How to Have a Home With no House Payments and no Utility Bills

[AGRP]

Sounds like a great idea:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJsDOD0dTQI&feature=feedlik

[Agorism]

http://www.simplesolarhomesteading.com/

[AGRP]

I can't see living in something that small even for any amount of time, but even if you built something 5xs as big you're still coming out way ahead without payments.

[Matt Collins]

How about no property taxes?

[QueenB4Liberty]

That's a great idea!

[AZKing]

Pretty neat.

When the housing market was still in a huge bubble, I bought my property in a foreclosure sale for dirt cheap. It cost a bit to fix up, but the mortgage is next to nothing. Property taxes are pretty hefty though :(

[kahless]

Pretty neat.

When the housing market was still in a huge bubble, I bought my property in a foreclosure sale for dirt cheap. It cost a bit to fix up, but the mortgage is next to nothing. Property taxes are pretty hefty though :(

Elimination of property taxes so we have real private rights is crucial to restoring liberty in America and should be high on the list of outrage in all state/federal elections. Not sure why it is not already. China is more free than the US in that respect.

[Stary Hickory]

I have though about building a home with solar panels and everything else. I was going to build one a bit more sturdier though. I wanted brick or stone, and under gound sub level. Was going to custom make a computer system with surveillance cameras wired in. I really would do it if I was like a bit younger, it would be cool as hell. No house payments, no need for electrcity(although keep back up generators sunlight can be finicky). I would want to be connected to the county power lines, and I would have a septic tank of course.

[AZKing]

Elimination of property taxes so we have real private rights is crucial to restoring liberty in America and should be high on the list of outrage in all state/federal elections. Not sure why it is not already. China is more free than the US in that respect.

True that. I've made that case to the county assessor as well as my state congressmen and they truly don't care about it. It really is an unfair system of taxing. Don't pay your taxes and you'll see who really owns your property.

Not to mention that some unelected bureaucrat decides what your property is worth. I've always had a problem with them over assessing my home compared to real market value.

[squarepusher]

pretty f'in cool

[AGRP]

Like he mentioned, the hardest part would be overcoming societal pressure to buy a certain type of home with a 30 year loan.

But, it would be well worth the price of not being a 30 year slave. At the same time, I have never run into anyone who didn't dread their 30 year loan!

[brandon]

Pretty cool idea, though I don't think I could handle living in a house that small. One point of contention though. He says living in a house like that would be a great way to save a bunch of money for retirement. But wouldn't you be able to save a similar amount even with a 30 year mortgage? Assuming todays interest rates on a mortgage are really negligible when considering future inflation, the only extra money you would be spending would be on property taxes. You could still have a well and solar panels on a larger a modern home with a mortgage.

All in all, I think this would make sense for someone who never planned on having children and had a partner that also liked the idea. Otherwise it doesn't seem to make much sense.

[QueenB4Liberty]

who cares about what society thinks? lol

[AZKing]

Everybody.

[QueenB4Liberty]

Well, what other people think is not an obstacle for me.

[Peace&Freedom]

Incredible, many or most people the world over have lived in shacks or huts closer to the size shown in the OP for centuries, and people are saying it's too small? Have you seen the small size of the homes of the Puritans, or cabins from the American western frontier days?

Concur on eliminating the property tax, but we have the de-facto federal RE property tax to also deal with, courtesy of healthcare reform. Got this in the mail today:

-----------------------------------------------
Will You Ever Sell Your House?

DID you know that if you sell your house after 2012 you will pay a 3.8% sales tax on it? That's $3,800 on a $100,000 home etc. When did this happen? It's in the health care bill. Just thought you should know.

SALES TAX TO GO INTO EFFECT 2013 (Part of Health Care Bill)

REAL ESTATE SALES TAX

So, this is "change you can believe in"?
Under the new health care bill - did you know that all real estate transactions will be subject to a 3.8% Sales Tax? The bulk of these new taxes don't kick in until 2013 If you sell your $400,000 home, there will be a $15,200 tax. This bill is set to screw the retiring generation who often downsize their homes. Does this stuff make your November 2012 vote more important?

Oh, you weren't aware this was in the Obama-care bill? Guess what, you aren't alone. There are more than a few members of Congress that aren't aware of it either

Check it out at the link below.
http://www.gop.gov/blog/10/04/08/obamacare-flatlines-obamacare-taxes-home

[bwlibertyman]

Awesome. I can't wait to build my own!

[farrar]

Sounds like a great idea:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJsDOD0dTQI&feature=feedlik

Now that my friends, Is a chick magnet. ;)

[AGRP]

Now that my friends, Is a chick magnet. ;)

Yeah :)

Like someone said: With home prices the way they are, you could just buy a regular home and convert it.

[Agorism]

So I guess this is cheaper than getting an RV and putting solar panels on it?


Or get a million dollar McMansion to sell for 2 million later on. muhahahah

[Kludge]

This was posted a looong time ago, and it's a pretty awesome idea.

No reason you can't retire once you build up $75-100k. We've got all this great technology and society's convinced people they have to work longer and harder. Wtf. Buy land somewhere with very low property taxes, put up a few cabins (each one could have a specific purpose... dedicated distillation cabin, for instance :D), figure out a solution for electricity and water production, and grow your own food.

Then all you have is property taxes, battery replacement every 5 or so years, and repairs as necessary. Internet would be an interesting dilemma. May be able to set up a couple repeaters and swipe it off your neighbors....... :D

[BuddyRey]

Those cabins look small from the outside, but if you've ever seen the inside of one, you know they're definitely built for efficiency and maximization of use-per-space. I know I already spend most of my time in the same 500 square feet or so in my house, so I can't imagine needing much more. Cutting excess distractions and clutter is a great way to simplify your life.

[Zippyjuan]

Elimination of property taxes so we have real private rights is crucial to restoring liberty in America and should be high on the list of outrage in all state/federal elections. Not sure why it is not already. China is more free than the US in that respect.

Are they? Starting property taxes: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2011/0128/China-embraces-an-old-Western-tradition-property-taxes

China embraces an old Western tradition ... property taxes

Looking to rein in China's skyrocketing home prices, the government began a pilot program that imposes property taxes on high-end properties.

[scottditzen]

I love this guys attitude.

But he looks to be in the middle of nowhere. How much does he spend putting gas in that truck, I wonder?

I don't see how finding isolated land is really a realistic proposition for the vast majority of younger people who need employment.

Me personally, I'm way too content living in the city where I don't have to commute or rely on a car. Though it would be nice to have the isolated "life in the country" place once in a while.

[Zippyjuan]

I do pay property taxes but I have a job which pays me enough for that and food. I don't provide my own food, but it is readily available within a block of where I am and I don't have to worry about the weather or insects wiping out my food for the year. Work is also easy walking distance so no car slavery. I can enjoy peace and quiet in my own place or go out and socialize with others anytime I want to. Climate is moderate so I don't have to worry about chopping wood for heating or worry about cooling when it gets too hot. Then there is that nice beach about a mile down the road. The house payments will be gone in just a couple more years. I think my life is pretty good.

[Kludge]

I love this guys attitude.

But he looks to be in the middle of nowhere. How much does he spend putting gas in that truck, I wonder?

I don't see how finding isolated land is really a realistic proposition for the vast majority of younger people who need employment.

Me personally, I'm way too content living in the city where I don't have to commute or rely on a car. Though it would be nice to have the isolated "life in the country" place once in a while.
Employment is an issue for someone starting with little or nothing. However, on this forum we have a great many entrepreneurs. With technology, we have cheap and easy access to instant communication and shipping anywhere in the world (for example, having something produced and shipped from China and then hosting a website with e-commerce software and managing product sales/shipping costs peanuts). There are plenty of services and products which can be sold online. Day trading would seem to be quite popular around here, too. Along with the advanced economic knowledge many RPFers possess, I think this way of life is very plausible for many here.

[fisharmor]

Employment is an issue for someone starting with little or nothing. However, on this forum we have a great many entrepreneurs.

Yeah, but someone's already selling plans for the cabin he built.

You'd have a lot more entrepreneurs if not for the federal government.
We live in an age where not toeing society's line gets you in the kind of trouble that might make where you live a decision you don't get any control over.
I'm all for entrepreneurs, but we need to be realistic here. Going outside of the norm gets you noticed. Getting noticed gets you in trouble. Go ahead and tell me Mark Zuckerberg doesn't have an eight-digit legal fund, just in case.

Beyond all that is the whole concept of family. I have a mortgage and I don't see it as a ball and chain. I see it as a blessing. If I hadn't found this house I would have moved far, far away, away from my parents, my brother, and my wife's father. As it is, the kids I ended up having get to spend nearly every day with family.
That would not be the case if we were six hours from here, which is the closest place where you could even conceive of affordable land. And I don't think my septuagenarian parents are real keen on giving up their own house to go yokel with us.

Lastly, I also see my mortgage as the price for not being bored out of my freakin' skull. I can go to a movie theater, hike a nature trail, visit the Smithsonian, go salt water fishing, go out for sushi, hit multiple stores in search of clothes I like, and get food delivered to my house.
The type of freedom he's talking about is great in doses. But I like my neighbors, I like hanging out with brown people on occasion, I like having a choice in churches, and I like my damned pizza delivery!