Tortoise wrote:What are the pros/cons of each? I've been researching BLM land, where people can boondock for (free?) 2 week installments before moving locations. Instead of property taxes, the costs consist of using more fuel. If I'm going to have a vehicle anyway, I can't really avoid vehicle registration, insurance, vehicle maintenance, etc.
Buying a piece of land would allow one to improve the land, build permanent fixtures, and possibly have a mailbox.
Would travelling north during the summer and south during the summer (snowbirding) cost less than trying to heat/cool a fixed location? I guess that depends, huh?
I'm trying to figure out which path to take right now. Buy an acre somewhere and try to "homestead" it, or just drift around and find new places to park all the time.
I guess the whole point of building a trailer is its mobility, so buying land would cancel that out. Although there'd be less wear and tear on the trailer if it just sat in one spot.
What are your opinions about which is better for a single guy just trying to survive? What would cost less, provide more comforts, etc? Just curious what the internet thinks about it all, thanks.
The problem with what you are asking is that there are too many variables that depend upon you, your income and savings, what you can do, where you want to live, if you can live there, etc. The only way that anyone can answer you question is based on their own personal experience, which may be very different than your circumstances.
What would I do? Assuming I had the money necessary, I would first secure a permanent place to live. Why? Because, then, you always have somewhere to come home to where you can grow your food and have shelter; and, hopefully, water. If you own a pickup truck, you can build a camper shell out of foam for roaming and camping in without spending a lot of money. Even if something happens to your cabin, house, or whatever is on your property, you will have shelter in your foamie truck camper. If you have land, even if something happens to your camper, you have or can make shelter on your land. That way, you have both bases covered. Also, property values tend to go up and down; but, overall, prices tend to go up. If you don't buy land now, you may not be able to afford it later. Add to that, money tends to flow through ones hands when not invested somewhere, somehow. If you don't buy now, are you certain that you'll still have the money and enough money later? If you buy land, you will have something to sell later, should you change your mind; and, chances are, you will make money on it, even if you just hold on to it without making any improvements to it.
Now, think about paying property taxes; building your off-grid home; meeting the building codes for the land that you plan to purchase; dealing with and disposing of your personal refuse; setting up cooking facilities, lights, water supply, making repairs, etc. Do you have enough money, time, cash, brain and brawn? Only you know those answers.