This is inevitably one of the hardest things about getting a tiny house, and ultimately can be the thing to stop you from moving forward. Even if you own your own land, it’s not always so simple and there are so many factors that go into finding a good spot. I’ve compiled every method I’ve ever heard of anyone finding land and every method I know. If you found land some other way, please email me and I’ll add it to the list!

START IN YOUR OWN CIRCLE

This is a good place to start. You’d be surprised who knows who within your own community. Ask your family and friends, ask them to tell their friends about your tiny house and continue to spread the word. Reach out to your high school or college alumni network if they have one, and ask if you can send out a mass email. Spread your network far and wide to the best of your ability. Keeping it within your community is always ideal, and if you ending up finding someone through a mutual acquaintance, it can be the quickest and easiest way to go about it. Even if no one immediately knows of anything, continue talking to people. Basically, the more people who know of your plans, the better!

Craigslist/Facebook/try it tiny

Next would be to search these popular sites. This is the most accessible approach I’d say, because the people you correspond with here are open to the idea of making their land available, so you’re already one step ahead of the game. Try various keywords, not limited to just tiny houses. Don’t forget “RV,” “camper,” “land available.” “farm land,” really anything pertaining to a large piece of land.

airbnB, VRBO, or other vacation rental websites

This was my approach, and it worked beautifully. It did get me banned from Airbnb temporarily though, so be warned. But, I like this approach because similar to craigslist, you know the people on here are open to sharing their home and space with strangers. My advice is to take a look at Airbnb’s in the area you want to live, and be on the lookout for listings with big yards, spaces suitable for events, other tiny houses on Airbnb, and “farm stays.” Sometimes you may come across something pretty great.

In person/Coffee Shop fliers

This was going to be my next resort had the other attempts not worked out. Not to be too creepy, but you can literally scour google maps or just drive around looking for properties suitable for a tiny house and send them a letter in the mail. I’ve heard of this working for a few different people. Sure, it’s rather direct but sometimes it’s the only way.

What do you say?

Ok, so you’ve gathered a good list of potential people you’d like to reach out to, but what do you say? It’s an odd thing to ask, especially if the person isn’t familiar with tiny houses.

First and foremost, people want details. It’s a weird question, so make it as clear as possible. You are looking for a spot to park your tiny house. The best thing is to just lay it all out there, be personable and respectful, and just be straight with them despite the oddity of what you are asking. Tell them a bit about yourself and your house, give them all the dimensions, the builder if you’ve hired someone, send photos if you have them, tell them the date of completion, explain your needs as far as hookups, and detail your plan for a grey water system (if not hooking up to sewer). Usually, the worst response you’ll get is none at all. And that’s ok. Those who do respond may say they don’t have the space, but some may be intrigued.

If you get positive responses, visit the land before you make any commitments. Double check the hookups and make sure it will actually work. After you and the land owner commit to going through with it, put it all in writing in a formal lease agreement to make it official.

Since I approached my landowner before my house was actually built, I really didn’t have much to show. After our initial conversations, I created this 3D rendering in Google Sketchup of how my house would fit on his property. Not really necessary, but it helped show that I was organized and prepared when I had no other way of showing that and I wanted to make a good impression!

After you’ve secured your spot, I also think it’s a good idea to let your neighbors know when the house is coming before it gets there and make sure they are all good with it. You don’t want to just suddenly show up one day with this big tiny house and no notice. As with any other situation, just be a good and considerate person.

I hope these tips help you find your spot! Feel free to reach out with questions!