Going through the normal real estate process is not the easiest way to find off the grid homes. Many of the features you are looking for are not commonly listed and more importantly the person selling is not likely using a realtor in the first place. If you are on the market for buying a new off the grid home here is where I would suggest you begin searching.

For Sale By Owner: This would be my first stop in any search for a new home that is built for off the grid living. Here you avoid payment for realtors which means the price should be lowered. The only issue is ensuring the proper steps are followed but if you do a little research you should be able to work through all of that.

Green homes for sale: This site focuses on off the grid homes and is an easy to use site. It gives you some search abilities to narrow in on what you are looking for and has some precanned searches like “off the grid homes” already prepared for you.

Green Communities: this site will help you identify some local programs which can turn up some leads on off the grid homes for sale. The site has a lot of resources available as well and worth spending a few minutes to take a read and ramp up on the different parts.

Off the grid homes for sale are out there if you know where to look for them. As the conversion from on the grid to off the grid living can be expensive, it is best to start out looking to buy an off the grid home for sale in the first place.

Living the suburban life doesn’t mean you can’t have your own garden. It only means that you might not be able to commercially grow crops. Even if you don’t have a large backyard or any room in what you have for a big bed you can always grow with container gardening in your suburban garden.

Many fruits and vegetables can be grown in small beds or containers and provide you the gardener a great deal of satisfaction and more importantly extra money in your pocket. Take a look around your yard (front or back) and try to identify an out of the way corner or area you could dedicate to gardening. If you have one, consider putting in a raised bed or till up the ground itself. I would suggest a raised bed personally but if you prefer to have it in the ground and have the room to support it, go for it.

Once you have carved up a spot for your garden your space can dictate what you can grow. For example if you have only a little room you will want to avoid sprawling veggies like squash and stick with herbs and green peppers which will grow where you place them. Small suburban gardens tend to make perfect homes for cucumbers, beans, onions, tomatoes and even potatoes. You have a lot to chose from but only go for stuff you use in your own cooking and don’t spread yourself too thin.

You don’t need a lot of room to work your green thumb. You don’t even need a yard (container garden). If you are interested in growing out a suburban garden go for it and don’t let your location stop you from enjoying your own fresh vegetables.

I think it is a great goal living off the grid but I also recognize that it is a lot of work to get there. So many factors need to be taken into account and planned for in order to be successful in the move. Here are three tips to keep in mind if you are planning on living off the grid.

1. Start Small: Don’t try to unplug from the world overnight. Go slowly and work on one project at a time to move yourself to living off the grid. Pick one need at a time and work to provide it a different way. You will eventually get there, just be patient.

2. Make the most of your natural surroundings: Be sure to measure your house for sunshine before installing any solar panels or that the wind is sufficient to support the installation of wind turbine. Be sure you have woods nearby if you are installing a wood stove to heat your house. Again don’t just jump into the idea of living off the grid but attack each step with proper planning and careful steps to ensure you are successful with your move.

3. Financial responsibilities must be priority: Houses these days are built to live on the grid, not off the grid so trying to change costs money (unless your building a new home, and even then can cost more as they are seen as add-ons). Each project is not cheap even if you are doing most of the work on your own. Figure out a way to cover the expenses of the renovations so that you can pay for them without building up debt.

Do you have any tips of your own to help support a move to living off the grid?