Relocation - I feel guilty asking (Lexington, Louisville: amusement park, houses, movie theaters)

[Toria]

There's many more horse shows in and near Lexington in the disciplines you want (eventing, dressage, etc).... though there are also several near Louisville as well. The Kentucky Horse Park hosts many of them, as do several other Lexington area barns such as Champagne Run, Robert Murphy stables, etc. Masterson Station Park in Lexington has 600 acres of free riding, and hosts a number of shows, too.

Have you looked in Scott county, or Bourbon county, or Harrison county...all pretty close to Lexington...Nicholas or Clark counties might have cheaper land as well as still keep you within 40 minutes of Lexington and an hour from the Lex airport (which has a direct flight to Houston).
You said you looked already in Mercer? Shaker Village has fabulous riding, over 30 miles of wonderful trails and the Woodford Hounds ride there. Clark County would put you closer to riding in the Daniel Boone forest.
What are you looking for in terms of the property...house with barn, stalls, and paddocks already in place?

[tomocox]

Originally Posted by FiveHorses

Just out of curiosity, why has the area closer to Louisville been picked out over the area closer to Lexington? I always associate Louisville with racing (which I don't do) vs. the association of eventing/dressage, etc. (all of which I do enjoy at an amateur level) with Lexington.

If there's an MLS for that area and if anyone could point me in that direction, I'd be grateful. Other real estate sites came up pretty (or totally) blank for the area.

I have two sites for you. Louisvillerealtors.com covers Carroll County (Carrollton) to Harrison Co, IN (Corydon) and as a RE/MAX broker, I know the value of REMAX.com too.

I think the I-71 corridor (from Cinncinnati to Louisville) is your best all around match for your criteria. Not much better air coverage than the two major airports at each end.

There is an ample grocery/gasoline availability at any of the I-71 exits between Carrollton (x-45) and LaGrange (x-22).

One item you will need to be cautious about is high speed internet availability. Although it is spreading, the current economy down turn will slow the advance.

I hope this helps.

[FiveHorses]

Priority-wise in terms of the property we'd be looking for a house in good shape (and we don't mind small, we can always add-on in good time, but I do mind a dump!) and established pasture with at least some fencing. We'd prefer at least a barn structure there that we can easily convert to a horse barn if there isn't one there. We're pretty flexible insofar as what has to be there and what does not - as long as it's reflected in the price.

My biggest pet peeve is probably going to be properties where there are/have been more horses on the acreage than there should have been and the land is spent and tired. I've seen a lot like this (although not in KY, or at least not yet!) and for the most part I can't be bothered to get out of the car because there's no point. Or they cleared this summer and call it "horse ready" (again, this was not in KY) which it clearly isn't.

All three airports have good direct flights to Houston, Lexington just has the fewest flights, but they're at pretty good times, so it doesn't really matter. Oddly, usually it's cheaper to fly to Lexington than it is to Louisville. Not by much - $10 or $20 - but I'd have thought it would be the other way around.

There's not much on the market in Scott (even out of my price range, there still isn't much), but I do have a couple earmarked in Clark, Bourbon (eastern portion) & I found one further out east and the county escapes me but out the 68 (?) and one more in Mercer.

In terms of volume of what is currently on the market - I was wondering if it was just the time of year or was it the "crisis" or what it just normal for the region, just because there isn't a whole lot out there. Some areas are really odd - I can't remember where it was, but there was a property in the millions and after that the high price was under $200K with nothing in-between. It just seemed like a vast discrepancy.

Thanks for the feedback all.

[Ms. D]

How about Mason County (41056)

or specifically Mayslick (41055)


I love this place , 20 minutes to 'town' and an hour or so to the airport in Cincinnati !!http://www.dgschell.com/public/listi...tingID=799550#


or

Buffalo Trace Multi Listing Service - Homes for Sale in Maysville. Real Estate in Maysville, Kentucky

PM me- we moved to this area 1 year ago after alot of searching in N. KY - I can provide more links for real estate in this area and who we had the best luck dealing with.

Good luck.
P.S. I am not an agent or affiliated.

here's another link http://www.maysville-online.com/showcase_of_homes/ (broken link)

[FiveHorses]

Thanks very much for the above, Ms. D. I'm completely open to different areas - we're just trying to find the right place for me & the horses. Any other links/websites/recommendations you could pass along would be very welcome.

[Peter1948]

Originally Posted by FiveHorses

Just out of curiosity, why has the area closer to Louisville been picked out over the area closer to Lexington? I always associate Louisville with racing (which I don't do) vs. the association of eventing/dressage, etc. (all of which I do enjoy at an amateur level) with Lexington.

If there's an MLS for that area and if anyone could point me in that direction, I'd be grateful. Other real estate sites came up pretty (or totally) blank for the area.

I'll tell you why. Henry County is situated in a very rural area right between Louisville and Cincinnati, two major metro areas with much more amenities, better shopping, and much larger aiports (CVG is a true international airport with many more flights). Henry County has very cheap land but is also close to fast growing, suburban/exurban Oldham County which will be adding more shopping and amenities in the La Grange area in the next 10 years. You are also close to NKY suburbs of Cincinnati like Florence which have many nice amenities. For cultural opportunites, Cincy and Louisville will afford you many many more options.

Another area to consider may be between Louisville and Lexington in Shelby County around the Waddy/Peytonia exit of I-64. Here you get cheap rural land with the advantage of being in the rural eastern part of a county growing fast on its western edge from shelbyville west, and shelbyville is a nice little town. Good school district here too. Oldham is very nice and you could find what you want in NE Oldham county, but land will cost alot more, but the school district is absolutely outstanding.

[SpoonBread]

Originally Posted by FiveHorses

Just out of curiosity, why has the area closer to Louisville been picked out over the area closer to Lexington? I always associate Louisville with racing (which I don't do) vs. the association of eventing/dressage, etc. (all of which I do enjoy at an amateur level) with Lexington.

If there's an MLS for that area and if anyone could point me in that direction, I'd be grateful. Other real estate sites came up pretty (or totally) blank for the area.

Lexington-Bluegrass Association of Realtors Home is the MLS website for the Lexington area. Good luck with your search.

[Toria]

Originally Posted by stx12499

I'll tell you why. Henry County is situated in a very rural area right between Louisville and Cincinnati, two major metro areas with much more amenities, better shopping, and much larger aiports (CVG is a true international airport with many more flights). Henry County has very cheap land but is also close to fast growing, suburban/exurban Oldham County which will be adding more shopping and amenities in the La Grange area in the next 10 years. You are also close to NKY suburbs of Cincinnati like Florence which have many nice amenities. For cultural opportunites, Cincy and Louisville will afford you many many more options.

Another area to consider may be between Louisville and Lexington in Shelby County around the Waddy/Peytonia exit of I-64. Here you get cheap rural land with the advantage of being in the rural eastern part of a county growing fast on its western edge from shelbyville west, and shelbyville is a nice little town. Good school district here too. Oldham is very nice and you could find what you want in NE Oldham county, but land will cost alot more, but the school district is absolutely outstanding.

Maybe you should re-read their post - you keep mentioning shopping, schools, and amenities as reasons to look at Henry and Shelby counties, while he/she said those weren't important! Scott, Bourbon, Harrison, Woodford, Clark and surrounding areas will be a better choice if they want access to shows at KHP and schooling shows at area barns.

[FiveHorses]

I think the Henry area is only really appealing due to the prices, because otherwise it seems just that step too removed from where there are things going on. Of course that's just my impression from what I can find over the internet, there might be more going on that isn't online. But yes Toria you are correct - the shopping/cultural amenities are not what we're after.

Can anyone with a knowledge of the local market tell me if what is currently out there on the market is normal - and I'm speaking purely in terms of volume. Or is it, as I have experienced elsewhere, that people don't list or take things off the market as winter approaches thinking that no one buys at this time of year?
Thanks again to everyone who's left feedback. It's been very helpful.

[tomocox]

Originally Posted by FiveHorses

I think the Henry area is only really appealing due to the prices, because otherwise it seems just that step too removed from where there are things going on. Of course that's just my impression from what I can find over the internet, there might be more going on that isn't online. But yes Toria you are correct - the shopping/cultural amenities are not what we're after.

Can anyone with a knowledge of the local market tell me if what is currently out there on the market is normal - and I'm speaking purely in terms of volume. Or is it, as I have experienced elsewhere, that people don't list or take things off the market as winter approaches thinking that no one buys at this time of year?
Thanks again to everyone who's left feedback. It's been very helpful.

Henry County requires exactly what you have done. It's one of Kentucky's largest area counties, especially the north-central part.

There are parts of Henry that a billy goat can't climb, but just as poor as that ground is, there is some of the best Bluegrass type land. What most people don't understand is that you can be in Lexington in 30-45 minutes from most anywhere in the county, Louisville 35-50 minutes, Cincy 45-60 min. You sit between and have easy access to I-71 and I-64.

As far as listing of properties, Henry County land owners are sitting on their property until the market recovers.