may visit sites like Zillow to find available properties. Did you know that you can use Zillow and other house-hunting sites to find off-grid properties? It starts with using the search filter to find what you’re looking for and are most interested in moving into with your loved ones.
- Use features of the search to find properties with plenty of acres, leaving you with off-grid options in areas that you would like to move to in the country.
- During your search, you’ll notice some properties are more extravagant than others.
- Yes, it’s still possible to find an extravagant off-grid property.
However, you can find reasonable options listed at affordable prices that’ll impress you. No matter what type of budget you’re trying to stick to, you can find a good home in a secluded area with plenty of space for you and your loved ones.
Talk to a Professional Real Estate Agent With Off Grid Experience
The internet is the best tool you’ll have access to during your search for one of these fantastic homes. While you’re going to need to hire a real estate agent to help you with the purchase of the home, you should choose one with experience in assisting people to buy off-grid homes. You might think these types of real estate agents don’t exist, but they do, and they’re ready to help you find your hidden gem with lots of land.
You can use Google to search for real estate agents with this experience. You may also want to talk with a few of these real estate agents to get a feel for them before deciding to work with a specific one. Once you have a real estate agent helping you on your search, you’ll feel relieved knowing someone is putting in work to find that dream of yours.
Obtain Financing for the Off-Grid Home
If you don’t have all the money needed to purchase an off-grid home in cash, don’t stress it. Most people aren’t going to have thousands of dollars in cash to spend on one of these homes, even if they sell their old homes in the city to make the move. The good news is that you can apply for financing.
The financing process is a bit different for these off-grid homes. Rather than applying with major companies, you may need to work specifically with lenders who allow borrowers to receive funds for off-grid homes.
Although this is more challenging than getting financing for a home in the city, your real estate agent can help you secure financing. Depending on your credit score, you might even get pre-approved for financing.
Complete the Transaction and Become a Homeowner
With help from your real estate agent and a lender willing to provide you with the money needed to buy an off-grid home, you can eventually complete the transaction and become a homeowner. You’ll still need to go through specific steps, which would include an inspection of the property. The inspection needs to be done before moving in with your family to ensure that the living conditions are safe. You wouldn’t want to move into an off-grid home with a mold problem or pest problem.
You’ll need to go through the closing process, just like you would when buying any home. The closing process typically takes a few months, but it can take a few months in some instances. If you’re patient and always available when the real estate agent needs you, you’ll get to close in on a home in no time.
The Benefits of Moving Into an Off-Grid Home
If you’re still on the fence about moving into an off-grid home, you should know of all the benefits you can enjoy. If you’re tired of city life and would like to live in a quiet, peaceful place, the off-grid lifestyle for you. Additional benefits of this way of living include:
- You’ll live in a quieter area without all that noise pollution. You’re probably hearing all kinds of commotion while living in the city, including the sounds of vehicles, trains, helicopters, and ambulances both day and night.
- You can live a more self-sufficient life. When you live in a home with plenty of land, you’ll have tons of space to plant fruits and vegetables. You may even want to start canning!
- The air quality is a lot better in the country. You’ll notice the difference when you’re living in an off-grid home and no longer have to deal with nearly as much pollution as you did.
- Off-grid living is good for the soul. It may leave you feeling less stressed and less anxious than before. If you want to live in a peaceful environment where you feel at ease, off-grid living is ideal.
Can you finance an off-grid home?
This is such a good question. You can finance an off-grid home, but you’ll most likely have to go through local banks. However, there are banks that work specifically with off-grid properties.
How much does it cost to build an off-grid house?
Let’s say you want to skip the buying and you just want to build, you are looking at it costing around $100,000, depending on what you want. If you go much smaller, you might be able to get away with a house that costs around $50,000. You have to consider solar power, labor, and the cost of materials.
Is living off-grid worth it?
Depending on your end goals, living off-grid can be totally worth it. You have to put into the off-grid life what you want to get out of it. It’s more than worth buying an off-grid home if that’s what you want and you’re willing to put in the work.
How to Buy an Off-Grid Home
City life is not for everyone. If you’ve lived in the city and are tired of it, you might want to move into an off-grid home. You can make a move to a home with plenty of land.
While city life has some advantages, there’s nothing quite like living off-grid and enjoying the fresh air, peace, and quiet.
From tiny homes off grid to off grid cabins or maybe even a yurt!
If you’re ready to make a significant move, start looking for the ideal home. It’s also an excellent time to search for the best real estate agent to help you on your hunt to find that dream property.
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