My husband and I have been paying someone elses mortgage for 12 years now and we  are sick of it!  We live in a high tourism area of Oregon/Washington (hood river) which makes the prices of houses and land quite high.  We love our location but want to be able to afford something of our own that is 100% ecofriendly and energy efficient.  My brother is a master builder and knows all the ins and outs of that sort of construction so the question lies in what resources are available to first time buyers that want to start from scratch.  WE want the rawest land possible so we can use the timber and build a farm around the features of the land that can provide best.  Is this an impossible thing to do if you don't have more than $20,000 to put down on a loan? Are there tax credits available for energy effieciency? Is an owner contract a bad idea? We would have to build as we go over five years, is that a special kind of zoning? Should we try to find a property with an old house on it to qualify for the tax credit? We want to live on the WA side of the Columbia River  so we don't have the state tax taken out of our paychecks and land is much cheaper.  Any advice for us?  We aren't looking to turn a profit on the land, just live as close to off the grid as possible BUT we don't want to get taken advantage of just because we live amongst the wealthy.