Thread: Maybe, there's a world where we won't have to run....

If your going to move to the boonies its when your young that its best. Once your older and ready for retirement you begin to have other concerns and being far from a large city with good medical facilities becomes a major consideration for most folks.

James...that is a nice place. Too rich for my blood, but if you can do it....do it.

I guess the link expired since it's been awhile and this is an old thread.

James--if you haven't already done it, DO IT! We "did it" more than 3 years ago and I'm still delightfully happy about getting out of overcrowded, too-much-traffic, high-crime Austin. Yes, the "wonderful" Austin, Texas that everyone thinks is so hip and cool and great.

We're now out in the hill country (right in the middle of Texas, albeit slightly south) and we love it. We're at the dead-end of a 1.4 mile private gravel road so we can't even hear cars.

Nearest neighbors are 1/2 mile away. We have 16 acres but it feels MUCH bigger as we are surrounded by much larger properties, including two big ranches of almost 1,000 acres each. So now I have my own personal shooting area/range that I can go down to anytime I want, and my competition shooting is improving (google IDPA.)

And it's done wonders for my stress level, praise God!

Yeah, dead link unfortunately. It was a beautiful property that ended up going for 100K lower than list price at an auction.... not to us, unfortunately.

We are still intending buy out in that area, but we just need to sell our house first. Bit problematic getting buyers in the current market, but we are patient. This year, hopefully.

Thanks Tam for the post - sounds like you've found your little piece of paradise.

James.

Well now Jimbo my friend, if you took Joesixpack's Cons and Yesshedoes's Pro's I would say you have my place

You're quite welcome, James, and I wish you luck.

On the current house selling situation...don't know how it is in Oz, but here in the US they've put in some tight new mortgage restrictions that make it harder to buy a new place while you're still trying to sell your old place.

Used to be (back in the Olden Days of 3+ years ago when we bought), that as long as your "double mortgage payments" overlap was not too long (I think they gave you 6 mos, but not sure), you were good to go.

Thus, we bought this place in mid-December of 2005, had some inside upgrades done (new paint, carpet, etc), and moved in 4 days after Christmas...but didn't sell our old house until March of 2006 because we had to have a BUNCH of stuff done due to our neglecting it's condition (and owning one particular neutered male cat who sprayed in the corners of the house, which later required BASEBOARD replacement, and we'd bought the place as it was being built for us in Sept. of 1998!)

(Please, readers, no hard-hearted comments about what YOU would do to that cat--I love that cat and I have solved the problem by making him into a "barn cat" out here. He's now exclusively outdoors. It's safe since we're at the dead-end of a private gravel road, no cars going byj...and I shoot coyotes.)

But I think they're cracking down on that kind of thing now. Now they expect you to:

1. Sell your old place
2. Pay for temporary housing and storage if necessary
3. Buy your new place
4. Move in

...in that exact order. Of course, you can try and finesse the timing, as people always have since most couldn't afford double mortgage payments even if allowed.

Regarding what JoeSixPack said...yes, of course there are cons.

I forgot to mention the HEAVY planning and research that we poured into this move.

I created a screening list of about 17 things that were either "deal-breakers" or "must-have's."

"Deal-breakers" were things like:

1. Nearby neighbors--no matter how good they seem, or ARE, they will always move...and then you get the luck of the draw!
2. On any kind of public road--don't wanna deal with "the public."
3. Near any major highway or interstate
4. Near any PLANNED highway, interstate or Texas Toll Road Corridor
5. Didn't want to be within 40 miles of a major city (and we're skirting it narrowly by being 40 miles north of San Antonio, which is rapidly expanding.)
6. Any county with intrusive, nosy law enforcement that does not respect the concealed handgun laws OR gives property owners grief over shooting ranges we set up on our property. SAFE shooting ranges, of course.
7. High taxes--duh!
8. Not a lot of screaming kids nearby...in fact, NO screaming kids nearby.
9. Very safe area where we don't even have to lock our doors.

"Must-have" were:

1. Remote or semi-remote location--way off the beaten path
2. Quiet and peaceful
3. Not near development--in fact, miles and miles and miles from it
4. Swimming pool
5. Lots o' land--more is better
6. High-speed internet access
7. Good neighbors (even though they can change)
8. Nearby rivers with whitewater when they're running
9. VERY conservative, Christian people are the predominant population, so I feel at home

We also lucked out and got a FABULOUS 6-mile view to the west, from our deck and pool--you can lie in the pool, holding your drink, and watch the sun set and think about how good you have it. The UPS man takes extra time when he delivers in the late afternoon, just to admire the view...as does anyone else who ever comes up on our hilltop.

But yeah, you DO need to get a firm idea of where you want to look and what you want--and DON'T want!

OH--also regarding Joe's observations: people out here will tell you that the average "city people" who move out here last about 3 years or less before selling and moving back to the city. Once they've lasted at least 3 years, they are then taken seriously by the community as they are most likely staying and are thus "keepers."

We just hit that magical 3 year mark in December, so we are now serious, for-real hill country folks!

To me, living out here is totally worth ordering meat and other treats online from Omaha Steaks, driving 18 miles round trip to nearest grocery store (a small Super S), driving 2 hours round-trip into Austin once or twice weekly to practice one of my sports and shop at Whole Foods, and various other inconveniences.

But then, I've done most of my shopping online for years and years so no real big deal (yes, including my clothes and shoes--I know my sizes.)

Thanks James, now I spent an hour looking at all the homes I'd like to buy in Aus.

Looks like some great living out there, for reasonable cost. At least in comparison to San Francisco.

OT:

Originally Posted by joesixpack

I don't have to drive to work because I live there, but I have to drive everywhere else. When I lived in the city, I could walk most places.

Wait, did you say "walk"? In LA? What part of town were you in Joe?

Don't get me wrong there are some parts that you can walk around, generally after driving there, (Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, West Hollywood. To name a few), but one of the main reasons why I left LA is that I couldn't walk anywhere. It's f*ing massive.

Originally Posted by bpave777

Wait, did you say "walk"? In LA? What part of town were you in Joe?

Don't get me wrong there are some parts that you can walk around, generally after driving there, (Santa Monica, Manhattan Beach, West Hollywood. To name a few), but one of the main reasons why I left LA is that I couldn't walk anywhere. It's f*ing massive.

YouTube - Missing Persons - Walking in L.A. (Stereo!)