What I Wish I’d Known About Homesteading

There are all kinds of people that are drawn to homesteading. Some have dreamt of owning a piece of land to call their own for as long as they can remember, others came to this dream later in life. For some, it’s an opportunity to start a new life, for others it’s the draw of wide-open spaces, or a desire to escape from a hectic city lifestyle.

Regardless of how you came upon the idea of homesteading, and if you’re still in the research phase, I hope you won’t be completely shocked if I tell you it isn’t as simple as buying a piece of land, planting some spinach, buying a few chickens, and living happily ever after. It’s so much more than this!

Here are 4 more things you should know before you start.

1. Get Started Where You Are

Becoming a homesteader may not be something you can start immediately. Perhaps you’re still fine-tuning your plans before you transition into homesteading full time. Perhaps you only plan to start homesteading in the future, for example when you have kids, or when you retire. In all cases, to buy a piece of land, even to buy land in Tennessee, is not what will make you a homesteader. As they say, practice makes perfect. You can start today by doing research. You can start growing vegetables in your garden. You can find other homesteaders and offer your labor in exchange for asking questions, building experience, and learning from them.

2. It’s a journey, not a destination

Once you have bought a piece of land, it will still take years to truly become self-sufficient as a homesteader. No matter how much researching or practicing you did to prepare, you will still have a lifetime of learning ahead of you. Things will take time, things will be hard, and things will go wrong. You may avoid a whole lot of frustration if you take the long view and realize that success isn’t a single event. Success as a homesteader is about attaining the simple lifestyle you dreamed of and achieving your goals.

3. Yes, you need clear goals!

Jumping into homesteading without setting clear goals can result in getting pulled in a million directions, being exhausted, and feeling like a failure if things don’t go well. Setting clear goals will give you clarity on how you spend your time and resources. When you are overwhelmed with wanting to do everything and try everything, you can instead make decisions that bring you closer to your goals. If your goal is to reduce your carbon footprint, only eat what you can grow, or keep your monthly expenses below a specific amount, use your goals to make easier decisions of what you buy and consume, how you spend your time, or even what crops or animals you choose to farm with.

4. Tennessee homesteading is not an unattainable dream

When you have big dreams, it is easy to give up before you even start. You also don’t need to wait forever before you start Homesteading. It is possible to buy land in Tennessee. The right piece of land should be matched to your goals, your budget, and the lifestyle you are seeking to create. To get started, you need someone that can answer your questions and give you expert advice. Here at Legacy Farm Group, we can advise you on all aspects of finding the right piece of land, from the many types of land available, location, legal considerations, and financing.

Choosing to homestead is an important decision and the land you buy is the next biggest decision!

Check out this article from a professional homesteader on how to find the best homesteading property.

Deciding to purchase land in Tennessee is a significant step forward in land ownership. When you work with the property experts at Legacy Farm Group, you can be sure that we will provide these documents for you so that you can get on your land as soon as possible!

Contact us to get started on buying your land in Tennessee! Explore our available properties here