How do YOU feel about downsizing and moving away from your country estate?

[fishheadbob]

Wife and I are 67; she grew up in suburbia, me a city boy, but 44 years in the country. Last remodeling job on our 1840 vintage house we made sure the 1st floor bath had wide doors in case either one got incapacitated as we plan on dying here, hopefully in about 40 years. Someone earlier said he had the first eight hours in by noon. I generally have only seven in by then, guess I'll have to get up earlier. Cows and horses are long gone, don't miss them that much, and I give the hay to a neighbor, keeps the fields from going to brush. I also have 7,000 or so Christmas trees which eat up a lot more time than you might think. The great thing about the trees is they don't require care every day. I can play golf, go on a trip, or just plain put them off for a while, whatever needs doing will still need it later. Couldn't do that with livestock. Nice benefit to the trees is the big shot of cash that's going to roll in starting in a week; no screwing off in December. Taxes are about 6K a year, not bad for living in N.Y., but some of that is b/c we get maybe 30% off as a going agricultural concern. Ditto with electricity except the discount is closer to 50%.
Another reason we don't sell is the amount we must have sunk into this place over the last 36 years. Bought it as a dump in '79 and since then a few remodelings, obscene amounts of upgrades including oak, granite geothermal, etc., etc.. Never get what we think the place is worth, and then we'd have to live in a little box somewhere. Lastly, my son's ashes are spread on the place. Can't leave him alone.

 

[MF283]

This is an interesting thread, i'm 58, wife is 54. We have been here 30+ years on our 35 acres, surrounded by farms on 3 sides & houses across the road from split up farm.
Our son/daughter are 27/24 & really show no interest in doing things around the place unless told to do so. I have 2 acres that has all the utilities run that i let my brother put a mobile home on years ago, told the kids if i get to where i can't do things around here, i'll sell it & either build a small home or put a mobile home(as long as it's liveable, i'm not choosey) on the 2 acres & sell the rest.
I'll let them make the call, yes, they're still living here with us, i hope i still have manymore productive years before i have to find out.
Best of luck to all on their choices, i could never live in close to other folks though.

Ronnie

 

[wngsprd]

Wife and I are 67; she grew up in suburbia, me a city boy, but 44 years in the country. Last remodeling job on our 1840 vintage house we made sure the 1st floor bath had wide doors in case either one got incapacitated as we plan on dying here, hopefully in about 40 years. Someone earlier said he had the first eight hours in by noon. I generally have only seven in by then, guess I'll have to get up earlier. Cows and horses are long gone, don't miss them that much, and I give the hay to a neighbor, keeps the fields from going to brush. I also have 7,000 or so Christmas trees which eat up a lot more time than you might think. The great thing about the trees is they don't require care every day. I can play golf, go on a trip, or just plain put them off for a while, whatever needs doing will still need it later. Couldn't do that with livestock. Nice benefit to the trees is the big shot of cash that's going to roll in starting in a week; no screwing off in December. Taxes are about 6K a year, not bad for living in N.Y., but some of that is b/c we get maybe 30% off as a going agricultural concern. Ditto with electricity except the discount is closer to 50%.
Another reason we don't sell is the amount we must have sunk into this place over the last 36 years. Bought it as a dump in '79 and since then a few remodelings, obscene amounts of upgrades including oak, granite geothermal, etc., etc.. Never get what we think the place is worth, and then we'd have to live in a little box somewhere. Lastly, my son's ashes are spread on the place. Can't leave him alone.

Great story. Your last reason sorta choked me up.

I grew up in suburbia and was so thankful to move to the country when I relocated with my job 30 years ago. I think I'd like my ashes spread here.

 

[JD15302155870]

We live on a place that has been in the family since 1883. It has been divided many times thru the years. We have the largest single portiion (87 ac) of the original place. I am 69 and my wife is 63. When we first married we lived in a subdivision outside Atlanta. During our time there we were planning our move back home. We built our home in 85 and reared our three children here. Our kids are the 5th generation on the property. All three of them have the desire to move back to the homeplace and I certainly want to assist them in doing so. Needless to say, I plan to leave here one of two ways; kicking and screaming or feet first.

My wife and I retired in 2012 and during the winter of 13 planted pines on every open spot of land we had. I mustered a working party for My son and two sons-in-law on a Friday and Saturday. Rented a planter fron the Forestry Commission and planted 11,000 trees in those two days. It was a lot of work for the first two years but now they are laid by. I think it is prudent for anyone in our age group to consider the future carefully. Neither of us have any health issues currently but we know it's coming one day. All our bedrooms are upstairs and we are considering our options for when it becomes difficult to manage the stairs. Probably our favored option will be to build a single level home across the road from our existing home.

Now that we don't have anything that needs atttention every day we have begun to enjoy traveling to places we haven't been. We took a cross country road trip a couple of years ago and after 2 1/2 weeks woke up in New Mexico and said "Let's go home".

 

[fishheadbob]

Great story. Your last reason sorta choked me up.

I grew up in suburbia and was so thankful to move to the country when I relocated with my job 30 years ago. I think I'd like my ashes spread here.

Choked me up when I wrote it too. His boys are here for a week, we're going to whip out a few wreaths for their greatgrandparents this weekend, maybe I can get one of them interested in this place.

 

[newbury]

A few salient points.

Age 65 here, recently retired and just began collecting Social Security. First wife passed away two years ago and I am recently remarried, have no kids and the new spouse has 3, and none of the kids have the slightest interest in taking over our homestead when we move in the not so distant future. I have lived on a fair sized property since 1987 and have put hundreds of thousands of hours of sweat equity into it and probably over a half million bucks into paying for and upgrading and maintaining the place. Yet despite all that, we are planning to move closer to town and downsize our home. Not really sure if I will ever recoup all the labor and bucks I put into this place, but...I guess I should have thought of that a long time ago.

Being a newbie here, I am wondering if any others are in the same boat...how are you feeling about being in the situation I am describing? I guess the good news is: They just opened a retirement community about 4 miles distant from us. We drive by it a few times a week...and darn...it is getting difficult to think we may be relocating there down the road. (pun intended here).

Wait until you've been retired long enough that Wednesday and Saturday are about the same.
Don't depend on the what the children think now. SWMBO almost sealed us into moving to a lot near where her son had bought a lot and was going to relocate, and he changed his mind.
I think you overestimate your "sweat equity", first of all 200,000 hours since 1987 would be about 6,000 hours per year, second I think A LOT of projects should be thought of as recreation, redoing a basement versus watching TV for example.
As far as your situation it reads like you have a good place and a good place to go. It's like a boat, often just a hole in the water you pour money into.
At least you are thinking of it now and may be able to sell high and buy low.

Because of the outbuildings, and because the township we reside in requires lots that have dwellings to be mowed to the depth of the outbuildings. The back 7 acres are permitted to grow wild and I let them. Maintaining only one acre would mean the house and garage would be surrounded by pasture.

Can you grow trees? A pine plantation with some roads down it?

Since this seems to partially a thread for TBN'ers to explain their life choices:

I believe a lot depends on how you grew up.

Although I lived in town from birth to age 12, from 12 to after college I lived on a 30 acre rural parcel, 1 mile off the main road, barely able to see the nearest neighbor over intervening cow pastures. I like rural.

I then joined the Army for a 3 year stint which turned into a civilian scientist job for 34 more years. All the time living on a small lot in Alexandria, Virginia. The 1/4 acre lot was offset by traveling for 2 week periods every 2 or 3 months for virtually my entire career. From Korea east to Serbia. So although I had a "small lot" and my workshop was only 15' x 15' in a 2,500 sq ft house 11 miles from the Washington Monument I put up with it.

Prior to retirement SWMBO had decided we had to move to Fulton, Ms to be near her now 91 year old mother, who is in great health. In preparation we started looking hard for a place with the minimum requirements of an outbuilding, 3+ acres, decent house, close to family. We already had about 200 plus acres of woodlot due to inheritance and strategic purchases.

Thanks to the Great Recession we found where I'm typing from now. Comfortable 3 bedroom house on 3+ acres with 5,500 square feet of workshop which included a 1 bedroom apartment.

The workshops are all thick concrete floor, wired, telephone, running water in one, metal siding. The apartment needs gutting and redo.

So in one fell swoop I went from a 15x15 workshop to 1/8 acre of WORKSHOP/GARAGE. Plus we bought another 67 acres that surrounded the lot.

However, we have not even tried to sell our two houses in Alexandria, so who knows, maybe we will end up living there also.

So to the OP, you are experiencing the ebb and flow of life. It's too bad none of the children want to "take over", as long as they don't want to "spend it all". Life is not the destination, it's the journey.

Now I need to go play in my workshops, what day is it ?

 

[GPintheMitten]

About 12 years ago at the age of 53 a divorce forcedo the sale of the 24 acre homestead. I bought a small house in town and remodeled it. I met all the neighbors around me, mostly older than me. It was fine. The work I did gave me satisfaction. I did a few favors for the neighbors that needed it. They were quite appreciative and welcomed me.

I did miss the country living especially when I thought about the hunting I did with my son and friends.
But becoming friends with the neighbors in town was a benefit to my life.

I remarried 9 years ago. My wife and I bought 20 acres with a one story ranch 4 years ago, so I'm back out in the country.

 

[747driver]

WOW...such a great thread ! I am 64 and wife is 63. We have lived all over the US in our 44 years together. Currently we just sold our home in Illinois and moved everything to the home ( 6 acres ) we have in the Cherokee National Forest in Tenn.

We both are still working. The home in Tenn. is somewhat remote in terms of no cell service, hospital is 45 minute drive, big box stores and restaurants are also 45 minutes away. So we plan accordingly and make our list. The airport in Knoxville is an hour drive away. Recently have talked about what we are going to do when we get older and maybe not have the health to do the outside things we enjoy doing. I have built a woodshop which keeps me busy and the wife keeps planting everything that can go in the ground and bloom ! Not sure any of the 3 kids will want the place...but who knows later on.

We have our eye on a 16 acre mountaintop property . It has 2 separate septic systems installed, well already dug and road ( 1800 ft with 2 switch backs ) up to the property already put in. All we have to do is run power and install well pump. Such a fantastic view of the Smokey Mtns., but now have backed off somewhat as will we be able to maintain this land as we get older ? Maybe just take the money from building the new house and use it to drive around the country in our recently purchased used motorhome ?

Getting old isn't for sissies !!!

 

[OldMcDonald]

I like Newbury's thread at #26. A lot depends on your health, what you want to do, and whether you consider yourself to be old. All I have ever wanted to do is be a farmer. Not easy if Daddy is not one, but doable if that is your sole aim in life. I have owned 5 farms since 1971 (decided it was a good time to take a wife) - 2 in England, one each in Australia, Scotland and Portugal. I enjoy life.

I was coming up to 59 when we moved here (now coming up to 72) my wife is a wee bit younger, but not a lot. People told us we were too old to "start a new life". Balderdash.

We moved because we were both putting in just over 100 hours a week with our direct sales eggs, mushrooms and honey business in northern Scotland. Now my wife does not do a lot on the agricultural side (although spent two weeks picking olives up to 13th of the month - I had 10 days start on her) but looks after the ornamental side and the house and cooking. I work less than 60 hours a week, probably nearer 50, take a nap after lunch, because I feel better, and have no intentions of ever retiring.

I would die very quickly if I lived in a town.

Nobody can tell you what is best for you, especially relatives. You have to decide for yourself.

 

[EddieWalker]

When was the last time you moved anywhere? Do you have any idea what a horrible experience it is? What about getting rid of all the stuff you will no longer need, or have room for? Kind of seems odd that after so many years of building up your home, you want to move right after getting married. Do you want to move or does the new wife want to move? If your main reason for moving is not wanting to mow, I would seriously look into hiring it out, or buying a much better lawn mower.