My husband thinks I am being overly precious.

How close is the "closest town"?

I am not sure, not too far, but the main issue is it appears to be the town that serves the area.

Pot dispensaries are a coming thing. I have a neighbor setting up professional security in that industry. There will be vending machines!

Can you hear the drag racing from your location? If not then I'd ignore it. Drag strips come and go for the most part. Some have lasted, but more go under.

Well there is definitely one area here where the drag racing thing kind of defined the area, in terms of who was hanging around. It is not my personal cup of tea, the multiple cars in the yard, the porch sofa and the chained up outdoor dogs. I don’t have an issue with pot stores per se, but if that is the predominant business for this area... I have a teenager and I am not sure what his prospects would be in an area like this.

Then, location, Location, LOCATION

I could never live in a place that was already "a place". "Nearest town" means you are living in no place.

Not sure what you mean. It is a country property with acreage. Lots and lots of acreage.

How is having a pot dispensary in town any different than having a liquor store?

The issues for me would be schooling in the area, employment, and access to decent stores and medical facilities.

For me, things like land fills, poultry farms, and large industrial areas bring down values more than a racetrack. A racetrack's sounds, smells and traffic are intermittent, not permanently in your face.

Also, is it necessary to make your long term decisions based on the needs of a teenager? (Sometimes, yes.) Many teens go off to college and don't want to live with their parents ....

This is NOT one singular store, it is many many many dispensaries in one small town. A tiny rural town. So you will be having tons of people travelling from other communities who are invested in purchasing drugs. I would have no problem if it was just one shop in a community supported by other industries.

The drag strip is permanent with a long history, so it will be an entrenched part of the locality.

And yes, this teenager is a part of the package. He hasn’t finished highschool yet and has no great personal drive to move out and operate independently.

If the teen is part of the package, you want to think about his opportunities for further education and employment.

However it all shakes out, at the moment all I can see is supporting him long term.

Doctors, hospitals, grocery stores, library, gas station, restaurants, clothing stores, and, the big one especially for your son, SCHOOL and job opportunity. The quality of your family’s life is affected by all these. What are your opportunities for a social life. Where will you find people who are compatible? These are the things you and your husband should consider when you plan a move.

Personally, I would have issues all around. will you be happy, your son...you can only compromise so much.

I would have issues too, mainly because the move doesn't make much sense to me. Just because the spouse wants to "go bush" doesn't make it a good decision for the family as a whole, and particularly not for the son. The most important job a family has is preparing their kids for adulthood, and that means making sure they can be self supporting. The environment described doesn't sound like it will contribute to that goal at all.

Sounds like there might be good opportunities working in those pot dispenseries. Son might even learn how to cultivate, harvest, and market an upcoming crop.

You can remodel a house. You can’t move it.

Having lived in some scary neighbourhoods and better ones, I am all too aware.

Sounds like you are just not ready to move at this time. As great as this house & property is, it's not the only house out there. There will be other great houses, great properties. One that might suit each member of the family just as well, or better. There's no reason to rush at what looks like a good deal, and miss out on an even more perfect 'forever home', is there?

Brainstorming other reasons to pass on this property (since that seems to be how you are leaning), I think in the other thread you said it's a historic property. Are there restrictions how you could modify it, would it bring tourists in by its nature? Wouldn't it be nicer to own a place you could alter to suit your own needs without thought to historic preservation? (These are just wild ideas, might not matter to your situation, food for thought only.)

I sincerely wish you best of luck. Surely there is a way forward for you.

My hubby and I seem to be at odds, we agree we are fed up with how things are here, but can’t seem to agree on what else to do. Currently a lot is resting on me to scrape by here, as much as I love this house we are reaching a critical juncture. This area has had a lot of people leaving because things are becoming unmanageable. It is so hard to find the happy medium of country vs town, and have it still be reasonably affordable. I think if this property were moved a bit farther away it would be twice the price, maybe even three times, that is my hunch. There are probably tons of other people in a similar quandary. I mentioned historic as this particular example appears to be a really solid home with good square footage as opposed to some falling down country shack or a barn or Quonset hut that would, without question, have to be rebuilt. This is the tricky thing with property searches, smaller property, better location vs back bush acreage and more “value”. Liveable home vs “potential”. Etc. If we find something that ticks most of the boxes it will almost always be unaffordable or unsatisfying in terms of what we would be left with, wish I could just look at a map and be given a divine sign lol.

J, I totally empathize with your quandary. My suggestion is go for the better location, even if the house needs needs needs, suffer through it for a few years while property values climb, then sell and upgrade. Obviously there is risk involved. Market could crash, other prices could climb to the point upgrading is cost prohibitive, etc. But if you’re truly stuck, I’d always choose to gamble on the better location/worse property. Nice homes that are ‘out there’ usually have a value cap/grow in value much slower than desirable location homes. Hence the mantra ‘worst house in the best neighborhood’. But of course, as a California transplant, my view on real estate may very well be skewed...

I know. We have found some really cool rock bottom priced properties I wouldn’t hesitate to jump at if it weren’t for their locations, which I am not familiar with and it is the not knowing which makes it really really hard.

Apparently, a pumping station across the street, as we eliminated such a home last Friday. Visible high power lines (don't care if I can't see them). High local crime rate. Poor schools. No fireplace, no deal. Evidence of structural defects.

Drag racing would be an issue for me if it was audible or if it brought in large amounts of traffic congestion on racing night. I agree that pot dispensaries are probably no more of a big deal that liquor stores.

There have been a lot of places we just walked away from because of location, bus pick up and drop off zone, power transformers, automotive paint shops, abattoirs, no street lights/improper night lighting, chemical contamination, huge dogs, near a mall dumpster zone, near crack houses/ grow ops, no transit, weird layout of streets, shared backyards with neighbour, sinking land, recently saw a house with what was probably a private road so no snow clearing by city....

And yes, then you think of more rural concerns that someone mentioned above like having a huge commercial pig or chicken farm next door.

What is it you want out of the property? Do you want the rural farm life where you have to drive into town for groceries? Do you want to live in a suburb? In the city? You mention a farm house with acreage, but based on some of your other comments, it sounds like many of them are not in ‘nice’ rural areas, but more—for lack of a better term—trashy/impoverished areas with crime, drugs, wild dogs, etc.

I had to briefly live in an impoverished rural area due to a short term work contract and it was Hell. Isolating, inconvenient, dangerous. Hardly the Smallville fantasy I’d been led to believe when I took the gig. And everyone there was unhappy/looking to get out/stuck. I left the same week my contract was up. It’s actually what cemented for me I am a 100% suburbanite who likes pretty master planned communities with an HOA/country club and local retail options. ‘Country rural living’ on a budget is, for most people, not what they would choose and definitely not what is shown in magazines. All those cute farming communities with adorable animal husbandry prosperities and orchards are actually very very expensive and not at all truly ‘rural’ or budget friendly in my experience.

We haven’t looked too extensively yet, mostly superficially. Most of the things I mentioned were from previous home searches, before we ended up here. Right now it is like a back and forth see sawing situation where hubby finds some very rural acreage or a church with a graveyard ( would that deter you, it did me) and I am showing him stuff near towns and cities. But in general, I am not a big fan of suburbs or subdivisions. I wouldn’t mind someth8ng adjacent to a community or something odd with space. Hence the dilemma.

Location, location! Seeing as how you have a son to think about, a home in a good school district will win out every time for me. I can fix up a less then stellar house. You can't fix the bad reputation a town gets with poor schools. Less desirable area, less buyers willing to purchase a home there. As others have stated, more opportunities of all sorts for your family living nearer to town. That would be my choice if you're asking.

What does "things [in this town] are becoming unmanageable" mean? What is driving you to move?

I wrote a long post in your other thread, but you guys need to start with listing why you want to move and the criteria you both want in a new house. Then make sure you're looking at houses that meet all of your needs/wants, rather than piecemeal bringing one house you like to him and vice versa.

And what part of the country are we talking? That could provide some context to our advice. Are you looking to move within the same general region to maintain jobs or completely uprooting your family?

It is a long, drawn out story. Part of what s driving us out is gentrification, pretty much what has been forcing us to move almost every single time. Also our relationship with our neighbours has taken a really sharp turn towards I never want to see their faces again, when I hear them outside I don’t go outside. My job situation is also tenuous. Basically I am feeling ambivalent about where we are and I could really use a break right about now.

It is riskier to move to an area that relies on only a couple of industries. Pot dispensaries may be the new hot thing, but what happens when a glut causes groups of them to fold? If a large segment of the area's population suddenly becomes unemployed, and with no other local employment options, foreclosures and higher crime rates often follow. Then the value of the property you purchased spirals down too, and you could get trapped with a place that is worth less than you owe.

Exactly.

I suggested on the other thread something along the lines of what Weedyacres is saying: you need to be very clear about what it is you want from your new location. Just packing up and leaving where you are with no clear plan is likely to be disastrous. So think very carefully about what the new location absolutely must offer - jobs? schools? access to services? Eliminate any town or community that can't provide you with the fundamental things you're going to need, and then start comparing the housing in the ones that can offer those things. But you and your husband have to be on the same page about what it is you're looking for.

I am a retired 24 year Veteran... moved all over the Country every 3-4 years. No Internet.

It can be done - in spite of what some folks here seem to believe.

#1 is location, location, location - but there are endless variables to this mantra. I can't really tell you specifically what would be a deal-breaker outside of a few things (e.g. on the RR tracks or high-crime area) but even something like "not on a main road" has a different meaning in a different location. For example, I'm on a main road but a main back-road dirt road, and even then there are other "main dirt roads" that see more cars than my road. How would I know this unless I became familiar with the area in which I wanted to move? How would I know all the neighbors' homes look like dumps until I drive down that street to check it out? What about those power lines or pumping station mentioned in another post? Those are things you see when you look at the neighborhood/house and make the decision based on what you see and the facts you have at hand. Another example is I saw a decent house that backed to a very large farm field. Sounds nice, eh? Yea, not so much when I realized that land in the general area was being gobbled up by developers and it was probably only a matter of time until that nice large open space was turned into yet another subdivision. Hard pass for me -- not my idea of "country living".

You're always further ahead buying a cr*ppier (ok, ok -- "more modest") house in a desirable location than the other way around -- you can fix up the house but not the location.

So sit down and make a list of what you want out of the location (e.g. urban/suburban/rural, commute to work, bustling vs sleepy, distance to necessities/conveniences, etc) and then go from there in narrowing down your choice of community and do your homework on your list of communities.

Style of house was a non-negotiable this time around for both me and DH (had to be a ranch style), and acreage was another non-negotiable for me that I had to have some serious discussions with DH about --> he came around and now loves this sort of lifestyle.

In my opinion, the safest approach is to pick your climate/location, schools, amenities/ proximity to family and friends, THEN look for a house, preferably in the best street.

Are you trying to move within commuting distance of current jobs? Or somewhere where you'd change jobs, schools, etc.? What I'm trying to get at is do you have a limited radius you're looking within (to maintain current jobs) or are you trying to get way the heck out of Dodge and make a fresh start (much wider radius, more options)?

Our story is way too long to go into here, but neither one of has super stellar careers we would be yanked away from, let‘s put it like that.

What are faults in a home you cannot overlook as a purchaser?

1. Location - I do not like to commute, and I want to be close to grocery stores where I like to shop, including ones with good fresh seafood. I also like to be close to the beach or else have a swimming pool.

2. Size - I need a certain amount of space and have had to balance location and space. We moved from a house that was blocks from the beach but too small to a house that was twice the size but 2-1/2 miles from the beach, and still close to shopping. We also have much less traffic here, as the beach where we lived before attracts hordes of international tourists, thus creating major traffic jams.

3. Aesthetics - it cannot be hideous and must fit into my general style, or something close to it. It doesn't have to be perfect, but it has to be acceptable.

4. Privacy - it must have no clear views from someone else's property.

5. Neighbors - I do not want to live next door to neighbors are excessively noisy. I do not mind week-end parties, but my brother prefers it to be quieter.

No mention of schools nor of re-sale? They often go hand-in-hand as even if you no longer have kids in school, the quality of schools will often affect resale value.

Aesthetics is an interesting thing I have yet to be fully tested on. I feel I am personally, very flexible, like I can roll with whatever, however, I do despise the subdivision garage as feature. I also really despise ground level entrances going up to main levels that are claustrophobic or entrances with no defined entryway. That being said, I found a really interesting house where the garage was a separated building in the front of the house, it had a real mid century modern vibe. House looked deceptively larger in the online listing, and the garage was pretty small. Numbers can be hard to gauge until you personally experience it sometimes. I turned down one place we were looking at a long time ago for a few reasons, it sloped to the back very sharply, it shared a balcony with the neighbours and the upstairs ceilings were very low with deco? curved corners. Another place I looked at had windows that were placed so low that when you stood up, it felt like you couldn’t look out of them, it was an odd feeling. I noticed this house in a recent listing and it is still listing for less than other houses. Some areas have been a turn off in previous house searches because most of the yards were paved over, lack trees or gardens, just generally gave a bleak feeling. And yes, surprisingly, there are some areas here where there don’t appear to be any schools supporting the community. The city posted a sign in one area where potential new residents were warned that there were no local schools. A more rural property tho, not sure how that figures in. Not like you will have the situation we have here of a choice of schools, Catholic, French, alternative, regular, French immersion, all within walking distance of 5-10 min, and if those don’t suit, a near transit ride away, I can also choose between, at least 5 maybe more like 6 or 7, large grocery stores within reasonable walking distance, one is 5 min from here, if that. You can literally buy food around the clock, holiday, no holiday, half asleep or wide awake, organic, bargain, specialty, there is food everywhere. Not to mention the take out options which are from nearly any country you can think up. Any where else you will not find that. It Is impossible to compare anywhere else to here. I have low expectations for anywhere we go.

I do not want a house close to a school - I consider that to be a liability, and I told my real estate agent that. My house in Los Angeles is in an area with bad public schools, but that does not affect house value, as the few people here who do have children send them to private schools, and most people do not have children. My house in Cathedral City is close to a good elementary and a good middle school, and I would prefer them to be further away. Fortunately, the middle school is further away, and there is not a high school that close.

Our schools are ok. Some are better than others. But no school areas equals previously rough or currently rough area in a lot of cases, ie. previously industrial, previously or currently very commercial, basically an area you weren’t expected to have children in. Areas with private schools are generally very well to do areas, or areas where things are more established and secure. I have never been in an income bracket for private education. And private schools are no guarantee your kids life will turn out to be a happily ever after story. I am sure they benefit some kids, but some would be just fine in a regular school. Maybe American schools are different.

Mxk3 mentioned RR tracks, and I realize they matter to some people, perhaps a lot of people. We are looking in a community that has a train track running along one side. But that track is used exclusively for a train that supplies Camp Lejeune and only runs mid-day and doesn't blow a whistle there. Those who don't investigate might eliminate houses within a couple of blocks of the tracks without realizing the limited use. My husband and I wouldn't consider it a problem. But we recognize that when the time comes to resell, the buyer pool might be limited by the tracks.

I have lived near or beside train tracks for a good portion of my life, it is generally ok. Depends on the frequency of the train, how close you are, the noise they make. I turned down one place we looked at because the tracks were pretty much in the backyard, another place we wanted to convert to owned living space we were told we could not due to the closeness of the tracks, even tho we were already living there. Now the city seems to be fine turning those areas over to condo developers.

I live in a semi-rural area, and the tracks are about, oh maybe 2 miles away. I can hear the whistle clearly, and if the train is really barreling through I can hear the train cars rumbling over the tracks --> even all the way over here, although it's usually not loud enough way over here to be disruptive. I can tune it out during the day, but not quite as easily when climbing into bed at night when everything is so very quiet. I'd be so PO'd getting awoken by those trains early in the morning or overnight if I lived right near the tracks (they come through at all hours and those whistles blow -- I know because I get up very early for work and hear them).

All that to say, depending on the line it can be loud and disruptive so any buyer should beware if in proximity of RR tracks. No way no how would I buy a house close to tracks unless the tracks were defunct, and even then it would give me pause - I'd be worried about riff-raff or teenagers looking for trouble hanging out on the tracks (or was that just what they did when I was young...)

That said, I have a co-worker whose girlhood home abutted the tracks, and she finds the sound comforting, so there you go...

Yeah, I used to live on a streetcar line, they came so frequently, around the clock practically, it just became background noise like a strong wind in a forest or water lapping a shoreline.

And yes, we do have tracks less than that probably, from where we live. But there is a huge buffering effect I guess, from all the buildings in between, and the trains aren’t that frequent. I would guess the folks up there, tho, can hear them. I am also pretty deaf I think lol.

Figure out what you're looking for first. Rural, suburban, urban? Lots of land or a small plot. Then after you figure out what you want, then the most important thing is location.