Calif. to Ark. need fishing and horses?? (Little Rock, Fayetteville: house, rent)

[Cali BassMan]

Hello, just found this site and was wondering if I could get some help, We have looking for some retirement property and California prices are thru the roof. Mt Wifes Uncle moved to Bella Vista and loves it.
We would like to buy a place that we can have our horses on our property, that is fairly close to lake. A racetrack near by would be a bonus( dirt, with Sprint Cars )
Some wildlife to look at would be nice too, Deer< Turkey etc.
I guess I'm asking alot huh....
oh yeah Trees, I like Tree's

[junkman18]

Check out ashflat area.... or Highland..

[Sam I Am]

That's a pretty easy order other than the racetrack...if you get even the littlest bit out of town anywhere in Arkansas there is no telling what you'll see. We actually lived in Foxcroft, a very nice subdivision right in Little Rock, and we had deer all over our property all the time - as well as a set of ground hogs. The wild turkeys were everywhere. We're in the river valley now and there are bear and bobcats and everything else under the sun.

Most places are within an hour's drive of a wonderful lake. Other than Little Rock and Fayetteville, you won't find any "big" cities in Arkansas (I think Ft. Smith might be #2, but I always forget it)....believe me, you can have your pick of towns with enough acreage for horses and be close to a lake AND live more inexpensively.

When are you looking at moving, if you do?

[nmnita]

We are about to start looking at some places. Right now we will be visiting Van Buren and Bella Vista as well as some areas in NE OK. Just checking the websites it looks like finding land outside the city with acreage is pretty easy.

We leave Tues. I will report when we return.

Good luck, you have found a great site to get answers to all your questions. I have only been posting for about a month and am amazed how much we have learned. BTW, we are transplants from So Calif originally.

Nita

[Cali BassMan]

Thanks for the reply's so far.
To answer some of your questions.
We have just started to look, I never even thought of Arkansas until my wife's Uncle moved there.
My Father was born in Greenway, I spent some summer's in Piggott as little kid.
I still have about 8 years to work before I retire. WE are in a position to buy some land now, and build later or possibly buy a place with a house now and rent it out.. Which would be preferred?? Do they build prefab or manufactured homes there? Is so what do they go for?
Is buying some land and leaving it alone for a decade a bad idea?
Thanks for the help.....

[Sam I Am]

BassMan -

I can't see it would be a bad thing at all to buy now, wooded or not, and let it sit - they ain't makin' any more of it! Actually, if you got a fairly large piece of cleared land, you might be able to lease it out for hay or pasture.

With you out of state, I would never recommend renting a house out unless it was something you weren't ever going to live in.....most renters are hard on a house. Or get a really good management company to protect your interests - but everything that goes wrong ultimately is on you....ugh.

Yes, prefab and manufactured are both huge here - I guess price would depend on what amenities you want.

[Cali BassMan]

Sam,
That's some good advise right there.. How is NW Ar. for getting building permits? Do you need them for Barns, wells, and outbuilding too? The wife would really like one of those white fences, is lumber reasonably priced?
Thanks

[Sam I Am]

That, I think, is one of the trickier things about Arkansas. If you are in a rural area, I don't believe there's much in the way of building permits, although of course everything would have to be code to pass inspection for insurance purposes......but it seems the more rural you get, the more anything goes. I am not sure how much land we are talking here...I am assuming a construction permit would have to be pulled for erecting a structure that is going to have an electrical hook up since a pole and a box would have to be set. Again, I am unsure. Maybe re-post under "cost of building materials NWA" and see if someone can lead and guide. I just write checks :-(