The Shoutbox
Buy a used camper?
I'd be looking to build a 800sqft house on a 1-2 acre lot. Based on the estimates I have in front of me that would be right around $160k.

I wonder if I could get that price down with cardboard walls.
My commute is primarily across town by way of back roads, but the extra commute would be farm land and S bends.
Yeah, an extra 20 minutes down the road from where I am now would bring my commute to about 50-60 minutes, which I do not mind at all. Since it would put the property in another county with cheaper property taxes.
*mind
That drive, for me, depends on what I'm driving through. The first 12 years or so at my current job had me driving highway traffic for a solid 20 minutes one way. That was a 45-minute trip, one way, but the highway speeds were relaxing and gave me time to mellow out and clear my before and after work. Now, my drive is about 25 minutes total but that entire drive is straight through downtown. Yeah, I'm pretty wound up by the time I get in now. I prefer the distance!
Yeah, an important question, for sure. I *hate* longer commutes but for some people it's NBD.
Yeah, I think realistically it is about 2-3 years off. But the stuff I am looking at has never been cheaper. Provided you don't mind an extra 20 minutes added to your commute.
It's a good decision overall/long-term, but yeah, just not immediately in most places.

But owning over renting is definitely the way to go.
Yeah, wait. Prices are inflated now too, maybe depending on where you are. VA is nuts right now. Both rentals and buys, IMO. Materials and labor are hard to find with Covid and trade issues, so new home builds are slow, raising prices more. Lumber here is 3x what it was two years ago. Bubbles gotta bubble, but they gotta burst too. I'm really worried a lot of people are buying over asking (over value?) and will be left holding a quickly depreciating bag.
Ha! Yes, don't do it is an acceptable answer.

I've decided its time to move out and where I live it is more expensive to rent than own. I figure best to start looking early because I still need my credit score to come up a little. But I can get 1-2 acres of land for around $12-15k, which is quite doable.