Today’s real estate market has mutated from what it’s supposed to be. It’s turned into a carnival of greed, gaslighting, and delusion — a place where desperate people are forced to crawl around for a crumb of what their parents, and their parents’ parents, before them ‘already had by the time they were your age’.
Housing prices are rising and rising like the anxiety-inducing incline of a rollercoaster, while mortgage rates are bouncing around like a back-bracing ride on the dodgems. Welcome to the circus that is trying to get on the property ladder. Watch as politicians and real estate developers alike peddle their pipe dreams of affordable housing to the masses, as if they were selling water to the dust bowl.
However, on the fringes, there’s a new breed on the come-up. People that aren’t queuing up for tickets to the show. People that have had enough of the clowns and con-men out there looking to part them from their life savings. This passionate group are looking to drop out of the norm and tune in to nature. They’re looking to live off grid as a means to get on the property ladder.
This article contains experts from an interview with Ian Freeborn, a seasoned off-gridder with over 30 years experience in actually living the lifestyle.
What Does Going Off the Grid Mean?
Going off the grid is much more than simply cutting ties with utility companies; it’s a radical way to reimagine how to get by. On a core level, living off-grid means becoming self-sufficient and fully in control of your own way in the world.
It all hinges on retaking control by opting out of a system that many out there believe to have been rigged from the start to benefit the few, not the many.
We know, the term ‘off-grid’ can conjure up images of remote cabins, eccentric hermits and their tents in the woods, and survivalists living off stockpiled canned beans in the most remote mountain locations. But these examples are just extremes of a spectrum. As Ian Freeborn explains, “Different people have different perceptions [of what going off the grid means]. A guy sleeping in a park is off-grid; somebody sleeping in their van seeing the world is off-grid.” The lifestyle can be whatever you want it to be. It can be as ‘simple’ as living in a fully-equipped container home out in beautiful natural settings, or as adventurous as creating your very own homestead out in the wilderness or on a remote island somewhere.
What is it that makes going off the grid more compelling now than ever? Simple. It’s the promise of independence. You’re no longer beholden to soaring utility bills — where energy companies quote global issues as the reason why your Gran won’t be able to pay her bills (while posting record-breaking profits). If you’re a person looking to get on the property ladder, going off grid can offer a legitimate, viable alternative. It’s all about you finding an all-new way to live your life that will align with the values you hold dear. Your value, your budget, your home, all off-the-grid.
How Off Grid Life Can Help You to Get on the Property Ladder
Going off grid can be an excellent way to help you get on the property ladder for a number of reasons. One of the most vital ways is the cost. Even the very top of the range Live Off Grid shipping containers are a fraction of the price a home would be — without needing to sacrifice on comfort or those important home luxuries.
While the traditional ideas of ‘home’ revolve around a white picket fence, there’s a growing demographic that’s starting to think outside the box — or in this case, thinking outside the metal box. The appeal isn’t difficult to see: no more landlords, no utility bills, rush-hour commutes a thing of the past — the potential benefits are endless.
The off-grid movement, as Ian and people like him see it, offers something totally unique — an opportunity to step away from the suffocating grind-culture of modern living. It may not be easy to get started as a young person, Ian admits, “but if you’re willing to work at it, you can do it.” Therein lies the crux, by getting off grid you can return to life on your terms — getting out as much as you are willing to put in.
For people on the outside looking in, perhaps those finding themselves beholden to the whims of a landlord (or their management agency), or stuck living with family, finding your way to live off the grid might just be your next great act of rebellion, while also providing you with a place to call your own.
Off-Grid Living as a Path to Get on the Property Ladder
Here’s the great twist: living off-grid doesn’t have to just be about rejecting the property ladder, for some it can be an interesting way to get on the first rung and start climbing. With skyrocketing prices, a major shortfall in the supply of new, affordable homes, and a system designed to push the finish lane further and further along for all those just starting out, going off-grid could be an ideal stepping stone — a way you can save money, gain skills, reconnect with nature, and live the life you want to live — all without getting locked into the financial trap. You can live independently, while still building foundations for the future; in a way that won’t cost you an arm and a leg, and your soul to boot.
Let’s be transparent for a moment: going off grid likely isn’t a path for the faint-hearted or the lazy. This is a life without the option for shortcuts. Instagram and Tik-Tok influencers with their #vanlife aren’t sharing the realities — there will be hard, dirty work to do. But, as Ian puts it, it’s also a revolutionary way for you to escape the “brick prison” life puts you in. His 30 years off the grid have taught him that “It gives you an opportunity to travel and see the world. You aren’t trapped. You can grow and learn and find your place at your own pace.”
Think about that for a moment — you have the ability to actually find your own place, instead of being boxed into one by the market, luck, timing — or a combination of each of the above. For some, the off-grid life will be an overambitious stumble across a bridge to nowhere; while for others, it will be the launchpad that takes them to the rest of their life. What’s a more human decision than to turn your back on artificial comforts to embrace something more raw and more real?
There’s a seismic shift happening as we speak, and many are too busy scrolling through Rightmove rental listings and watching Location Location Location with goo-goo eyes dreaming of a world where they might be able to buy a one-bed flat for themselves to realise it. As Ian and other off-gridders already know, there’s now a new generation waking up to the idea that you don’t need to spend your 20s and 30s chained to a mortgage living life within your means. There’s another way — one that involves you stepping off the grid to build a new life that isn’t beholden to anybody but yourself.
Save money and save yourself, consider a life off the grid today.
Live Off Grid: We Build the Containers, You Build the Life
So, the big pitch: stop chasing the idea of the property ladder you’ve been inundated with since your teens. It’s not turned out how it was supposed to. Instead, consider finding a plot for yourself, plant your flag, and say ‘enough is enough!’ Embrace off-grid life and maybe, just maybe, you’ll find yourself a little bit of sanity in this world gone mad.
At Live Off Grid, we believe in creating unique spaces where people can find freedom without needing to sacrifice comfort. Our innovative off-grid container homes are a brand-new, innovative solution for those seeking the ability to step away from urban living, to embrace a simpler and more meaningful existence.
Every unit we design is both energy-efficient and eco-friendly, allowing you to live in complete harmony with the natural world around you. Whether you want solar panels for electricity, rainwater harvesting systems, or a compostable toilet, we can provide you with all the tools and resources you need to live sustainably without being tethered to an outdated system.
Browse our selection of Live Off Grid containers or contact a member of our team today and find out how we can help you begin your new life. After all, if the carnival is all that’s left, why not consider becoming your own ringmaster?
