Would you buy closer in, or further out?

We are 10 miles from the nearest town. That is fine but our house sits close to the county road and it gets a fair amount of traffic. I wish we were farther from the county road but our house has been here 125 years and we only have 5 acres. If we want to get farther off the road we'd have to move. Don't think that will happen.

Do not buy land locked land easment or not!

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I would pick the 60 acres. I wouldn't buy a landlocked property even if the easement was small and was already a done deal. A 1/4 mile easement is a lot of property to cross and who is going to maintain that drive? If that property you cross is sold to someone else and the new owner and you don't agree on maintaining that drive the same way, then your only recourse is taking the matter to court. OUCH!

If you aren't staying long term, then living closer might make it easier to sell, but having an access easement would also make it harder to sell.

If the plan is to stay there for a long while, then I would also rather live farther out from a town and have more land. Lands closer to town will develop first and rules in those areas will change as they are developed.

deb
in wi

When we bought our place almost 19 years ago, I was expecting oil, gas, and fuel prices to get higher much sooner, so we got a place within a couple of miles of work and downtown. At that time no one wanted an old farm on the edge of town that needed LOTS of work, so we got it cheap. On a street with not a lot of traffic, a mile to the library, 2 miles to work, creek through the place, could hardly be better. Nice neighbors, too.

We're still looking in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. Have out eyes on a place that is 10 miles outside of a very small town (2,500 people is my guess) but has a small hospital where specialists visit every month. Lots of firewood on the land, electric at the road but not on the land, lake within two miles and no restrictions on animals or type of buildings. It's currently zoned non-homestead (recreational) so that would have to change but otherwise it's what we want. About 30 miles away is a Super Walmart (though we seldom shop there) and other big box stores. We're on a fixed income so we don't have to consider daily commutes or school districts and we're homebodies who could care less about a "social life."

Also, we feel if TSHTF, we're better off far out of towns.

Buy the 60!!

I would not live within 10 miles of any town, 15 miles if said town shows any sign of growing.

Purchase as far out as you can/want to be and then drive less. Getting more land that can supply you in economic down times with fuel and food is important.

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We live 30 miles from a town with a Wally World, 15 from a small town grocery store and gas station. FOr the most part, it works well for us. Fuel cost are cutting in pretty hard as I work 30 miles away, DD works 30 miles away and DS goes to school and drives 15 miles away. My husbands fuel cost are covered by the company he works for. I am in the process of phasing out of my job and coming home.


Dear hubby and I discuss often the issue of living so far out and agree at each discussion that we have done the right thing. Having fared well right in the middle of a horrible disaster, (Katrina) in which were dependant on what we had available to us on our farm for three weeks, we feel prepared to face whatever may come. We don't want to, but if we have to, we have the skills and tools to live in the secluded area we live in.

Our childrens lives have been greatly enriched by our lifestyle. The only thing we would change is we would not have garnered debt early in our lives together. We are just now getting over the debt hump to where we can enjoy our homestead( and we built it with our hands- our land we paid through the nose for...)

I hope we never have to go back to town to live.

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Our quarter is 660 miles, 1100 km from Vancouver, BC, Canada, and 26 miles from Chetwynd, BC, which is 3,000 people. We are the last on the road.

Alex

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Well we can't really drive less (I rarely go out period) but hubby has to work everyday, and is at least 15 years out from retiring. We only drive our truck when it's needed, otherwise we recently bought a toyota matrix for a daily commuter for DH to go to work in. It gets abotu 34mpg.

I figure if gas hits $4 a gallon, it will run $250 per month for him to drive to work from the 60 acres.

We went back for a 2nd look at the landlocked 40 acre piece closer in, and ruled it out. The noise of the interstate and train would drive us bonkers.

We then headed back up to the 60 acres. It's really hard to tell what the land quality is. It was logged I'd say 3 years ago? There's baby pine trees springing up everywhere, about 3 feet tall. It may have been more recently logged. Normally, that would turn me off of the place, but it isn't clear cut.

We are still waiting to see the survey to see exactly how this piece lays. We were only able to find the survey marks on 2 sides of the property, the 2 sides that border the National Forest. 60 acres isn't a lot of land, but having all that NF at our disposal for hunting and excess firewood (downed trees/limbs) is a real plus.

We think (but are only guessing at this point) that the property may be shaped somewhat like a key, with the skinny part being roughly 20 acres, and the round part being 40 acres. The 40 acres might not be overly usable, but the 20 is nice, and has a creek on the edge of it.

The entire area is absolutely gorgeous, with views of the hills, and the sound of the creek is all you can hear. However, there is a farmhouse on the bottom side of the long thin piece, from which this 60 acres was broken off of. All the beautiful pasture and main creek frontage belongs with it. We'll never be able to afford anything that nice, so I don't even think about it much. That house and one other, are about all there is for miles and miles. I mean, it's really out there!

Anyway, it'd be a fair amount of work, cleaning up the tops from when it was timbered, and all the undergrowth that has sprung up so thick you can barely walk the land. It sure looks like it could be a fabulous place in a few years though.

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CJ, Our property borders the National Forest here in Mississippi! It really expands our hunting range!

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Kazohleenah, I'm in the mountains of SW VA. Funny thing was some folks started talking to me in the food store today. They've been here from CT 20 yrs and only know one other person they could actually call on the phone! Treesonggal,I'm far from a social butterfly but having been widowed at the age of 33 I can see the value of having some social contacts as we age. I'd be happy to help someone else out in return for the same in times of need.
PQ

CJ, that commute and it's gas can take a toll. My commute is 70 miles one way or 1:20. But if I have to work day watch that becomes 1:30 at least. I've been doing it for about 2½ years now, and I can't wait for it to end. Luckily for me I only have about 100 working days left.

$-wise, it's costing me over $725 a month to drive my truck. Can't wait for motorcycle season (April 1st) so I can cut that down to under around $200. Buying the smaller car is a smart step. But $$$ aren't the only impact that drive has.

If he's having to deal with a lot of traffic every day that starts to wear on you. Your fuse becomes shorter. Patience for slow teens (I know, an oxy-moron but they are out there), grannies, or trucks becomes almost non-existent. As you get to know the road better you start to anticipate passing zones, holding your breath and getting an itchy foot. Then you finally get there, only to find a wide-load coming your way and you miss the zone. Believe it or not this type of situation actually causes an adrenalin release in your body, and now it's got nowhere to go. That pent up adrenalin takes a toll too. and a person starts to take chances they shouldn't. They might even get away with them all of the time, BUT it only takes one screw-up to wipe out ALL of the previous successes.

Speaking from personal experience, I wouldn't live any further than 30 minutes (on a bad day) from work, unless the entire drive was four-laners.

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I agree... if I were the one making the drive, it wouldn't happen. Hubby doesn't seem to think he'll mind it, but I think he will. He often works 70 hour plus weeks. Although part of the reason he is taking this new contract in April is that it is long term, and "supposedly" 40-50 hours per week.

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If I had to move, I'd find some hidey hole out in one of the lesser populated Western states, as far away from town as possible. I'd want a large tract, away from any and all neighbors. Backed up in a cul de sac valley, with very rugged mountains, (I'd like to own the mountains, if not, it'd be Forest Service land)... on a one way road... I despise traffic noises of any sort. Also would be nice if there was an open season on atv users... I know, I know, you can't have everything...

I'll not sacrifice my life, to be closer to humans and work... what's the point of making a living, if you hate what you're doing and where you're doing it?

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Gost, my ears perked up when you mentioned all the tree tops! George's firewood business was built nearly 100% on tree tops left from loggers. Once those are cut and stacked the place will look a lot different.

As for the commute, yes it's expensive but that needs to be balanced against being on a place you absolutely love and doing the work you want to do. It's a quality/quantity thing which only the two of you will be able to answer.

Don't know if this is possible but, when I last bought a place I spent as much time as possible there BEFORE buying it. I looked at it in all kinds of weather; knocked on doors to meet people and asked questions: traffic at hunting season, who was related to whom, road conditions in the spring, how well the roads were plowed and where the drifts were, etc.

By the time I bought I had seen the place in three seasons! Sure helped with my decision and most people knew me by then too. On moving day I already knew who to avoid, who would most likely help me out in a pinch and what to watch for (mushroom pickers and hunters who always trespassed, teens who came down the lane to park and/or drink). I was the only single woman on the road but became the one who kept an eye on a few camps for the downstate owners. It paid off big time when they were in the area as they came over with offers of venison, firewood and snowplowing.

I'm still not the social butterfly but, I am the person that even in the middle of nowhere people know they can come to me for help. Guess I just prefer my low-key life.

Already, at the property we're considering in the UP, I know who the land owners are, know how many full-time permanent homes are within three miles in any direction, and have casually asked about people and their associations with one another - and I'm 350 miles away. Guess that's the old newshound in me.

Not a "one size fits all answer".

Cities provide economic opportunities. What good does it do to live 10 miles past where Jesus bicycle broke..... if one is unable to provide themselves with a means of economic livelihood?

If providing an income is not an issue, or you possess the skills to generate an income in the most rural area, then, by all means, live away from the hustle/bustle of city life.
Chances are you'll live a longer, happier life.

Well, we already know we can't tolerate living in town... or even just on the fringes. And by town I'm talking population of 24k or less.

We have never purchased any land/home anywhere to be close to hubby's work, as he is a contract engineer and has always had to move around (RV). Missouri is our home state, so we've always kept land there. I stayed on the farm til the kids were grown, then we sold it, bought 60 acres to retire on, but now after all these years, it looks like this contract could possibly carry us right into retirement. Even if it's just 5 or 6 years, it would behoove us to buy something. If we can find something we like as well as our place back home, we'll sell it and make this "home".

We love living out in the boonies. But DH has never had to make that daily commute either, he's always just parked an RV nearby whatever plant he's working at.

Treesongal, I've yet to see a land listing around here stay on the market for any length of time... in fact I'm beginning to think nothing great ever gets to the realtors, there's so many people related to or know someone.... LOL

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We use to live about 60 miles from the fringes of a major metro area (population 2mil plus) and found that was way too close. Traffic was terrible and more and more people kept moving in our direction.

Now we live about 12 miles from a town of 15,000. I drive way to far to work (84 miles) but DH and I didn't want to live near the town I work in (pop about 2,000). A big reason was there isn't much there, and the company I work for is one of two major employers in the area. The drive is not bad - almost no traffic except two weeks in the summer (Sturgis Harley gathering). I've been able to carpool for over a year now. The time spent in the car is a drag, but I can usually get a decent nap in, as the two guys do most of the talking.

The town I live near is considered a "hub" for the surrounding area, so it has a lot more than you'd expect for a town that size in a different location. It also has more job opportunities than the town I work in.

Cathy

We're 15 miles from the nearest town of about 200 people.
I'd rather be further out.

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