Got to love developments in rural areas

[Jstpssng]

it’s in all states.

Yes, but not as common here. It was mostly unheard of until companies from out west decided they were going to "preserve" us to compensate for trashing their own states. Generally when we sell a piece of land we sell all of the rights to it.

 

[lman]

Just recently sold our place and moved back to the city. Once the market settles a bit we plan on getting back out in the country.

Both my wife and I are realistic about when we get older and will need help.

We'll probably look into selling off again and then renting back in the city.

We'll look into something similar that we are renting now (single family home on a small lot). Or I should say whom we are renting from.

The property management company takes care of everything but the house cleaning. Including changing light bulbs and all yard work and landscaping. Granted, I won't bother them with minor things like light bulbs or air filter changes that take a few minutes of my time.

After push mowing 800 plus feet of steep ditch, plus 2 acres of lawn. Plus any routine maintenance on the house and property..... well I was busy usually one full day every weekend, quite often both days depending on the season or what needed maintaining. This is after working 60 plus hrs during the week.

The first month we were in the rental, I didn't know what to do with myself on the weekend Got home one night, noticed the trash and recycling bin were moved. Then it dawned on me that they moved the bins to blow out the grass clippings after mowing.

Sounds like you might as well sell your tractor. Never lived in town. The best neighbors are no neighbors.

 

[tradosaurus]

Sounds like you might as well sell your tractor. Never lived in town. The best neighbors are no neighbors.

I was about to post a similar response. The only way I want to go back into the city is in a pine box to be buried.

I moved to our 45 acres to get away from inconsiderate people with loud vehicles and barking dogs.

 

[MossRoad]

I guess it just depends on where you live, what kind of person you are, and who your neighbors are. When we got married, we lived within the city. It was a neighborhood built after WWII. 720 sq ft house. 12' setbacks, so you were 24' from your neighbor. I've told this story before; if I was sitting at my kitchen table eating breakfast with the window open, and my spoon clinked in my bowl, I could usually expect to hear "Watcha havin for breakfast?" from my neighbor Ben. I'd tell him cereal. And he'd reply with something like "Irene made pancakes. Want some?" Then we'd have a conversation about whatever was going on today which was usually about me going to work and him going fishing. (they were a retired couple). Once in a while I'd take him up on the pancake offer and Irene would meet me at the fence with a plate of pancakes.

We'd go on drives with them on weekends, or I'd go fishing with Ben. Irene and my wife would trade pies. It was pretty nice. It seemed we were the youngest couple on the block and it got out that I repaired TVs and we were good people. So, we became friends with several of the retired couples and single people on our block, and the surrounding blocks. They'd mow my side yard in summer. I'd do their snow in the winter. A lot of free beer, too! Over the years many of them passed away, their surviving spouse would move away with a child or retirement community, etc. We wanted more children and needed/wanted a larger house, so we moved, too.

So where we are now, the houses are a bit more spread out. Most are 1/4 acre lots. We are on a quad lot, so a tad over 1 acre. Again, most of our neighbors were older and we immediately got on good speaking terms with 7 out of 8 of them (1 has mental/alcohol issues, so pretty much no one interacts with them). We always speak with each other, share garden harvests, help each other with large projects, etc. When new people move in, we always wave. Eventually we'll meet at the mailboxes and start talking.

And, a few times we've helped out with house fires and medical emergencies, as well as storm damage.

So a lot of it depends on a bit of luck and your own personality as to if you're gonna get along with your neighbors or not. In close quarters, it makes things go a lot smoother if you're friendly and interact with your neighbors in a positive manner. We've had many a good laugh with our neighbors, and shared their pain in times of hardship. I know we are lucky, but we also work at it.

I don't think we could live in an apartment with shared walls, but a town house or duplex with a shared garage wall would not be bad at all.

 

[Buggs67]

While I've never lived in a city I did grow up in a development; Cape Cod's on 1/4 acre lots. Lots of friends/playmates. And walk to school. As I've grown older I appreciate more elbow room. My first house was about 800-900 sq ft and 1/3 acre. End was 2,700 sq ft and 1.9 acres but backed onto a 17,000 acre watershed.
Now we have just over 11 acres, 4,400 sq ft, an 80x32 workshop/4 bay. We cannot see anyone or any structure from anywhere around the house. All the adjacent parcel are 12-100 acres.

I could never go to less.

 

[ultrarunner]

I can say a bad neighbor is the exception but when it happens you wish you were on acreage...

Technically, I grew up on 20 acres but when it is in the city and you have dozens of adjoining 5,000 square ft lot single neighbors, a park and a school it is nothing like 20 acres in the county.

My bad neighbor started out fine but when his wife went 5150 and the divorce fight he went off his rocker too.... after 10 years he had it with the city and moved to the rural county and is someone else's problem...

 

[Dftodd]

I was about to post a similar response. The only way I want to go back into the city is in a pine box to be buried.

I moved to our 45 acres to get away from inconsiderate people with loud vehicles and barking dogs.

The neighborhood we are currently renting in the city is quieter then where we lived out in the country on acreage. Type of neighborhood and the neighbors make a huge difference.

Neighborhood is young families, middle aged professionals and retirees.

Didn't get the barking dogs much out in the country. But idiots with loud or no exhausts thinking they were a speed racer.

The neighbor across the streets paper delivery driver....... well I wanted to get my hands on him. No exhaust on a little stick shift car. Would tack it out between gears. At 4am every morning you could hear that car plain as day from 2 miles away.

 

[tradosaurus]

The neighborhood we are currently renting in the city is quieter then where we lived out in the country on acreage. Type of neighborhood and the neighbors make a huge difference.

Neighborhood is young families, middle aged professionals and retirees.

Didn't get the barking dogs much out in the country. But idiots with loud or no exhausts thinking they were a speed racer.

The neighbor across the streets paper delivery driver....... well I wanted to get my hands on him. No exhaust on a little stick shift car. Would tack it out between gears. At 4am every morning you could hear that car plain as day from 2 miles away.

Having lived on our property for about 5 years now I think the minimal acreage to avoid idiots is about 80 acres. Also having your house situated as far from the road as possible is a good solution.

 

[orezok]

Back in the 80’s I lived in a neighborhood that was Newly weds and Nearly dead’s . It was mostly quiet. No screaming kids, no $$ for loud “toys”and Nearly deads

well…

 

[Oaktree]

The property management company takes care of everything but the house cleaning. Including changing light bulbs and all yard work and landscaping. Granted, I won't bother them with minor things like light bulbs or air filter changes that take a few minutes of my time.

After push mowing 800 plus feet of steep ditch, plus 2 acres of lawn. Plus any routine maintenance on the house and property..... well I was busy usually one full day every weekend, quite often both days depending on the season or what needed maintaining. This is after working 60 plus hrs during the week.

The first month we were in the rental, I didn't know what to do with myself on the weekend Got home one night, noticed the trash and recycling bin were moved. Then it dawned on me that they moved the bins to blow out the grass clippings after mowing.

I'd be bored out of my skull. One of the nice things about living in the sticks is that there's always something to do. Not much of one for "city" activities.

Of course it helps that good health runs on both sides of the family, my 94 year old mother is still living in the house I grew up in, only gave in and hired someone to mow the lawn a few years ago. I might think otherwise if either my wife or I had health issues. The thought of living in suburbia or the city is not appealing in the least.

Having lived on our property for about 5 years now I think the minimal acreage to avoid idiots is about 80 acres. Also having your house situated as far from the road as possible is a good solution.

Well, I guess I'm not so bored that I'd really want to have to maintain a really long driveway.

While I can be a bit of a hermit, I'm not anti-social, have no interest in avoiding people. Just like a little "elbow room".