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9 Cozy Cabins for $300,000 or Less

A cabin is the perfect space to get away from it all, unplug the electronics, and enjoy the great outdoors with friends and family. But if you thought a cabin with exposed wooden beams and neighbors nowhere in sight wasn’t possibly in your budget - think again!

Grab your flannel blanket and a cup of hot coffee, and peruse these 9 cozy cabins that will fit even a modest budget.

Adorable A-Frame by the lake

For sale: $234,900

This A-frame cabin in Gore, Oklahoma, has stellar views of crystal-clear Lake Tenkiller from the spacious back porch, and it's just down the road from direct water access. After a long day out on the lake, you'll enjoy the open-concept living and dining space, which has plenty of natural light from the French doors and the windows that stretch nearly up to the gable. Snuggle up with a book at the end of the day in one of the bedrooms or in the bonus sleeping loft upstairs.

See more Gore homes for sale.

A cedar-sided hideaway

For sale: $259,000

This storybook-like cabin in Clinton, Montana, is a stunner from the outside with cedar siding, a Juliet balcony, and a wraparound porch that’s perfect for looking out at the surrounding forest and that big Montana sky. Inside, the home has a spacious kitchen, 1 bedroom and space for another bed in a lofted area upstairs. The home is also equipped with a shop that has plenty of space to store winter toys.

See more Clinton homes for sale.

Spacious and secluded in Minnesota

For sale: $299,900

When you picture a quintessential cabin in the woods, you might picture this home in Grand Marais, Minnesota. Pine paneling, wood floors, a stone fireplace, and plenty of natural light coming through the floor-to-ceiling windows give this cabin a dazzling yet austere appearance. The cabin also has plenty of perks for outdoor enthusiasts, including a trail that leads directly to the lake, where you’ll find your own private dock as well as a fire-pit area.

See more Grand Marais homes for sale.

A modern A-Frame cabin

For sale: $200,000

This Instagram-worthy A-frame in Intervale, New Hampshire, is picture perfect on the outside, complete with cedar-shake siding and red-trimmed windows that give the home a pop of color against the surrounding greenery. Inside the charm continues, with wood-planked walls in the living space, a spacious master suite with a remodeled bath and an exposed wooden beam, and an upstairs loft to be used as an extra bedroom or a comfy reading nook.

See more Intervale homes for sale.

A rustic home in Heber City

For sale: $264,900

Located just a short drive from the amenities of Park City, and with private winter access to the Uinta National Forest for winter snowmobiling, this rustic cabin in Heber City, Utah, has everything you need for staying and playing in the great outdoors. Wooden planks adorn the walls and ceilings throughout the cozy space, which has a master bedroom downstairs and an open loft with a balcony upstairs.

See more Heber City homes for sale.

A Big Bear remodeled stunner

For sale: $299,900

You certainly won’t be roughing it when you’re inside this glamorous cabin in Big Bear City, California. The stylish and bold red front deck and wall of glass windows elegantly greet you from the road. And inside, the home has been completely remodeled, complete with granite countertops and new appliances in the kitchen, a large brick fireplace in the spacious living area, and wood-grain tile flooring throughout the home.

See more Big Bear City homes for sale.

A provincial Peshastin cabin

For sale: $225,000

The views don’t get much better than those from this adorable cabin in Peshastin, Washington. Between the stunning views of nearby Wedge Mountain and the dense surrounding forest, this home gets you up close and personal with nature. Beyond the scenery, this cabin provides a cozy retreat from nature, with an upstairs sleeping loft (in addition to its master bedroom), an outdoor shower that’s perfect after those steamy summer hikes, and plenty of space to store skis or snowboards in the two outdoor sheds.

See more Peshastin homes for sale.

Smoky Mountain views from every room

For sale: $289,000

You can definitely smell that fresh mountain air from this roomy Townsend, Tennessee, cabin, which has views of the Smoky Mountains from every room. With 3 beds and 2 baths, you can comfortably fit the whole family for a weekend of hiking, biking, or simply hanging out on the back porch with unbelievable mountain views. This home is perfect for relaxing, with a hot tub outside and a Jacuzzi tub inside.

See more Townsend homes for sale.

A cathedral-like cabin

For sale: $230,000

It may not get cold in Texas very often, but you'll have the urge to cuddle up around a fire by this cabin in Cleburne. With cathedral-style ceilings, a covered porch, and a modern, spacious kitchen, you'll be set up to host friends and family throughout the year. Best of all, the home is located in a neighborhood known for its golf club, which is one of the best in Texas.

See more Cleburne homes for sale.

Top photo from Shutterstock.

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3 Questions to Ask Before Buying a Cabin (and How to Find One!)

A cabin in the woods can be a fairy-tale retreat - a place to curl up with a good book or conquer the nearby skiing hot spots. While there are plenty of cabins you can rent for a weekend, owning one provides the flexibility to escape when the weather or mood is right.

Here are three questions to ask yourself before making an offer on your cozy hideaway.

1. What kind of cabin do you want?

The word "cabin" can refer to a variety of structures. Most people think of a small wooden house in a remote location, but that's not always the case - you have options, and they're worth exploring.

Log cabins

This traditional cabin type begs to be enjoyed with hot cocoa and a crackling fire. If a log cabin is calling your name, you’ll need to decide on the type of wood, the log shape and the corner styles.

Spruce logs are popular for their resistance to decay, and Scandinavian pine is often chosen for its density and tight grain.

A-frame cabins

With a simple, iconic design, these triangular charmers can accommodate a lofted sleeping area or vaulted ceilings, and the roof's steep slant prevents snow or leaf buildup.

Thanks to minimalism and tiny living trends, A-frames are experiencing a comeback. They're hip and affordable - this tiny A-frame cost only $700 to construct, using mostly found materials.

Mobile cabins

If you're looking for mobility, a tiny cabin can be built on wheels for towing capability.

Gastineau Log Homes has a Log Cabins 2 Go line, featuring 400-square-foot structures that are factory-made and ready to roll on trailers. An even tinier option - the Stanley model from Rocky Mountain Tiny Houses, built on an 8-foot-by-2-foot trailer with a foldable front porch.

Prefabricated and modular cabins

Many companies offer catalogs of cost-effective cabin designs to choose from. The designs are typically customizable but simple enough to be factory-made and then transported to your site.

2. Where do you want to vacation?

Do you want to be on a lake or a river? Far from the summer crowds or near a bustling mountain town? To find your ideal spot, keep these three things in mind.

Travel time, family time

Consider how often you'd like to use your cabin and how far you're willing to travel to do so. Factor in holiday traffic - will you make it there for a three-day weekend without wasting most of your time on the road?

And since vacation homes are often the place for families to gather, pick a location that's convenient for everyone - and one that offers activities all family members can enjoy.

Scenery

Cabins afford an opportunity to embrace the outdoors, so the setting is important. The window and porch views are going to play a prominent role in your relaxation time, so make sure you like what you see.

If you're building your cabin, you'll want to plan your design and placement in harmony with the surrounding landscape. Log cabins are meant to look like they're a part of nature - not a disruption to it.

Maintenance

Remember that you won't always be around to shovel the driveway or mow the lawn. If offseason maintenance is a concern, make sure there's someone you can hire to look after your property when you're not there.

3. How much cabin can you afford?

Cabins might seem like a luxury, but with careful budgeting and lifestyle adjustments, you'll find they can be an affordable way to acquire property and vacation time.

Budgeting for a cabin is just like budgeting for a home. The price tags vary widely, based on location, design, amenities and quality.

Consider how much value you'll get for your money. If you're going to use it frequently, you won't need to rent vacation homes, which could save you money in the long run. And if you're going to rent it out, it could even make you money.

But if your cabin could potentially sit there unused, collecting maintenance to-dos that you aren't around to complete, it can be a major financial drain.

Speak with a financial adviser, and take plenty of time to assess pricing and location options before deciding if a second home is indeed within your budget.

How to start your search

It's a little more of an art than a science, but there are a few tricks you can try to yield more relevant search results.

Start with location

Once you land on a location, search for it on Zillow. If you're looking in a remote area outside city limits, try searching in the county or ZIP code.

You can also draw your own search boundaries on the map. If you're getting fewer results than you'd like, try drawing a circle that's bigger than the area you're looking in. That way, you'll see nearby listings too.

Narrow with filters

From here, it's all about filters. Set your filters to show for-sale homes within your price range.

If your range is up to $300,000, try entering $350,000 to see homes where you might be able to negotiate the price. Consider Make Me Move listings, too, as these homeowners are motivated to sell, even though they haven't yet pulled the trigger.

You can also set the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, but keep your options open when you're getting started.

Under Home Type, consider checking Lots/Land. Some properties are categorized this way even though they have small structures on the property. And if you're considering building your own cabin, this will be an especially good option for you.

Explore keywords

If you're not seeing what you're after, or if you're getting pages upon pages of results, try playing around with Keywords under More. Try one keyword or phrase per search so you don't narrow your search results too much.

Keep in mind that Zillow scans the entire listing for your keywords, so if you search "schools," you'll see tons of listings, because they all include nearby schools.

Most often, the keywords are pulled from the listing descriptions that real estate agents wrote to upsell the house. Think like they would - if you were selling a cabin in your locale, what features would you highlight?

Here are a few keywords to get you started: cabin, A-frame, getaway, cozy, woods, lakefront, river and rustic.

Happy cabin hunting!