How to decide to move?

[Baymule]

Ya'll are describing houses I have lived in.......how did you know? If it was old, worn out, bad shape and leaking roof, I lived there. Ya'll have brought up some very worthwhile things to ponder on. That said, sometimes you just have to go for it. Only you can answer that.

 

[Southern by choice]

Poor promise acres... now we have totally confused her.

 

[promiseacres]

4 acres to 9 acres IMO, is not worth going into any debt. 4 for 40 maybe.
I too live with a river as my property line. Sometimes, I walk across the pastures and go down to see the river.
Sometimes, the river crosses the pastures and comes up to see me. Think about that, and research the history of that waterway. Will you find that you will be in a flood zone and be required to buy federal flood insurance because of a property loan?
this is good point though it's high above the river I know it can play a part

How much more in property taxes will you be paying? possibly the same or less (why IDK 20 year house vs 100??)
How much more will your homeowners insurance be? we pay farm insurance now so probably not more
Will you be able to get affordable fire and other loss insurance on all the barns? this may be an issue, atleast on the older "farm" barn the other two pole buildings I dont' think it'd be a problem
Is there a fire main (fire hydrant) close to this new place? (that will affect your home insurance rates) it could be closer b/c its a couple miles closer to town....but it'd be about the same
How far is it from the nearest fire station? (same as above)

And no I"m not totally confused, many points to consider. This would be more of lateral move and from my research if we could possibly get a lower interest rate meaning a lower monthly payment.... Yes 40 acres would be heaven but here with land at a premium for farming I doubt that would happen unless we win the lottery which since we don't play isn't going to happen. I can see us staying at a place like this forever... that's not going to happen where we are now. Not after sitting in my living room waiting frozen b/c there's no place to go and a tornado is on it's way.... it hit 4-5 miles north of us... am looking forward to hearing from my agent she promised to email me this morning about it. Luckily she's very forthright and has critters so I feel like she's a kinderd spirit. Thanks for the input, I do appreciate it all. I'll let you know if we decide to go check it out.

 

[Baymule]

Sometimes you just have to take the risk. I have a certain amount of risk taker in me and it sure makes life a lot more interesting. I have a tendency to jump in the deep end and learn how to swim!

 

[hilarie]

4 acres to 9 acres IMO, is not worth going into any debt. 4 for 40 maybe.
I too live with a river as my property line. Sometimes, I walk across the pastures and go down to see the river.
Sometimes, the river crosses the pastures and comes up to see me. Think about that, and research the history of that waterway. Will you find that you will be in a flood zone and be required to buy federal flood insurance because of a property loan?

How much more in property taxes will you be paying?
How much more will your homeowners insurance be?
Will you be able to get affordable fire and other loss insurance on all the barns?
Is there a fire main (fire hydrant) close to this new place? (that will affect your home insurance rates)
How far is it from the nearest fire station? (same as above)

All very good points, greybeard. These are all the nooks and crannies that don't come up right away when you first fall in love with a place/idea. Like after that first flush of love passes and you discover your beloved snores like a chainsaw It sounds like you might have personal experience with property loss - fire, maybe? This summer I'm realizing a personal goal of having lightning rods on EVERY structure in my stewardship. I'm terrified of losing property by fire, not because I'm underinsured or there's no source of water, but because if my barn burns down, there is NOWHERE I can get 12" square chestnut beams anymore. A boat builder, darling of sea captains, built my barn and they don't make 'em like that anymore.

 

[Baymule]

@hilarie I most definitely have barn envy. You could at least post pictures. Maybe ya'll that live in these old houses and have old barns that most of us will never have the experience to savor, maybe, just maybe ya'll could start a thread of old barns and houses. Just for the rest of us to drool over.....

 

[norseofcourse]

Greybeard's post reminded me of a few things.

Since some of the property is adjacent to a river, check to see if it's been designated as 'riparian', and if so, how far from the river that zone extends. Often there are building restrictions within a riparian area. And in some places, animal pastures aren't allowed within a certain number of feet from a waterway.

If the area near the river isn't zoned riparian, you'll still want to be aware if you move, in case they designate it (or try to) in the future. Make sure you keep the areas near the river clean and well-maintained, to help lessen any chance of someone even thinking about restricting animals near it.

Also check to see what rights-of-ways and easements are on or near the property.

Personally I'd be interested enough to at least check it out - good luck!

 

[hilarie]

@Baymule - hmmm....old houses and barns.....new thread...I like it. Will have to dig out some of them and do that. In the meantime, this:

 

[promiseacres]

disappointed but relieved... the owners told the agents to only show the house if necessary and they themselves said it needs gutted or torn down? so it's out of question. But she did say houses similarl to ours are selling and definatly for more than what we paid for it. Not a ton but some so that's good to know.

 

[hilarie]

Stay tuned, then. All will be revealed