While the house cute and quaint, cozy and cheap, methinks most of us are more fond of modern straight-line homes than "hobbit" habitats.
For some time now I've been digging for info on building ultra-cheap housing, starting with an interest in log homes and branching into "tiny houses". Goal is to get my kids to earn and move into paid-off real estate by graduation.
As a Michigan resident who has tried buying property in Detroit... many of the cheap plots of land come with huge fines and back taxes attached. The owner stopped paying taxes, and when the fines added up they skipped town. If you buy that land, it's now your responsibility.
Not saying not to buy land in Detroit, there are lots of businesses making good money on cheap land (and there are quite a few startups, especially around Woodward Ave, see: Dan Gilbert). Just make sure to do your research to keep away from any nasty surprises. That $25 half-acre with a plant already built might actually cost $100,000 up front.
For some time now I've been digging for info on building ultra-cheap housing, starting with an interest in log homes and branching into "tiny houses". Goal is to get my kids to earn and move into paid-off real estate by graduation.
To keep it short, here's some interesting links:
Tumbleweed Houses - http://www.tumbleweedhouses.com/ (plans starting at $20; in one notable case, house built for $10K)
MIT $1K house project - http://web.mit.edu/1khouse/ (seems defunct, but a noble start)
Tiny House Blog - http://tinyhouseblog.com/ (ongoing reviews of small and/or inexpensive options)
Cheap houses - https://www.google.com/search?q=cheap+houses (there is a lot of dirt-cheap real estate out there if you're flexible)
Free land - https://www.google.com/search?q=free+land (some jurisdictions will, in fact, give you land free if you'll build a house & live there a while)