Last year, my husband was given his grandfather’s financial journal from the 1930’s. At that time, his grandfather had a small farm near Brenham and owned a few cows, sheep, hogs, and chickens, grew cotton and tended to a vegetable garden. The journal was a heart breaking account of how difficult life was during our nation’s worst economic times. Work was hard, money was scarce and possessions were few. What is surprising though is that my mother-in-law has very fond memories of growing up during these times. But with life centered around church, family and friends, the most important building blocks of a happy childhood were intact.
As hard as life was for my husband’s grandparents, they still fared much better than many non-farming folks during that era. That was primarily because of their self-sufficient lifestyle. They may have been poor, but they always had food on the table. A self-sufficient lifestyle is a way of life that is still around today. In fact, I recently listed a property whose owners have embraced this concept. With a barn, chicken coops, multiple fruit trees, a small vineyard, smoke house and cold storage, this property has many of the elements needed for a self-sufficient lifestyle.
A self sufficient lifestyle can describe many different aspects. From planting a small garden to living off the electrical grid, the concept of self-sufficiency has many variations. It seems that more and more people these days are interested in having property that will allow them to pursue one or more elements of a self-sufficient lifestyle. Some are interested in water conservation techniques such as cisterns and drought tolerant landscaping. Some are interested in reducing their carbon footprint through power conservation equipment like solar panels and wind mills. Some are interested in producing their own food thru organic gardening or raising poultry and livestock. And some are interested in all of the above.
But before you purchase a home with the vision of gathering free range eggs in the backyard, you better do some homework. When shopping for a property that will allow various elements of self sufficient living, the first thing to check out is if the property has any deed restrictions against the desired activity. Of course if the property is unrestricted, most anything goes. But if it is restricted, a buyer should read the deed restrictions carefully to determine what is allowed.
Once you’ve determined that you are not prohibited from a certain activity, then check out the property’s physical characteristics. For example, if you’re interested in gardening, make sure you have sufficient sun exposure in the areas that are available for the garden. If you’re interested in solar panels, make sure the desired location of the panels has adequate sun exposure. If you’re interested in power conservation, make sure existing living spaces have good insulation, windows are double paned and appliances are energy star rated. If you’re interested in water conservation, steer away from properties with thirsty landscaping.
Whether you’re interested in saving money, enjoying the outdoors or establishing a hedge against uncertain economic times, a self-sufficient lifestyle can be a rewarding experience for individuals and their families. If you’re interested in making this type of lifestyle change, give me a call. I can help find a property that will work for you.