We found land by searching the online website for the arceage and location we were interested in. We drove by lots of land! We started looking about a year or so ago. We did not use our own realtor, we just called the ones listing the property we were interested in. (Though when we purchased our current house, we used a realtor.) We now have an approved offer and are preparing to close by the end of April. It was difficult to find a bank to do a vacant land loan, though if you're buying a house, you should have an easier time.

I don't know of any grants to get started and banks are not likely to finance you to purchase equipment and livestock in this economy. My suggestion is to start small and save as you go. That's what we're planning to do. We're getting land now. Over the next few years, we'll get the pole barn fixed up, the land cleared of dead branches etc., and some trees planted. Eventually we'll put in a well and septic. During this time we'll be saving for a down payment on the mortgage for building the house. We're thinking we can save enough over the next 4-5 years.

Take it 1 step at a time and make sure you can truly afford it. Good luck and have fun! We're really excited about our dream coming to fruition!