If I Were Starting Our Homestead Over Today, I Wouldn't Do It the Way I Did the First Time

If I were starting our homestead over today, I wouldn't do it the way I did the first time.

Is it because we did it wrong?

No.

We've built something here that I love dearly, and six years later, I still look around Magnolia Hill and feel incredibly grateful that we found this place.

But hindsight has a way of giving you perspective.

After six years of growing, building, renovating, raising animals, making mistakes, figuring things out, changing our minds and learning what actually works for us, there are definitely some things I would do differently.

And if you're dreaming about your own homestead, maybe some of our lessons will save you a little time, money and frustration.

I Would Have Waited Longer for the Right House

We spent an entire year preparing for our move and searching for the right property.

We made lists. We talked about what we wanted. We searched online practically every day. We knew our priorities, and when we finally found Magnolia Hill, the property checked most of our boxes.

And I couldn't be happier with the property itself.

The house, however, has been another story.

When we first arrived, we were so excited about the homestead part of homesteading that we immediately focused our energy on the garden, the chicken coop, fencing, animals and everything else we wanted to create outside.

Looking back, I would have put more of our time and money into the house first.

It's so easy to get excited about the vision of a farm.

You picture the garden. The chickens scratching around. The orchard. The barn. The flowers. The farm table.

But your home is where you're going to live every single day.

And in my case, when I wasn't happy with the house, it made it harder to feel motivated about everything else.

Six years later, we're still working on renovations inside the cottage.

If I had it to do over again, I would have been more patient and waited for the house I really wanted.

I Would Have Started With the Community

Our chickens taught me this lesson the hard way.

When we first moved here in 2020, we didn't know our community very well yet.

I wanted chicks, of course, but I also wanted some hens that were old enough to be laying eggs.

That sounds easy enough.

It wasn't.

We eventually bought some older hens from someone who realized we didn't know how to tell how old a chicken was. They weren't healthy, and getting our first flock established was heartbreaking.

At the same time, chicks we'd ordered from a reputable breeder were delayed because of problems with the postal system.

It was a rough beginning.

Today, we have a healthy, happy flock, and I wouldn't trade the experience because we learned from it.

But if I were starting over, I would spend more time getting to know the people around me before I started buying animals.

Your neighbors can become some of your best resources.

They know who has healthy chicks.

Who sells good hay.

Who has the best eggs.

Who knows how to fix the thing you just broke.

Who has a tractor.

Who has been growing tomatoes in your particular soil for 30 years.

Homesteading becomes a whole lot easier when you aren't trying to figure everything out by yourself.

And that's something I've come to appreciate more and more.

I Probably Wouldn't Have Gotten Goats

I loved our goats.

They were fun. They had personalities. They made me laugh.

But here's the question I wish I had asked myself first:

What are we actually going to use these goats for?

The answer, as it turned out, was not much.

We didn't need them for milk. We weren't breeding them. We weren't raising them for meat.

We simply loved the idea of having goats.

There's a difference.

And it's an important one to consider before bringing any animal onto your property. They deserved more than we had the time or energy for.

Every animal you add becomes another responsibility, another expense and another thing that has to be considered when you travel, get sick, have bad weather or simply want to take a day off.

The romantic picture of homesteading doesn't always include that part.

I Would Have Chosen Less Land

I've said this before, but I think it's important enough to say again:

You do not need a huge piece of property to have a homestead.

In fact, if I were starting over today, I would probably choose two to three acres.

That's plenty of room for what we actually need and want to do.

When you're younger, the idea of having more land can feel like freedom.

And sometimes it absolutely is.

But land isn't just something you purchase.

It's something you maintain.

Every acre brings mowing, trees, fences, drainage, weeds, storms, repairs, taxes, projects and decisions.

And when it's just two people doing the work, you eventually start asking a different question:

How much land do we actually want to take care of?

There's nothing wrong with owning 20, 40 or 100 acres if that's what you want and have the resources to maintain.

But don't let someone else's version of homesteading convince you that you need a huge property.

A few productive acres can provide an incredible amount.

Location Matters More Than Almost Anything

This is probably the biggest lesson of all.

Before you fall in love with a property, fall in love with your list of non-negotiables.

We started our entire process with a vision board in 2018.

By the time we found Magnolia Hill in 2020, I had spent an entire year searching for property, making lists, comparing locations and learning everything I could.

I honestly felt like a professional homestead-property shopper by the time we were done. 😂

But there's a reason I became so obsessive about it.

Because you can change a kitchen.

You can build a chicken coop.

You can plant a garden.

You can renovate a bathroom.

You can add fencing.

But you can't move the property.

And there are things about a location that you may not fully appreciate until you've lived there.

For us, the property itself was worth it.

But there are things about our region that I would reconsider if we were making the decision today.

The possibility of severe weather is something we have to think about, and the summer humidity is a factor I don't know that I want to deal with indefinitely as we get older.

Would we have chosen a different location knowing what we know now?

Absolutely.

Does that mean I regret Magnolia Hill?

Not at all.

Both things can be true.

You can love what you've built and still recognize what you would choose differently today.

That's part of growing.

And Then There's the Part I Wish I'd Started on Day One

I would have started a YouTube channel.

From the very beginning.

I've tried pretty much every social media platform over the years, and I've learned a lot about what works for us and what doesn't.

But if I were starting Magnolia Hill again, I would put my creative energy into documenting the journey in long-form video from the start.

Not because I needed to become an influencer.

Because I would have loved having a record of these years.

The garden before it grew.

The first chickens.

The projects that didn't work.

The renovations.

The animals.

The seasons.

The mistakes.

The things we learned.

The things we thought we knew.

And the evolution of this place.

Social media can be wonderful for finding people, but the platforms are constantly changing.

What I really wish I had done was build something that belonged to us from the beginning.

Which is one of the reasons I'm putting more energy into the Magnolia Hill website now.

I want it to be a place where the story actually lives.

If I Could Give My Younger Self One Piece of Advice...

I would say:

Don't rush the dream.

Take your time finding the property.

Know your non-negotiables.

Think about the amount of land you can realistically maintain.

Consider your age, your family situation, your finances, your climate and your actual day-to-day life.

Don't buy an animal just because it's adorable.

Don't assume more land means more freedom.

And don't spend all your money creating the farm while you're still unhappy with the place you're supposed to call home.

Most importantly, build a life that works for you.

Not the homestead you saw on Instagram.

Not the property someone else says you need.

Not the version that looks impressive from the road.

Yours.

Because the older I get, the more I realize that homesteading isn't about how much land you own or how many things you can produce.

It's about creating a life that feels meaningful to you.

And That's Really What Magnolia Hill Has Become

We've made mistakes.

We've changed direction.

We've learned some things the hard way.

We've gotten some things right.

And there are still plenty of things we're figuring out.

But somewhere along the way, I realized that sharing the process has become just as meaningful to me as doing the work itself.

The people we've met.

The connections we've made.

The conversations we've started.

The things someone told us they tried because they saw us do them.

The person who discovered a local farm stand because of something we shared.

Those are the things that make this whole journey worth it.

And there's more I want to share.

I'm working toward creating a practical resource about how to find a homestead property that actually fits your life, including how to figure out your non-negotiables, evaluate locations and avoid some of the mistakes we made.

It's something I wish I had when we started our search in 2018.

And after spending a year searching for our own place, I have a feeling there are a few things I can help you see that aren't always obvious when you're scrolling through real estate listings.

For now, though, I'll leave you with this:

You don't have to build someone else's dream.

Build the one that fits your life.

And if you're already on that journey, I'd love to hear what you've learned along the way.

One More Little Ask From Us ❤️

Magnolia Hill has grown into something much bigger than a homestead.

It's become a place where we share what we're learning, what we're growing, what we're making, the people and places we're discovering, and the things that inspire us.

If something we've shared here has ever helped you, inspired you, taught you something new, brought you to one of our workshops or events, introduced you to a local grower, or simply made you stop and think for a minute...

would you take a moment to leave Magnolia Hill a review on Facebook?

Those little words mean more to us than you probably realize.

They help other people find us, and more importantly, they let us know that what we're putting out into the world is actually making a difference.

Thank you for being part of this journey with us!!!

There's still plenty more growing here.