Any Regrets On Moving To The Farm ?????

[nc redneck]

I am 57 years old. I have lived on at least 3 acres from the time I was 18. Pee off the back deck kind of guy. I live on 3 acres nice house but sewer was just put in. Large High School being built just down the road, developments everywhere and more to come quickly. It is very convenient to shopping, healthcare or anything else you may need.
I bought a 25 acre tract 20 minutes from home about 8 years ago. Beautiful place pond, road frontage, pole barn and small guest house main house with concrete drive was burned down ( foreclosure ). I turned down a serious 50 K profit offer 2 days after I bought it. I will always question that decision but remember taxes. This was several years ago when real estate was hot. Bought a nice used double wide and moved it where main house was. Goal was to rent for several years to knock edge off not pay for the place. I have been renting it for last several years at around $ 1500 per month. Renters have paid for about 1/2 of original price.
During this time I have added " my retirement shop 30 X 70 steel building, heat, AC ". Also picked up 36 X 36 raised cent isle Barn master barn on craigslist and moved it to property. Nice install concrete floors, lights and ceiling fan in every stall. Also put up all new fencing. Daughter is in to horse's and believe I will get stuck with keeping her horse ( when she goes to collage in 2 years )plus it needs at least one companion horse.
I also have accumulated a kioti 45, Kubota BX and have bought a lot of equipment over the years to take care of the place. Backhoe, post pounder, over seeder, mowers and other stuff. I buy used at auctions and fix and paint so under 10 k on equipment. If I sold today I would probably make the same 50 K profit I turned down years ago with 1/2 the investment. Upside is future selling price looks good as everything is moving that way.
My big question to you guys any regrets. I hear this from friends all the time they want to downsize get rid of stuff make life simpler. Here I am looking at selling 3 acre place and moving into 25 acres.
I have learned a lot from people on TBN and realize everyone here is pro moving to the farm, but I respect everyone's opinion . Any thoughts pro or con are viewed seriously.
Thanks
Scott

 

[japody]

Grew up in a big city, worked in a medium sized city, retired and moved to the farm where my wife grew up. LOVE IT!! Peace and tranquility. Animals appreciate anything you do for them and no neighbors in sight. AHHHHHHHHH.

 

[JBourquin]

Grew up on a farm. Family sold most of it off in the late 90s. Parents still own some acreage. When I got out of the military and started looking at houses, they had to be away from city/village lines and have at least a few acres. Found an 1800s farm house with 5.5 acres. Plan is to keep working my way up till I have a nice hobby farm to retire on.

 

[jaotguy]

if things are going good so far , keep the farm and rent it out .. jump only when the city encroaches too much for you to stand ( and the price for the now "city" place will be a lot higher ) ...

once you jump ( or plan to ) ... get the ducks in order and finances settled .... so there is very little (or none) owing on the farm property ....

life gets a lot easier when there are no big bills coming in ... and you have a "cushion" stuffed under the mattress ....

 

[MossRoad]

My only regret is that I haven't done it yet! We bought the land in '89, then had a child, then moved to a bigger house, then had another child, then they went to good schools, then the economy tanked, then my job got sketchy, then college comes around...... timing wasn't right. I'd say, if you can do it without undue financial strains, do it as soon as possible or you'll be looking for your retirement home before you know it. :laughing:

 

[oosik]

I moved down from Alaska(Anchorage) in 1982 to my current 80 acre parcel. I have my own private 5 acre lake( 80 feet deep) and my nearest neighbor is 4.5 miles by road. By '82 Anchorage no longer retained the flavor that it had when we first moved there in 1965. It grew like a weed and was just like any other big city. Besides, IMHO, Alaska is best suited for younger folks. Here I do what I want, when I want and exactly how I want. Everything that happens here is a direct result of something I have done or something I have not done.

My only regret is that I did not move here in 1965 - instead I chose the adventures to be found in the last true wilderness. I will always think kindly of my years in Alaska but now I realize that living here is much more peaceful and definitely more rewarding.

 

[hosspuller]

I grew up in NYC.. Yes that place. That never sleeps. Have 30 acres and horses now. Dogs & I take our morning pee together.

You're 57 ... What are you going to do at retirement? Sit in a lounge chair all day? That's the quick way to a short retirement and a long dirt nap. Getting up in the morning, deciding on what project to tackle keeps me physically moving and mentally alert. Beauty of retirement means I work at what ever pace I like. Too hot? take a break. Too tired, take a break. Sleepy? Take a nap.

Only kink in this is your spouse... Will she be happy taking care of the horses and other pursuits on the farm? Close friends? Neighbors? Think Social activities for her...

 

[forgeblast]

NC if the wife and i stayed in north carolina we would have moved to apex. It was a slice of heaven compared to Raleigh. When we moved back to pa we found 20 acres of woodland and have been very happy.
The only gripe from my wife is she wishes we were closer to things, we are a 1/2 hour away from just about everything...me I like that.

 

[Duwop]

We got our piece of paradise 6 acres when I was 39, she 30. Our move was at the advise of my Doctors due to accident. Impending disability was in the cards for me but I was able to due most anything. We are 1/2 hour from necessities and 1 hr from the malls for me it's not a issue my wife at times wishes we were closer to the shopping and her work as the job is an hour away. We've raised our children and they have moved away as there not much in rural America for young people. They never took to farm life they longed for the sunny beaches of Florida where we moved from.
Now at 51 and 43 life is much different challenge. My disability kicked in three years ago and finding help for the things that need done is a challenge. Health care is an hour away and givin my condition these are my biggest issues with rural living. All in all I wouldn't change a thing except the disability, I've always thought it could always be worse so I think I got it good.

 

[sherpa]

Wife and I left the city 2001 when I was 53, great move for us. You will never want to go back to city life.
Lots of pros already mention. (I like internet, you can buy supplies and parts online and get them delivered to you.)
Cons: Medical and other is a drive into town and a days time.

 

[OldMcDonald]

ncredneck, If you are happy that your financial situation is such that you can afford to move now, then do it now, otherwise I would suggest a little wait. Not a long wait, just as short as possible.

I was 59 when we moved here from northern Scotland (and some people thought I was too old to "start a new life"). That was 11 years ago, and the fifth farm of my own in 3 countries. I might have one more move left, I might not, life is good here and very cheap.

I would suggest that whatever happens you move whilst you still feel fit enough to tackle any job you might face. No point in waiting until you are slowing down - I am not as strong as I was 10 years ago, but still humped 50kgs (110lbs) sacks of lime and fertiliser into the spreader earlier in the week, and looking forward to the olive harvest starting at the end of the month.

 

[sseelhoff]

Grew up in/near a big city. Went to school in smaller city, but a city just the same. After school, moved down to a small southern town. Loved it. Since then, took a job in a big city in Texas. Hated it. We had an opportunity to move to south central Texas, and jumped at it. Bought 20 acres in the country. 6 miles from the nearest town (population <3,000). 20-30 minutes to larger towns (population 25K-30K). Best decision we have made. Do not miss city life at all. It is so peaceful. Even though I have to go to one of two cities several times per week, we don't regret the move at all.

 

[jix]

Well boys..I did not choose to move to a farm. I got very plainly pushed into it becoz of a divorce.

That was a very, very tough time for me. Broke, broken hearted, beset by lawyers, court Bs, and still responsible for caring for my 14 yr old son. Pension gone, no job, house lost. I did not think it could ever be fixed.Someone told me that there was a direlect house outa town for sale that must be moved. I went out and took a looksee.. Bidding situation..25 miles outa town.. My friend was the mgr of the Credit union. I had no collateral, no accessible cash, no land..i was pretty well screwed. My friend asked me what some land would cost me..I answered "dunno mebbe 5 grand an acre uncleared on the highway. He said the house might go cheap.. and about 20 grand to move it, etc..Twenty minutes with an adding machine, He said 65 thousand, you get a 5 acre farm and a house fixer upper.

The money is in your account, Jix. SHEESH..no collateral, no job, no guarantor!

old friend has some scrub gone to brushy bush..1/4 mile from the direlect house. Gimme a dollar, he said.. owe me ten grand, p[ay me someday when the sun comes out.

Found a house mover that dug me a foundation, well and septic, moved the h 24 grand all in bid the house at 12 thousand..woln the bid by 300 bucks.Iyts 25 years old 1400 sq ft two baths three bedrooms, kitchen LR DR..old windows squeaky floors, good roof.

Bingo, I have a home two months later. Lotta work ahead..ten years later its a nice place.

Nice Second wife, too

Now I gotta tractor, cleared out the brush, planted shrubbery, pretty flowers,, Chickens, geese for the pot, root veggies.. Moose for the freezer... **** nice, out here in the country.

Saved my bacon, made me happy, but it was the serenity and the wild critters that made it special...and my sweetheart second wife...who was a fishermans wife before he got drowned.

Country folk are we..country folk that know the value of friends..and sweat..and tears

Irish rovers song "where the sun always shines, there's a desert below"

Things grow green and sweet here on this little farm. Never even think about town, ceptin' when I gotta go buy stuff.

Don't even hate my ex nomore neither.

 

[Knight9]

I'm on 10 acres, but the development, traffic, and noise in my county is increasing dramatically. I'd love to move to 1 quarter section in the woods with deer and moose for neighbors. Sounds like you have a chance to do what you want and enjoy the quiet life. It's LOTS of work, but as was pointed out, what are you going to do in retirement anyway?

 

[EddieWalker]

Nice story Jix


I had my mid life crisis when I turned 30 and realized that everything I did revolved around my job and escaping from where I lived. I grew up in the SF Bay area and every year it took longer and longer to drive to a place to go camping, then my vacations became farther and farther away. Guys I worked with where retiring with very little to live off of and couldn't afford to go fishing like they used to. Then they died a few years later. It became almost overwhelming to me to find another place to live and have a life that I cold do what I wanted and not what I was told to do.

It took five years of searching. First the foothills of the Sierras, then farther out. Wyoming was my favorite, but my wife at the time hated it. Looking back, she might have been right in that it was just too remote. I'll never know. Then we found the Hill Country of Texas and started looking around there. Then farther out until we found Tyler TX.

The move was tough. She turned out to be a dud and totally shut down when it came to doing anything or even making a decision. Then she hated it after we moved and started drinking. I was buying and flipping houses in Tyler for the first couple of years and doing pretty well at it. We had a nice house in the neighborhood she wanted, and I had bought some land and started opening it up and built a small barn. At the divorce, she got the house and I got the land. I moved into the barn before I had the plumbing done and pretty much camped out for the first month.

Looking back, all that I went through to get here just sort of happened by events that I didn't plan out. Over the years, it's become such a blessing to live out here. Every day that I go into town to work or buy something, I can't wait to get back out here. All I hear in town is noise. Lawn mowers all day long. People everywhere and instead of seeing beauty, I see cars and pavement. I work on some very fancy, high end homes, and I just wonder why they live there if they can afford such an expensive home? In fact, I feel sorry for all my friends who live in town and will never get to know what it's like to be surrounded by nature.

I've been here for ten years now and I have trouble looking back on my previous life. It almost seems like I wasn't really alive back then, just going through the motions of waiting until I could start my life. I don't have that desire to escape anymore and when I do go on vacation, I'm looking forward to coming home while I'm away. Everything is about enjoying the land, going for walks, dreaming about what we will do next and taking care of what we have.

My advice is to live your life where you will be happy. If you think you will regret not living there, then that's your answer. It was the best thing I ever did, and while I wish I had done it earlier, just doing it is all that really matters.

Now I'm going to go split some more wood. Once you split wood from a tree on your land and sit around the fire during the coldest days of winter enjoying the warmth it gives you, you'll know why you live in the country.

Eddie

 

[mikim]

My one big regret about moving to the country is that I wasn't able to do it as a younger man. I have projects and plans that will not happen because I'm too old to see them through. I'm nearly 65...but I'd have to have the vigor and vitality of a 30 yr old at 85 to make it all happen. Not reality. I'm enjoying doing what I can accomplish in the meantime.

 

[jix]

Life is what happens while you are making other plans.

Now I am 73 years old..amazing things happen. When I started over after the D I V O R C E , I was 16 years younger, but still relatively old. Ten years of struggling in an unhappy marriage will do that to a fellow. This house took me ten years of unremitting hard work to get set up decently. I had about three good years after it was done before I got pretty sick, to where I could not walk a hundred feet, nor climb a ladder. Neuropathy, the doc said. Nope..it was trying to hard to succeed in a fools game. City life and a bad marriage is a recipe for **** on earth. I have escaped that and now I am a happy man, with a walking cane, but a freedom from hassles and noisy pushy rude throngs of fools crowding the sidewalks of the city. Farm life is glorious!..my dearest darling second wife came along 11 years ago to be a mighty right hand. She is what makes this farm bloom and grow, she is what makes the sun wanta shine when there is a storm.

If you want to be a farmer, you cannot be without a good wife. Farms are mostly partnership, trust, hard work..and happiness...and a tractor.


Farmers also make very good friends. Those are scarce in the city becoz l;ife there is not very happy for the people on the treadmill. Unhappy people do not make good friends.

I once walked the street next to the Rockefeller Center in NYC, just rubber necking..I saw a lotta people trudging along with grim faces..and no smiles. Anybody that was happy was drugged or drunk..or insane, or drinking someone elses blood.

No thanks, Green Acres is the place for me!

 

[jaotguy]

Everything is about enjoying the land, going for walks, dreaming about what we will do next and taking care of what we have.

My advice is to live your life where you will be happy. If you think you will regret not living there, then that's your answer. It was the best thing I ever did, and while I wish I had done it earlier, just doing it is all that really matters.

Now I'm going to go split some more wood. Once you split wood from a tree on your land and sit around the fire during the coldest days of winter enjoying the warmth it gives you, you'll know why you live in the country.

Eddie

well said .... I didn't have the b*lls to do it when I was younger , thought I had too much to lose ....
you're right about hating to get up in the morning to go to the "job" and the commutes....

I also saw people working hard after retirement age just to maintain their city lifestyle ... and paycheck to paycheck.

turns out , all my planning, saving, investing for old age was all in vain ( let's just say that all the experts were wrong , and all the advise was b*llsh*t in the end ) the investments in buildings , stocks ,and pension plans all went south as the economy went belly up ....

the "planned" retirement funds never materialized , the only thing I had was the piece of land in the country ...

As I got closer to retirement age and my health going down hill, I was less willing to put up with BS ... The shop always reminded me that I was getting older and what would I do if they fired me ... well, I finally took a long look at the options ( and my skill set /tools/equipment and what was missing ) then bought/built what I didn't have ...

the very next time they pulled the "do it or you're fired" routine, I picked up my tools, told them to cut my last check and I was out of there ...
15 minutes later with check in hand , I was a free man ... the ex boss was red faced and foaming at the mouth ... with no one to do the job for him.
(several others at the shop did the same thing that day ) ... BTW, the shop didn't survive, turns out they needed us more than we needed them ...

my health has improved (mental and physical) .... ( though I'm still getting older ) ...

It's amazing the power of nature to sooth the soul and mind ... nature doesn't kick you when you're down , it doesn't crack the whip to get things done faster, it doesn't threaten you with an "or else" ....

don't rush things , treat her with respect and you'll get along fine with her ...

 

[jix]

Nice story Jix


I had my mid life crisis when I turned 30 and realized that everything I did revolved around my job and escaping from where I lived. I grew up in the SF Bay area and every year it took longer and longer to drive to a place to go camping, then my vacations became farther and farther away. Guys I worked with where retiring with very little to live off of and couldn't afford to go fishing like they used to. Then they died a few years later. It became almost overwhelming to me to find another place to live and have a life that I cold do what I wanted and not what I was told to do.

It took five years of searching. First the foothills of the Sierras, then farther out. Wyoming was my favorite, but my wife at the time hated it. Looking back, she might have been right in that it was just too remote. I'll never know. Then we found the Hill Country of Texas and started looking around there. Then farther out until we found Tyler TX.

The move was tough. She turned out to be a dud and totally shut down when it came to doing anything or even making a decision. Then she hated it after we moved and started drinking. I was buying and flipping houses in Tyler for the first couple of years and doing pretty well at it. We had a nice house in the neighborhood she wanted, and I had bought some land and started opening it up and built a small barn. At the divorce, she got the house and I got the land. I moved into the barn before I had the plumbing done and pretty much camped out for the first month.

Looking back, all that I went through to get here just sort of happened by events that I didn't plan out. Over the years, it's become such a blessing to live out here. Every day that I go into town to work or buy something, I can't wait to get back out here. All I hear in town is noise. Lawn mowers all day long. People everywhere and instead of seeing beauty, I see cars and pavement. I work on some very fancy, high end homes, and I just wonder why they live there if they can afford such an expensive home? In fact, I feel sorry for all my friends who live in town and will never get to know what it's like to be surrounded by nature.

I've been here for ten years now and I have trouble looking back on my previous life. It almost seems like I wasn't really alive back then, just going through the motions of waiting until I could start my life. I don't have that desire to escape anymore and when I do go on vacation, I'm looking forward to coming home while I'm away. Everything is about enjoying the land, going for walks, dreaming about what we will do next and taking care of what we have.

My advice is to live your life where you will be happy. If you think you will regret not living there, then that's your answer. It was the best thing I ever did, and while I wish I had done it earlier, just doing it is all that really matters.

Now I'm going to go split some more wood. Once you split wood from a tree on your land and sit around the fire during the coldest days of winter enjoying the warmth it gives you, you'll know why you live in the country.

Eddie

I liked your story too, Eddie. It is about 5 thousand miles to here from there...but the beer is always cold by the fire.

Take a trip..I can send you the directions. It's the next paradise after you make the turn outa your driveway.

Jix

 

[Steppenwolfe]

Wife and I just spent last 25 years in South Carolina on a 1/2 acre lot in a development raising kids. All have grown and gone and two years ago we moved to SW Virginia to 80 acres. House, shop, and even a little guest house for visitors. We feel we made it to heaven ... follow your heart.