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Old 07-18-2016, 08:06 PM
 
Location: Forests of Maine
37,330 posts, read 61,154,439 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by PurpleMesa View Post
Interesting info. I never really gave much thought to the NE states, but so far a few people have mentioned it. I honestly had no idea the real estate was so low in Maine. If I ever notice any tempting jobs up there after graduation I'll definitely keep it in mind. The northern climate might be a challenge, though.
I live in the Southern half of Maine, this township [along with most townships of Maine] is so rural the population density is under 10 people per square mile. Home prices are low, land prices are low, taxes are low, the per capita income is low [In one town near me, the per capita income is $8k/year]. The 'problem' is that there are very few jobs. This area has not seen much employment since the 1800s. If you have a source of income, bring it with you, before you come here.

My pension is roughly equal to Minimum-Wage, so that places us in the upper half of incomes in our town.

In the OP you listed specific desires. If you do not mind a few months of cold weather each year, you could easily do that complete list near Bangor Maine. Only on a lower budget.

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Old 07-19-2016, 05:03 PM
 
Location: In the Pearl of the Purchase, Ky
11,060 posts, read 17,461,624 times
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My step daughter and son-in-law bought a 3 br, 1 bath house with another 2 br, 1 bath full apartment in the basement, on 14 acres, 10 miles from the town of Cadiz, for $125,000. This is a brick house in very good shape. They had trouble with cell phone signal for a while but got a microcell to boost their phone signal big time! They are about 15 miles from Lake Barkley and the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area
On the firearms part, my son-in-law is an MP at nearby Ft.Campbell, Ky., so his buddies come out some weekends and I bet a metal detector would go crazy in parts of their land. They fixed up a trail for their 4 wheelers and a neighbor lets them ride down to the lake on his property. I know you could find something you're looking for in western Kentucky.
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Old 07-19-2016, 08:01 PM
 
Location: Middle America
37,409 posts, read 53,412,743 times
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Absolutely possible in Kansas City.

I drive by several large spreads with horses that fall easily inside the metro, and much of the metro is served by Google Fiber. Housing is also available in an incredible wide price range. The city itself is very sprawling and rambling, with large swaths of rural-feeling undeveloped land in the midst of city limits. The Midwest is exceptionally affordable, and KC and is surrounding suburbs count several tech firms as major employers, so engineering jobs are not sparse.
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Old 07-20-2016, 09:13 AM
 
92,688 posts, read 122,997,895 times
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Yes, outside of cities in Upstate NY and PA. Tully NY is a town/village that comes to mind.
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Old 07-20-2016, 11:23 AM
 
Location: Chicago
6,160 posts, read 5,677,079 times
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I lived about 35 miles outside of Kansas City. It's amazing how rural is gets just outside of town.

This is probably my favorite living experience. Low cost of living, but convenience of city amenities.
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Old 07-22-2016, 07:27 AM
 
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
2,259 posts, read 4,737,887 times
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The wife and I are in the same process right now. Some of the houses that we are looking at are in a country setting, about 10-15 minute drive to the nearest urbanized area (suburbs, stores, restaurants, schools, etc..) and about 20-25 minutes to the nearest larger city. The houses we are looking for, 3-4 beds, 1-2 baths, 1500sq ft + on an acre or more in the $120k-$160k price range
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Old 07-22-2016, 08:24 AM
 
12 posts, read 9,265 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kygman View Post
My step daughter and son-in-law bought a 3 br, 1 bath house with another 2 br, 1 bath full apartment in the basement, on 14 acres, 10 miles from the town of Cadiz, for $125,000. This is a brick house in very good shape. They had trouble with cell phone signal for a while but got a microcell to boost their phone signal big time! They are about 15 miles from Lake Barkley and the Land Between the Lakes National Recreation Area. Land Between The Lakes National Recreation Area
On the firearms part, my son-in-law is an MP at nearby Ft.Campbell, Ky., so his buddies come out some weekends and I bet a metal detector would go crazy in parts of their land. They fixed up a trail for their 4 wheelers and a neighbor lets them ride down to the lake on his property. I know you could find something you're looking for in western Kentucky.
That sounds like an incredible deal. I hope I can get that lucky on a place near wherever I end up working. $125k would be a cinch to pay off, as far as mortgages usually go.
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Old 07-22-2016, 08:31 AM
 
12 posts, read 9,265 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by TabulaRasa View Post
Absolutely possible in Kansas City.

I drive by several large spreads with horses that fall easily inside the metro, and much of the metro is served by Google Fiber. Housing is also available in an incredible wide price range. The city itself is very sprawling and rambling, with large swaths of rural-feeling undeveloped land in the midst of city limits. The Midwest is exceptionally affordable, and KC and is surrounding suburbs count several tech firms as major employers, so engineering jobs are not sparse.
Quote:
Originally Posted by lepoisson View Post
I lived about 35 miles outside of Kansas City. It's amazing how rural is gets just outside of town.

This is probably my favorite living experience. Low cost of living, but convenience of city amenities.
I like what I hear from you two. I attend K-State, so KC would be a relatively convenient place to seek work and housing prospects before moving.

It's interesting to hear that there is some undeveloped land inside the city limits, but that might be a little too close actually. Future neighboring developments could be potentially annoying, and if it's inside city limits I'm almost certain you can't use firearms in your backyard. : /
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Old 07-22-2016, 08:40 AM
 
12 posts, read 9,265 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by topher5150 View Post
The wife and I are in the same process right now. Some of the houses that we are looking at are in a country setting, about 10-15 minute drive to the nearest urbanized area (suburbs, stores, restaurants, schools, etc..) and about 20-25 minutes to the nearest larger city. The houses we are looking for, 3-4 beds, 1-2 baths, 1500sq ft + on an acre or more in the $120k-$160k price range
Sounds like a good price bracket. Where is this located, if you don't mind me asking? (Michigan like your banner says?)
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Old 07-22-2016, 08:45 AM
 
12 posts, read 9,265 times
Reputation: 11
I noticed while browsing some real estate that sometimes people are just selling sizable swaths of land.

Does anyone think it would be an economically valid option to have a house built on a good chunk of land? I have no clue how much that costs. While I of course understand the basic requirements of a house, I wouldn't personally have the time or handy-skills to build an entire house myself, so I'd have to hire it all done.

It wouldn't need to be huge or extravagant, so I wondered if that might be a possibility.
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