With SSN maybe another way to look at it is can I collect it early? There are some disability things where you can just take it out. Some people might find that objectionable but hey they took it in the first place, you are just taking it back before they bankrupt it 🙂

I do find it amazing that we are such a “free nation” so I’m told yet there is no real way of opting out of the programs like this 🙁

To your automation arguments, do you find it interesting that the Jetsons lived in a world where everything was automated and didn’t have to work.

Buying land with poor credit is tough, especially if you expect market prices. I’ve purchased and financed land many different ways. Not having strong credit and/or a 25% down payment makes it tough to get favorable terms. If the specific property you want is listed with a Realtor, I’d recommend submitting a seller financed offer based on terms you can manage. This may get a quick no or a set of counter terms. The latter means you have a shot. As Jack said, you’ll pay a premium in price and interest. If you’re trying to get going with a farm, I’d try leasing with a first right of refusal to purchase. It’s similar to an option to buy, but no price is set or credit from the lease applied. That might not work on this specific property but it’s helped me develop relationships with land owners I subsequently purchased from. Keep saving and getting out of debt. Don’t get in the mindset that this is the best or only property. There’s lots of land out there and yes, they are making more every time they subdivide a parcel or backfill a swamplot.

Regarding measuring sunlight, I wasn’t aware there were affordable sun meters. What I used was an app for me smart phone called Sun Seeker. It’s similar to the Star Walk app (hold to sky at night to identify stars), except this marks the path of the sun for you not only for today, but for both soltaces and equinox. It’s how I laid out my backyard garden since I’m surrounded by trees and wanted to maximize sunlight.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/sun-seeker-3d-augmented-reality/id330247123?mt=8

or

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ajnaware.sunseeker

Re, not having a Thurs/Fri show next week.
Might be an excellent opportunity while doing your thing, to just cruise with a hot mike and ask folks why they do what they do, then throw them to the wolves- er, I mean, put them on the air at a later date. 😀

What are we the greatest at? Sueing people, feeling entitled to what others have, regulating everything, pitting one group against another. What we as a nation are not so great at, solving problems, working together, and so many other things.

I still am happy to live here as to many other places.

Buying Land:
Several years ago (about 7-8) I was about 25 and purchased 20 acres. I didn’t have a lot of credit.. No bad marks and hardly any good. I tried big named banks and they would not finance me just for the fact that there was a single wide sitting on the property. Even telling them it would be storage they would not do it. So I went to a smaller local bank and the process was very easy.. Easier than my friends who at the time were all starting to get their first home. I was able to get the 20% down and was only able to get a variable loan where my interest changes every three years depending on the market (which was actually good because I bought right before the bubble burst so my interest has went down every term since). So I think it’s possable for you you just might need that 20-25% down and/or find a good enough deal to cover that percentage. That the other bigger thing is your bank will need to know what the property is worth before you can proceed with the loan and will want to send their surveyed out to find out. This can be an exspensive chunk of change just to find out that the sellers want way too much than what it’s worth leaving you to cover that gap or abandon the money you paid for the surveyer.