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Relocating. Again. Which land is my land?

geekette

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Quick back story, sold the home I'd been in for more than 20 years to build a cabin on a friend's acreage in the south. Calling myself semi-retired, was jazzed to help build out a "Glampground". Got here late Feb. Probably around midMay I started thinking Uh Oh....

As generally happens with the saying "you don't know somebody until you've lived with them", now I know her much better. The Guest Mode I saw on my multiple visits isn't really her. The red flags started pretty quickly, but it's the kind of thing where I thought, oh, I can live with that, this isn't so bad, it won't bother me ... and most stuff, it's Just Her, she's not malicious, we are just different. She puts up with my weirdness, I put up with hers, we can do that. But the Worst, I find that I don't much enjoy her company. Second worst, she's not as smart as I thought she was. I could deal with that if it weren't hazardous to me.

I won't go into all the ... Stuff (some is crazy-making so I'll spare you the things that make my brain pop), as my real bottom line dealbreakers are, I can't trust her with fire, and I can't trust her with water. I thought this would be peaceful and relaxing but it is stressful and overwhelming. I gotta get out of here before I get sick, injured or dead. Upside, volunteer firemen get here fast. I don't want to be here for the next time they are needed. I'm still appalled that she burned all the seasoned wood in one BIG pile because she found it messy, vs processing it and storing for firewood this winter, which I had been working on. She is literally burning precious resources. She likes fire a bit too much. She also lights it and leaves the property, which is ... mindblowingly stupid.

So, I am land shopping. Been at it a few months now, it's a longer process than I expected. Searching for existing home is much easier, imo.

Good golly, it's been fun! My plan was to get nearer the mountains if not actually in them. I'm in NC between Asheville and Charlotte, "foothills". More elevation would suit me as I'm not a big fan of heat and humidity and had thought there was enough forest around here to help me out. Nope, development happening all around us, it's not going to stay widlderness. We are offgrid so no AC, and being a solar operation, no ceiling fan (though I have some fans that sip electricity from my batteries vs gulp so I have yet to fully wilt).

A listing caught my eye and I went to see it today. It's in Lake Lure, which I really like, but I hadn't been looking there because most everything is gated or HOA, or way overpriced, and I don't think it's mountainous enough for me (tho plenty pretty and with the artsy tinge I need). Four acres, unrestricted, so I can be that late life hippie. It's undeveloped land so unsure if from the top I would get any view of mountains, not even trying for lake view. That's my first question to self, how badly do I need to see mountains daily? I really love the idea of coffee on my porch watching mist lift from Smokies. Would I be bored to tears seeing same green in every direction? I don't know. Until some trees come down, I don't know what I'll see in any direction!! Would I need to add an observation deck on top of my container??

Differences from other land I've seen, it's a paved road to the property (my sweet ride doesn't like uphill gravel and we don't do dirt roads). It's very private, hardly any cars, zero trucks except "commuter" propane tanker to refill for someone as we were there about 30 minutes. No streams cutting across the property (I would have been ok with that but better to not have to plan around an inconvenient water feature unless using it to supply water; or, heh, be able to use the giant waterwheel I saw for sale on the side of the road recently...).

I wouldn't say it is steep but it has some slope, then some level off. It fronts a straight part of the road, which, for those unfamiliar with the Lake Lure area, it's a lot of curvy stuff happening, 35 mph but many curves lower limits than that. It's not in an area where a tire off the road would be a tumble down the rocks situation (some definitely is around there). Across the street is protected land, so won't be developed. That side has the creek and my side is higher so no flooding problems for me (it rained for several days not long ago so I could see where the water went and none standing on this lot).

Most anywhere I go, I'll have to put in a well and septic, probably a driveway, and at least electricity already right there if I choose to connect. Elevation is only 1200ish so hardly making it to ear pop territory, but, lots of trees, great breeze while it was not a windy day anywhere else I went.

It could help me to not go far in this move, as my cabin and storage container are going with me, and moving them will not be free. I don't recall the mileage but Lake Lure is an easy drive from here, 45 minutes or so. If I can keep that bill in the hundreds vs thousands, it would help a lot. I also have a lot of stuff stored in a town between here and there so that's not a big drag to get all my stuff with me eventually, and there happens to be a UHaul across the street from storage (just one reason I picked that storage place).

I guess what I'm wrestling with is, do I go ahead and offer on this place, because it does what I need, although it maybe doesn't have everything I want? Do I hold out for The Perfect Place, as if it exists after this long search?? There is no other place I've seen that has a better overall situation for me. The nice thing is that there is very little unrestricted land in Lake Lure, so it could be a good investment if I choose to move again later. Unlikely the cabin and container would move again.

I kind of feel like I've seen a lot of land and only a few are workable for me, but this is The Most Workable for me. This would be easy to offer on so maybe I'm getting the jitters, or talking myself into it from desperation of wanting out of where I am. I started working on my list of pros and cons, pushed that up against my previous list of Must Have and Nice To Have, and the lot weighs out nicely. But, Location. It's not what I had imagined, but it doesn't suck, either!! I did want to be near A Lake, so this is certainly that.

Timeshare-wise, heh, I had already booked 4 weeks of January at Foxhunt or is it Fox Run? Rumbling Bald @ Lake Lure anyway. Weeks are cheap in Jan, I had points expiring end of Feb, and knew I would either be doing winter here in my cabin or trying to get something happening with new land. Regardless, it's another Winter of Flux for me no matter what, and I thought I should lock down a hideout with electricity and running water! So it actually works out Quite Well to be that near if I buy this plot. [The resort is not a Bluegreen Club resort, it's Affiliate, so not much chance of day use, and it is 7 day bookings only but don't care].

I'm not sure what I'm looking for in writing this. Maybe just to do a brain dump, but I thought some objectivity from others could help me, so if anyone has some input for me, please bring it on. The way I feel tonight is that I'd like to make an offer tomorrow. I've spent time in Lake Lure before and really like it. Stopped in to various places today just to chat up the community a bit and I definitely like the people. Realtor was very helpful, too, as he lives by the dam, so lucky me to get a local holding this listing.

I have a list of questions for realtor already, like, what do people do for internet access? Although we covered my big list today pretty easily.

It wasn't that long ago that I was Stable Mabel, working the same career for decades, living in the same place, periodically changing up my hobbies, like I've always done ... and now, sheesh, I am not sure I have ever been this .... transient? unsettled? whatever it is, I gotta fix it by Getting Home. How long past "I think this could work" do I wait to get an offer in?? I'm not a picky person, I can make Anything Work, I am just not sure if I'm "settling" and shouldn't yet? I want my cabin and container off this land asap so my objectivity is not where I need it to be. maybe in the morning.
 

geist1223

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Sorry things did not work out. Sounds like you do need to get out of your current situation as soon as possible.

Look at putting a full house generator that runs on Propane vice running in wires from a power company. You can locate it well away from your dwelling with all lines from the generator to your dwelling buried. I assume Well water and septic. How deep are you going to have to drill to get a clean reliable water source. With your own generator you can use it to run the pump for the Well. Test the soil for Perk for the septic lines.
 

Paumavista

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I think that it's really good that you're talking to as many people who live in the area.....get the plus/minus points from residents. You may not agree with what they think are good points/or bad....but you'll gain a consensus and get to know the type of people who are in the area.
 
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geekette

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Great ideas!

It's just a little cabin, not wired, no water inputs/outputs. So far, that is. Interior not finished, kind of intentionally, once I knew I wouldn't stay here... then lumber prices jumped. Insulated, tho.

I'm good with solar for now, but whole house gen will make sense when I'm built out more. I'll definitely have a generator at some point, Costco had a multi-fuel one that was reasonably priced. Makes sense to buy only one, and I don't have a crushing need (yet). So maybe I can hold off until the whole house unit is warranted.

Planning to run well pump from dedicated solar setup. Our well pump from generator situation isn't working here (stupid reasons tho!) I might pump to a cistern, not completely sure yet ... I've gotten used to this primitive living thing so I can likely stretch out costs for pipes and wires over the next years since the next few months will be very expensive.

I did think about doing the big ole propane tank, tho. Camp stove cooking sucks, I'd like a real gas stove with an oven. I have a little propane space heater that will use little canisters or adapter to 20lb, my question to gas guy will be, can I refill these refillable canisters from giant tank? We refill the little ones from the 20lbs but I'm betting that consumer should not noodle at all with big tank in the yard. I have a healthy respect for gas.

I expect to have a wood burning stove. Count on me to make sure I will be warm, one way or another, and that I will always be able to have hot water. Much I can live without, but not coffee or hot showers.

Realtor said most all the land in the area is perc'ing, aside from periodic rock beds, and I'd like septic to be gravity if possible. The land slopes so I thought well on the high end so gravity can help me get it where I need it and septic I think has to be at least 100 feet from that so should be easy to work out. Septic tanks and finger system pickier than well parts so probably ask septic guy where he'd like to set it up.

Excellent question on well depth, I didn't ask that!!
 

geekette

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I think that it's really good that you're talking to as many people who live in the area.....get the plus/minus points from residents. You many not agree with what they think are good points/or bad....but you'll gain a consensus and get to know the type of people who are in the area.
Yes. Exactly! Perspectives vary as different things are important, or not, to different people. I just wanted to make sure that "the vibe" works for me. I don't plan to hermit all the time, and even when vacationing, I like to find "the local flavor". I'll be part of the community, so, who are they? Friendly and pleasant, just like me!! Realtor actually told me he thought I'd fit right in, that I seem to be similar to lots of folks around. He is also a young retiree (dentist that called it quits at 49 and thought selling real estate would be fun).

In the mile or so around this plot, there is a tiny home made from a (very shiny, new looking) storage container (mine is dented, some rust). Cabins, mobile homes, big dream house mountain homes, a great mix, imo. Horse stables, butcher (I guess you'd say? looks like they raise and sell fresh meat - my windows and sunroof were open and zero scent. not manure, not stench of butchery = I can walk to buy fresh meat!)

Yes, I strongly believe that The People Matter. I'll be a good neighbor, hope to have good neighbors!
 

MrockStar

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It sounds real nice, hope it works out for you. Keep posting on your progress. Best wishes on your adventure.
 

MrockStar

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Yes, neighbors can make or break an otherwise great place to live. Hope you get some great ones.
 

geist1223

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I bought a multi-fuel (Propane or Gas) Generator from Costco several years ago. Now they have ones that are 3 way - Gas, Propane, or Natural Gas. I had my House wired and can Plug in the Generator if the Power goes out. I use 100 LB Propane Tanks. They are heavy and each one is bound to a Hand Truck. My Brother put in a 500+ Gallon Water Storage Tank on his property in Mendocino, CA. It sits on top of the Ground. That way the water can trinkle slowly from the Well and he still has lots of water for the his Vacation Home.

Goal Zero has a variety of solar panels and Electric Storage Devices. We have several different sizes of Solar Panels and Electric Storage Devices from them. They came in handy when the Power went out on our House Sitter during the ice storm in Oregon last February while we were in Cabo.

When you are Building out you should look at an On Demand Hot Water Heater that can run on Propane. That way you are only burning fuel when you are actually using hot water.

Yes we are mini-preppers.
 

geekette

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I bought a multi-fuel (Propane or Gas) Generator from Costco several years ago. Now they have ones that are 3 way - Gas, Propane, or Natural Gas. I had my House wired and can Plug in the Generator if the Power goes out. I use 100 LB Propane Tanks. They are heavy and each one is bound to a Hand Truck. My Brother put in a 500+ Gallon Water Storage Tank on his property in Mendocino, CA. It sits on top of the Ground. That way the water can trinkle slowly from the Well and he still has lots of water for the his Vacation Home.

Goal Zero has a variety of solar panels and Electric Storage Devices. We have several different sizes of Solar Panels and Electric Storage Devices from them. They came in handy when the Power went out on our House Sitter during the ice storm in Oregon last February while we were in Cabo.

When you are Building out you should look at an On Demand Hot Water Heater that can run on Propane. That way you are only burning fuel when you are actually using hot water.

Yes we are mini-preppers.
I'm just cheap ; ) Well, I also like the idea of living off the land. I like offgrid for just taking care of your needs without monthly payment to utility provider. Turns out, with no running water or electricity, my cabin does not register as a home, so my property taxes will stay low until/unless those are both hooked up to it.

There were 3 of us here and we've each used different solar vendors. I so far have Renogy, Massimo and Lion but not sure what brands the others have. Lion is the only battery without onboard light. A lot of times, the light on the batteries is all I have since you can still get the light after it quits charging anything. We got into the habit of putting it on fast flash when approaching another's campsite so they'd know a visitor was arriving. Handy. Better than a flashlight, imo. just bigger and heavier and I don't notice the light getting dim. You have light, and then you don't, no slow fade.

Sooo many makers! My next panels with be 300w, gotta graduate as I need batteries charged faster, especially as I keep upping the battery size. I only needed to go to 500w batteries when I got the little fridge but a stretch of overcast days can end refrigeration unless I want to drive a battery around all day to charge it that way (I don't but every time I leave, a battery goes with me). I'll eventually need bigger batteries for fridge but at least I found out that I can make this work with 500s so long as it is always sunny and no ice cream in the freezer.

Landowner here has propane fridge but I'd really rather go solar. She has to swap out her energy source far less frequently, but, has to keep buying the energy. Once I own the battery and panel, refills are free!

I haven't tried this yet, cuz at this point, whatever I buy I have to move, but there is an old refrigeration technique involving 2 unglazed pots. Put sand in the bottom of the bigger pot, put little pot in it, fill around little pot with sand. Items to be refrigerated go in little pot. Water goes on the sand, refill as needed. The water evaporation has a cooling effect. This should work better in arid climates, in the shade, breeze good. It's humid here so not sure how well it would work, but I'll eventually test same item in my fridge and in the pots and see.

I was definitely thinking about water tanks. We had planned to feed various parts of the property from this well, it is higher than most else. I envisioned smaller tanks near each site, bigger ones by bathhouses. I have watched too much Homestead Rescue, so I know there are some massive tanks and water trucks can come hook me up (in case for some reason I can't get a well for a while - mud season or driller/borer busy etc or insane depth I can't afford). Not sure of cistern vs tank, perhaps cistern is old way. landowner keeps using that term.

She had me spray paint the white tank black. She said the white ones grow algae. I'm thinking, wouldn't painting it black make that worse by speeding up the process with heated water? I don't get it.

I did in fact think of on-demand hot water. Not going to house a water heater, don't need to! I'd still rather go solar than big "portable" propane tanks. I don't even like fooling with the 20pounders, I'd rather someone come fill giganto as necessary. once a year?? Honestly, I'd rather not deal with propane at all, but, I'll need to avail myself of various types of energy. Yes, the 3 gas Costco model was what I was thinking of. I don't recall the wattage, but the price was 400ish so probably not enormous, in the 2400w range?

I think we've all seen in the past few years of natural disasters that prepping at any level is a good thing. Today I bought a little propane heater that will run on the little cylinders, so picked a couple of those up. Now it most certainly won't get cold at night before I move! I'm not opening the box until I need heat. A sealed box is a better transport candidate.
 

Rolltydr

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We have been, and are, going through a similar situation, Geekette. We decided earlier this year that we wanted to move to Florida. We’ve lived in Alabama all our lives and we’re ready for more, and better, cultural experiences than are available here. At 1st, we thought we would find a house, use some savings for a down payment and then sell our home. After more thought, we decided to find a short term rental property in Florida, sell our home, then find a permanent home. We think this will be best for us financially and give us the best chance of finding that perfect home. Of course, your situation is different as you’re wanting some land which would probably make it more difficult to find a rental property.

I know you’re very intelligent and thoughtful and will make the best decision for you. I wish you the best of luck!
 

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I so appreciate this update! I am sorry to hear that the partnership with your friend isn't turning out like you'd planned--the thing with the firewood is very disturbing! And yes, Henderson is being considered a "more reasonably" priced alternative to AVL--everything is exploding as money moves from ATL and Greenville/Spartanburg, SC into the NC mountains. Lake Lure is still in a spot of the mountains that remains relatively "undiscovered" (once you get away from the lake edge itself.) A pre-existing paved road is huge! Any elevated piece of land should have some views...I would be tempted to go for it; you could always sell if it's just not working.

Excited for you on this next chapter! You're not that far from me...If you ever want to meet for coffee/dessert/lunch some day, PM me! :) Good luck! And FoxRun is nice--we did a Spring Break week there this past year--and you're fully integrated in Rumbling Bald, and have use of all of their amenities, including a nice indoor pool. So definitely a good place to hunker down for the worst of the winter!
 

marmite

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I do not know your area, but bought my small acreage about 4 years ago in a rural-residential area, just over an hour from my former 'city' house. I only have a generator as a backup, and have wells and septic, no solar. I did a new-build, so take my thoughts for what you will!

The things in hindsight I wish I realized ...

5 acres is not that big and the shape of your lot matters. Once you get used to having more land, you will may wish you had even more and could push the boundaries to your neighbours house even farther. I would buy 10 acres if I could have a do-over. It is easier to get rid of trees than to grow big ones that hide your neighbours. Privacy is just as good as a mountain view IMO (I have the mountain view but not privacy).

Your specific zoning for that lot, and rules for your area/town -- you need to know those inside and out before signing anything. I am in an area that is not quite urban, yet not quite remote either. People from my former city would think I live in the wild-west now, but we have plenty of city-style rules to abide by. A property wouldn't be allowed to have a trailer on it unless they already had a building permit. You could also not do a DIY addition of any sort, you need permits, and with that comes engineering, drawings and things that are expensive to do. It is probably good if you are clear about what you MAY want to do, even in the future, to make sure that you will be able to. There is a even a specific list of animals we can have and how many -- I didn't think it would matter but it does. Waking up to a donkey or rooster is not my thing, so knowing the zoning immediately around you (not just your own lot) can be important too.

Not too far away from me is city-water, which means those acreages are now getting development and new subdivisions around them. Some of those acreages had absolutely beautiful pastoral and mountain views that are now gone. So just as current zoning is important, if there is a city plan of any sort you may want to read it to see what they are hoping your area becomes. If there is a plan to bring water & sewer, you may want to find something farther out.

Sloped land has its challenges. I was quite set on having a south-facing-slope so I would have plenty of sunshine and could have an amazing garden. It is a lot of work to turn sloped areas into flat land you can grow or build on them. People generally don't mind walking down a gentle slope, but you are really looking for somewhere flat to stop. I have spent a lot of time/money levelling areas so I could put a greenhouse/firepit/shed etc. on my property. Water and how it finds its way down your land is important too -- where it erodes, where it pools, soil that is possibly different in areas of your property and sheds (or holds) water differently. Adding drainage or retaining walls of any type is not cheap, so hopefully your land will not require it for what you want to do. If you can let a lot of the land be as it is, that is the best thing ever. Mowing a slope is difficult, and bigger properties require bigger equipment to maintain them. I never thought I'd own a tractor, tiller, box blade or a big chainsaw -- but I do. If you like your land exactly as is, then maybe you can just get away with a good chainsaw and axe to make your own firewood.

Last thought is on wells. I have 2. My property came with a shallow well I was told is great and completely enough, and that "all the neighbours only used their shallow wells". First summer came, there was a drought, and I found out otherwise. Water disappeared and I had to truck in water. After 2 years of trucking in water (during summers) we had a well drilled. The wells in this area are usually about 300ft, so it is not cheap. Not just the actual well, but the pump and filtration too. And then beyond that, if you need water at the bottom of your acreage, you're going to need to make that a project too. Last year we dug over 300 feet of trenches so we could get water to other parts of our property. Depending on your land, you may not be able to put that well anywhere you want. Those trucks need access, so they weren't able to drive down to the bottom of our property. We also had forest at the top, so that wasn't a good spot either. Our dowser found only ONE spot that was perfect, and it was the only place the well could go. It was a few feet into our driveway, which was not ideal now that my house and driveway were already built! Anyhow, the dowser was right, and not only did we get water 100 feet higher than our neighbours, we also have insanely plentiful water pressure. This is a project that definitely needed to be done right at the beginning. We shouldn't have taken our builders word for it, or the old well reports, we should have also talked to our neighbours or had a new well test done. Now we know our neighbours, we found out that they both had run dry previous summers.

Having an acreage can be wonderful, but there is definitely more to it than I ever could have imagined. I hope it all works out for you!
 
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DaveNV

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I'm very sorry to hear things didn't work out, but you knew going in this was going to be a life experiment. You've learned you can't rely on others, so it's time to rely on yourself. I think moving to your own place is a very good thing to do.

As to this property, it sounds like the positives far outweigh the unknowns. So I say go for it. "Bird in the hand," and so forth. If you like the property otherwise, you can always change things to suit yourself more specifically. Any improvements you make to the land will come back to you in a future sale, if it turns out not to be the perfect place.

I bought raw-ish (marginally developed) acreage property back in the 80s, put in a well, septic, and electric, and built a house from scratch that I designed. It was immensely satisfying, not overly expensive (although it cost a fair amount), and in the end was very gratifying. I owned the property nine years, and sold at a large profit to a very happy buyer. I'd do it all again, if I had a choice.

As we have discussed in the past, you know you have my full support. As the saying goes, "Be the change you want to see."

Hoping to hear this will all be a happy ending for you. Good luck!

Dave
 
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geekette

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We have been, and are, going through a similar situation, Geekette. We decided earlier this year that we wanted to move to Florida. We’ve lived in Alabama all our lives and we’re ready for more, and better, cultural experiences than are available here. At 1st, we thought we would find a house, use some savings for a down payment and then sell our home. After more thought, we decided to find a short term rental property in Florida, sell our home, then find a permanent home. We think this will be best for us financially and give us the best chance of finding that perfect home. Of course, your situation is different as you’re wanting some land which would probably make it more difficult to find a rental property.

I know you’re very intelligent and thoughtful and will make the best decision for you. I wish you the best of luck!
The Perfect Anything is not so easy to find! I am wishing you luck in that as well!

It's a bit daunting to move a long distance.
 

geekette

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I so appreciate this update! I am sorry to hear that the partnership with your friend isn't turning out like you'd planned--the thing with the firewood is very disturbing! And yes, Henderson is being considered a "more reasonably" priced alternative to AVL--everything is exploding as money moves from ATL and Greenville/Spartanburg, SC into the NC mountains. Lake Lure is still in a spot of the mountains that remains relatively "undiscovered" (once you get away from the lake edge itself.) A pre-existing paved road is huge! Any elevated piece of land should have some views...I would be tempted to go for it; you could always sell if it's just not working.

Excited for you on this next chapter! You're not that far from me...If you ever want to meet for coffee/dessert/lunch some day, PM me! :) Good luck! And FoxRun is nice--we did a Spring Break week there this past year--and you're fully integrated in Rumbling Bald, and have use of all of their amenities, including a nice indoor pool. So definitely a good place to hunker down for the worst of the winter!
Greensboro! Heck yes, we will need to meet up!

I blew last year points in February between FoxRun and another BG in Banner Elk, Blueridge Village. Kinda how I knew Lake Lure in winter is pretty decent for me! Honestly, this is exactly what I wanted in retirement - travel and Enjoy. Just my luck to have landed near multiple BG resorts. I am hoping the restaurant on site @ Rumbling is open. It was surreal driving past that entrance to go to "my property".
 

Chrispee

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I’m in a similar situation as @marmite having recently purchased a semi-rural 6 acres to build on, and I echo most of her/his sentiments. If there’s one thing I have found when buying rural property, even with a big budget there are compromises to every property. With a tight budget those problems are amplified.

IMO buying something with some existing infrastructure is almost always more cost effective than installing that infrastructure yourself. There is something to be said for taking something raw and making it useable though.

whatever your decision, I’m excited to hear your updates! Also, it’s time for a pickup truck.
 

marmite

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I’m in a similar situation as @marmite having recently purchased a semi-rural 6 acres to build on, and I echo most of her/his sentiments.

I'm good with she/her. Thanks for being so PC. :thumbup: Building is really exciting -- enjoy!

And @Chrispee mentioned a really important thing, yes, it IS time for a pickup truck!
 

MrockStar

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Greensboro! Heck yes, we will need to meet up!

I blew last year points in February between FoxRun and another BG in Banner Elk, Blueridge Village. Kinda how I knew Lake Lure in winter is pretty decent for me! Honestly, this is exactly what I wanted in retirement - travel and Enjoy. Just my luck to have landed near multiple BG resorts. I am hoping the restaurant on site @ Rumbling is open. It was surreal driving past that entrance to go to "my property".
Geekette, how far is the nearest blue green resort from where you are? We have always wanted to go there but haven't made it there yet.
 

pedro47

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I definitely love this state. So many beautiful areas. It will be nice to actually be Settled and Enjoy!
Wait until you drive around some mountains. At one point on the mountain you can see Tenn, Kentucky and SC
 
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VacationForever

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I am so sorry that the plan to help build the "Glampground" is not working out. I don't know much about living off land, i.e. building a home / cabin with land, to be helpful. Whatever you decide to do, obviously one consideration is the finished product cost - how much does it cost to build the land that you are going to buy. Second consideration I would have is whether it is a home that I can live there in old age. It must not take too much to maintain the home.
 
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amycurl

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@geekette I even work in a city that is further west, so even closer. Maybe we should meet in Hickory one day for lunch (outside, of course!)
And the restaurant (at least the one overlooking the lake, with the nice outdoor deck) was open in March. Not sure if they stay open year round or not....the food was good. :)

Looking forward to hearing how the offer process goes.
 

pedro47

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Suggestion only please visit the Biltmore Estate in Asheville for Christmas . It is just an amazing family estate.
 
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