Berea Kentucky (Lexington, Richmond, Irvine: for sale by owner, home owners insurance, houses)

[suncoastman]

I am a retiree, originally from Northern Ohio, that has lived in Florida the last 16 years. I am thinking of moving to the Berea area of Kentucky after researching the area homes for sale, & all the PR ....

Being an old former farmer, this area sounds nice. I am leaving on the 15th. of Jan. to see for myself.

Any suggestions or ideas for my visit ? I would appreciate any help or ideas.

Thank you in advance for any help or info.

[suncoastman]

I guess there is no one on this forum that can be of assistence to me in this matter. Bummer.

Oh well, I'll be there early next week & will have to find out for myself....

Joe

[JRR]

It is high on our list of possible retirement areas when we leave Orlando.

We got there in the evening and spent the night. The next morning, we had breakfast and then went wandering down in the Old Town Artisan Village for about three hours. Talked to several different people in the shops. It was a quiet morning and everyone was more than happy to have an extended conversation with us. Then we just rode around the area for a bit before leaving.

The impression that we got was that it would be a good place to live. Small town flavor but near enough to Lexington when you want something more. The college adds a nice touch. We were told that Christmas there is really interesting with music and dancing. One person did complain about the traffic around the Wal-Mart. Made us chuckle, because we didn't see any traffic around there that remotely resembled the traffic back in FL.

All in all, the town was clean and pleasant, we liked the lay of the land, the people were all extremely nice and the weather wouldn't be bad. We plan on going back and spending some more time there. Let me know what your impression was of the place.

One last thing. For breakfast, try the Dinner Bell restaurant. It is over near the Wal-Mart area. Good breakfast at a fair price and really pleasant people.

Steve

[kimmieyky]

Dear Joe - I am so glad you contacted me by email - as I just found this post this morning!

Glad I could be of help - let me know how the trip goes!

Kimmiey

[suncoastman]

Thanx Steve for your commentary. I appreciate the info. We will be visiting the Berea area within the next couple of weeks to look for houses w/ a little property. I've done a quick drive through of the town, & I liked what I saw. All the people I met were friendly & all seemed rather nice.

Joe

[Kichenwich]

Hi Suncoastman, Just saw this post. I live 10 miles from Berea, between Richmond and Berea in a little section called Waco. Sure wish I had seen this before you left! Hopefully you was able to visit a few of the local sights, such as the Thomas Kincaid gallery, the Berea Arts and Crafts buildings, and the campus. There's plenty to keep a person busy. If you have any questions about the area, just drop a line. I'll gladly advise you on the area.

[suncoastman]

Hi Kichenwich:

We postponed our initial trip to Berea due to us having to get our current home here in Brooksville, FL ready for sale. Donna & I plan to leave here on the 30th. & drive up there to get a better feeling for the land, etc. The little time I spent in passing through one time, was that I liked the small town atmosphere, the Arts & Crafts area in Old Towne, & generally everything about the area.

There are a lot of things we like about Kentucky, but there are more & more things that we find we don't like, like a State Income Tax, & the $$'s involved in registering our cars there. Oh well....no area of the country has it all.

When I first moved to Fl. (From Ohio) in 1990, property was really reasonable, home owners insurance rates were low, & it was really cheap living. That is now long gone. 1,000 people a day are moving here, commercial & residential growth is staggering, homeowners insurance has gone through the sky...example: our rate 2 years ago was $472.00/yr. Then it went to $1100.00+, now at $1600.00+, & possibly going to $2200.00+ this fall. We are both retired, on a fixed income, & it's getting harder to live here. You DO PAY for this beautiful weather...Nov to April is just great. We have found several houses we'd like to look at....1 on Red Lick Rd.....1 on Muddy Creek Rd. & 1 on Greens Crossing Road.

God Bless. Joe

[suncoastman]

One thing I forgot to ask re Berea & surronding areas, was if there is DSL or cable ISP's available readily? Although I'm retired, I'll be doing some work on the Internet to pick up some extra money, & hi speed is the only way to go.

Am I asking for the impossible?

Joe

[Kichenwich]

Hi again! I agree with you on the state tax and vehicle tax. However, the vehicle tax is deductible from your federal tax, and the state tax is filed seperately. My husband and I usually get about a $100 refund. Not much, but does make me feel better.
To register you out-of-state car it is required to go to the courthouse and have it inspected. It sounds like a big deal, but it really isn't. Basically an officer in the sherrif's office looks at the VIN number through the windsheild, and checks the odometer. Make sure you have your receipts if the vehicle was bought used, as we now can pay the tax on the amount given instead of the "NADA book" value, which is usually quite a bit higher.
Red Lick is a beautiful area, with towering cliffs and mountains, green meadows, and wildflowers everywhere. The main road through Red Lick ( I forget the road #) takes you the "back way" into Irvine, which is in Estill County. This is one of the prettiest drives (in my opinion) around the area, especially in the fall. If you follow HWY 421, which takes you to Jackson County, that area is known as Big Hill. Travel that road a short way and you will know where it gets it's name! In that community, there is a lake known as Owsley Fork Lake. It is actually the source of drinking water for Berea. The lake allows small boats, but no gas motors, and does have a boat ramp. It stays well stocked with Bass, Bluegill, and Crappie. However, it is quite "snakey". If you take HWY 21, this takes you back into Berea. The Pinnacle is on this road, which is a well known scenic area. There is walking trails, etc. that takes you to the top of the mountains where you can see several counties. The view is awesome!
The Muddy Creek area is actually quite close to my house. There is a Muddy Creek North, which runs behind the Bluegrass Army Depot, and Muddy Creek South, which connects into HWY 421. Both areas are quite beautiful. I noticed several houses for sale on Muddy Creek South, so I imagine that's where you are looking. This road, known by us locals as "Jackson Hollow", runs behind the Madison County Game Reserve, which is several hundred acres set aside for the procreation and protection of wildlife. This area is abundant in deer, turkey, squirrels, etc. It also has many ponds and lakes available for fishing. The only problem with that area is that the road, in PLACES, has some steep hills. In the winter, it can make for difficult driving. But, if we continue with the mild winters, it may not be a problem! So far we have had one dusting of snow. You can get to this road several different ways, so an alternate route may be needed if it gets bad. However, when you see the community, you WILL fall in love if you enjoy country living at all!
Green's Crossing is located on HWY 52, which is the main road into Irvine. Although there are some decent, upscale homes, this area is well known for crime/poverty, especially on the end of the road closest to 52. There is a race track on the road, that goes until at least Midnight on Saturdays, and a few days during the week until 9:00 p.m. The houses are all pretty much built right on top of one another. I don't know about you, but I do NOT want to look out my window and into my neighbor's. It really is a bad area, although the houses are affordable.
When you visit again, make sure to look around for the houses for sale by owner. There is one just up the street from me, a nice little brick with tons of cabinets, 2 br., small formal dining room with sliding glass doors, seperate utility room, new roof, and lots of "extras" on about 3/4 acre for $65,000. I believe a person could get the house for $60. Our paper, Richmond Register, is now online. Berea also has a newspaper, but not online as far as I know.
Hope all this info helps! If there is anything I can do or tell you about the area, I will gladly relay the info.

[Kichenwich]

I forgot that part! Yes, we have several DSL companies in the area. I am currently with Windstream, which is also my home phone company. They offer several packages of satellite/phone/DSL at a discounted rate.
The towns of Richmond and Berea have digital cable, which extends pretty far out into the county. Where cable doesn't reach, you can get satellite TV. I have been with Dish Network for about 10 years now, and am still a satisfied customer.

You should have no trouble at all getting DSL/High speed internet!