Acreage with close commute to University of Kentucky (Lexington, Nicholasville: real estate, new house)

[stracky]

Hi! My husband and I are looking at possibly relocating to the Lexington area for a job at University of Kentucky. We'd ideally love an area that we can get about 10 acres, safely raise a family with some good neighbors around and not have more than a 30 minute commute to the university. I understand this might be impossible, but I have been browsing real estate websites and the land seems to be out there, but we just don't know the areas well enough. We are a young married couple with no kids but they will be existing in the near future Also, my parents will be coming along with us. We plan to buy a lot or two, 10-20 acres, and build 2 homes or do a big renovation on an existing home. We are coming from the Houston suburbs that have been rated some of the safest, well rated school district and easily affordable in the country so we're pretty spoiled. Our price range is flexible depending on what we get but lets just say, we really like the idea of spending about 200k on an empty 10 acres. Thats impossible to find around here! We do love restaurants, shopping and being able to run to the grocery store without having to drive an hour. Also - work commute is a big deal to me since I will be the only one doing any commuting! Thanks for all of your help!

Stracky

[CraigCreek]

You'll likely need to cross the Fayette County line to find what you seek, as local zoning regulations restrict building new houses on rural property of less than 40 acres, a measure designed to help protect the endangered Bluegrass region from suburban sprawl.

That said, you can still find existing rural houses that were grandfathered in on far less than 40 acres. Or you can cross the county line, add perhaps 15 minutes to your ideal commute time to UK, and find plenty of properties that might work for you, while probably paying less than you would in Fayette County (your budget is low for Fayette County land).

Woodford and Jessamine Counties are the closest to the University of Kentucky. Check out the are south of Jessamine County's Nicholasville, and western Woodford County near the Kentucky River for more reasonably priced rural land. Eastern Woodford consists of multimillion dollar thoroughbred horse farms, and the Nicholasville Road corridor between Lexington and Nicholasville is heavily commercial, though it occupies a narrow strip.

Good luck with your search. I'd recommend an advance visit to the Bluegrass, and checking out likely properties with a good realtor.

[PONYPULR]

CraigCreek is correct. You'd be better off finding what you are looking for in any one of the surrounding counties of Fayette County(Lexington). However, I do know of a small farm with very nice home and barn on the east side of Fayette Co. on Bryan Station Rd.
If you do consider any of the surrounding counties, you will see that you get more "bang for your buck" so to speak! We're in the SW corner of Bourbon County(Paris), and are about 25 minutes from UK Hospital in Lex.
A good agent, familiar with the outlying counties and farms will surely be a huge help in your search! I can offer you ours if you'd like!
Best of luck and welcome to the beautiful Bluegrass!