hopefully soon

Hi

Newbie here - but not an official LSB owner.... yet. We rent a place where I have my horses and a few sheep, but hubby and I are looking to buy our first property that will hopefully include a few acres.
A place we can call our own! With a big vegetable garden and chooks

Budget is not very large but we are in our 20s and adaptable (I hope?! ) so hopefully we can manage it with a bit of hard work! A Bareland block to build small house/relocate and renovate is looking like the most viable option for us cost wise even if we do end up living in a shed... However the more acres we can afford the better

Any hints and wise words appreciated we will probably be buying in Manawatu but currently live in HB

Sounds like a sensible plan to put your limited money into a larger land area rather than a flash house montague. A house is just a building to sleep in after all. Wish you luck.

Lots of us have lived in tents, sheds, a variety of "hovels" of varying degrees of luxury.[] If you choose to have children, they'll limit those choices severely, but on your own you can live in the cold, put up with much more discomfort than you would want to expose small children to. It's great fun too, makes a fantastic shared history, if you survive it. Welcome and good luck.

Manawatu is a great choice - we came here specifically because I had work at Massey, but having now lived here for almost 5 years.. we just love it. Seems to me to be some of the best land prices in the country as well at the moment - particularly given you can still buy at a good price very close to town.

Regards buying bare land - just make sure you factor in all the infrastructure establishment costs. It generally seems to me that starting out on a place with existing septic, water tanks, telephone connection, fencing etc. can often work out cheaper than doing it yourself on bare land.

Best wishes with your plans!

Don't be afraid to look a little further afield. Rangitikei has some great land, and prices generally even more reasonable than Manawatu. Get in quick before new council rules pretty much ban lifestyle blocks except in certain areas close to town. Where I live is only 30 minutes drive to PN, 40 to Wanganui, and as close to paradise as you can get!!!

Thanks guys.
Infrastructure and the costs is definitely not ideal, but we can't seem to find an affordable place in the area we want to live (Fielding/Pohangina, expensive tastes!) but a bare land block may just be do-able if we do a lot of it ourselves as we have a few contacts

What types of smaller 'abodes' has everyone lived in on their lifestyle block, for how long, did you have kids and was it worth it?
Did you build a small habitable barn/shed or move an older house on that could be done up as the funds allowed?

Ah the possibilities

One family I knew lived in two bus bodies for some years prior to building their house.