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By that, I mean, good places to own and ride a horse, like back country roads, for fun, not the fancy horse estates. I'd like to know where they are and live close enough to meet horse people, but not live in an expensive area. All kinds of horses. My husband ropes, is there any of that around? He is also a horseshoer, I am an artist; have a dream of a cute little or big home on a couple of acres soon. Have lived in California so long, I forget if small town living still exists. A good friend of mine just retired to Tennessee, and loves it. I'm from the Midwest, years ago, and would prefer to live in a milder climate. I love dogs, gardening, canning foods. We used to have a custom saddle shop and thought of doing that again out of our home. We repaired leather goods, made chaps, etc. I do not mind a depressed economy, but do like nice people. Kind of old-fashioned in my tastes. Is Kentucky for me? and if so, where should I look to find a home in the country under $75,000 so we hard-working folks can enjoy home ownership. I realize most in this range are one bathroom (hopefully inside...that's a joke, ok, though I did grow up using outside ones in the fifties. I see some beautiful little homes on different websites and just hope I can find one in my lifetime. Have never owned our own home, yet. Settled in the wrong state. Almost about to give up hope. Thanks to whomever answers. Trish in Ca
That's the Madison County Board of Realty website. It is the main site for listings in Berea, Richmond, etc. which are pretty horse friendly.
Another area could be the Rockcastle area, where there is plenty of farmland, and very affordable. I would suggest using Ford Brothers Realty for that area-these are some of the most honest realtors I have ever met! Just Google it.
Last year my friend sold a 110 acre farm with a small farmhouse in Rockcastle County (had a barn, ponds, farming equipment, etc) for $110,000! She was needing money and wanted a "quick" sale. So, yeah, there is affordable living! Right up the road from me is a brick home, 2 BR, one bath, formal step-down dining, seperate utility room, loads of kitchen cabinets, new roof, completely remodeled, excellent shape on 3/4 acre that backs up to a horse farm (they border horses for people), and only asking $65,000! We are only 12 miles out of Richmond, on a little one-lane country road.
My advise-pick an area you really like, and check realtors. Also, check the local papers for property for sale by owner (like the little house I just told about). Hope this helps! ~joanna~
My hubby and I are definitely moving out of NJ in about 4-6 months. Where to go was a big question. Of course, if money were no object, we could move anywhere, but it is...
We have narrowed it down to Virgnia and Kentucky. We are also looking for a place with some acreage and wooded trails to ride and/or walk the dogs on (I love the woods). Relatively low real estate and taxes, etc.
So now we are having to try and decide between the two. Unfortunately, we do not have the time/money to visit these areas as we would wish to and should, so have come to rely on boards such as this for the "real lowdown".
In VA, we are looking at the area south of Roanoke (Blue Ridge Mtns), but are also intrigured by the Danville/Berea areas of Kentucky.
Any further thoughts on Kentucky that might help us decide would be appreciated. My hubby is an LPN which I suspect would help him in any job market.
You could also search around Bullitt county (where I am - extremely horse friendly and riders everywhere), same in Spencer County, Hardin County, Henry county.
Pretty much anything south of Jefferson County is going to suit your needs.
Money wise...also outside of Jefferson and Oldham county, the property is cheaper. Joanna is right about her areas, too.
I am also assuming you are talking about quarter horses, walkers, saddle breds, that sort of thing. The following site will get you started with quarter horses - and a google search like 'kentucky saddlebred association' will bring that up, too. Whatever type of horse you are intereted in - look up the assoc. in Ky - that will lead you to a region you can look at to settle in.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. This is just what I needed. I love riding in wooded areas also. We had them in Iowa on a smaller scale than you in Kentucky, usually near a river. I do so miss them. I will start looking and planning now. I am a late bloomer, just got my real estate license about 4 years ago, am 62, so you do the math, and I don't have much time to accomplish my dreams. The California housing market is so inflated, that an entry level home is now $400,000 in this area. The way people do this (and as you know, it's a trickle down thing all over the country,)the home sold elsewhere pays in full for a home in a different area, and there is money in the bank. I hope to save these next couple of years and keep working till the Good Lord takes me home if He wants me! Thank you for the help!
Like you, I am not in my 30s anymore. Realistically, I too don't have that much time to build up to the type of lifestyle that I have grown to love. In states where prices are through the roof (New Jersey and California are but two, as I notice this "madness" is spreading elsewhere as well) we would never be able to do anything but dream until it is too late. Prices might come down, but they will never approach what they were when we bought our first house back in '88 for $75,000.
So which is it - Virginia or Kentucky? Very hard decision. I've gotten some nice responses on the Virginia forum, especially from one guy who is a one man Chamber of Commerce and very upbeat about the area he lives in. He's a horseman, too, which helps a lot since only other horse people truly know what we are talking about. That's a good thing to keep in mind when looking for a realtor--question him/her on knowledge about horses, regulations, what the neighbors would think about having horses near them, etc.
And I know what you mean about just a regular little farm to have animals on as opposed to an "equestrian facility". Nothing wrong with them but we just want to saddle up and amble down the road a bit!
As far as types of horses, interest is with quarter horses (we have one) and also any gaited horse (here is where my age and physical condition is starting to come in!).
Here in NJ to get any place with even 1-2 acres entails over $400,000 and you can put about $9000 or more yearly property taxes on top of that. Our heating bill in this rental--oil heat, but the house is full of holes, literally--has been about $700 for 1 and 1/2 months and we are still cold due to an inefficient heating system.
Thanks so much both to the topic starter and to those who have replied. I now have hope that it will happen, that it is possible to enjoy what I love before time really does catch up with me.
By that, I mean, good places to own and ride a horse, like back country roads, for fun, not the fancy horse estates. I'd like to know where they are and live close enough to meet horse people, but not live in an expensive area. All kinds of horses. My husband ropes, is there any of that around? He is also a horseshoer, I am an artist; have a dream of a cute little or big home on a couple of acres soon. Have lived in California so long, I forget if small town living still exists. A good friend of mine just retired to Tennessee, and loves it. I'm from the Midwest, years ago, and would prefer to live in a milder climate. I love dogs, gardening, canning foods. We used to have a custom saddle shop and thought of doing that again out of our home. We repaired leather goods, made chaps, etc. I do not mind a depressed economy, but do like nice people. Kind of old-fashioned in my tastes. Is Kentucky for me? and if so, where should I look to find a home in the country under $75,000 so we hard-working folks can enjoy home ownership. I realize most in this range are one bathroom (hopefully inside...that's a joke, ok, though I did grow up using outside ones in the fifties. I see some beautiful little homes on different websites and just hope I can find one in my lifetime. Have never owned our own home, yet. Settled in the wrong state. Almost about to give up hope. Thanks to whomever answers. Trish in Ca
Hi,
It is interesting to see how many people are considering a move to KY. We were traveling last summer and went up thru KY. Falling in love with KY was one of the easiest things we have ever done and after being there for 3 days we ''accidentially'' bought a farm. Our farm is just south of Stanford, KY and not in the ritzy horse area but mainly an area of small farms and wonderful people. Further north and near Lexington the land was much more expensive and since we are lovers of animals and land we just wanted a nice farm for us and our critters. I raise Tennessee Walking Horses and some nice ponies so really wanted beautiful green fields for them. I will be moving some horses there before April and more later.
We currently live in the northern portion of VA and the land is priced our of our range, pasture getting more scarce to rent and hay harder to find and much more expensive. If there is any way I can help you out with your decision I would be glad to. We are also not youngsters [ 60 & 65 yrs. young], so can relate to what you might be looking for. We are heading to KY next week to do some work before we start moving horses. Look forward to hearing from you!
Have a great day!
If you look in what's called the "outer" Bluegrass area, you can find what you are looking for, and still be within 30-40 minutes of Lexington. Towns like Carlisle, Cynthiana, Berea, Lancaster, Stanford, etc will all have what you have mentioned.
It's so refreshing to see people who are still reasonable about what Farm Land should be used for. Here in Southern California whenever you find a house with a couple of acres for sale, the listing ALWAYS says "Possible lot split" which drives me nuts!
Investors where I live buy a house on an acre then split it and build a house or two on the extra space. One developer actually bought an old farmhouse on one acre, tore the house down, and built TWELVE homes! Yep 12!
Anyway, we've been looking at Kentucky too for obvious reasons. My wife and I want to start a horse rescue and retirement organization so my question is this. What's the real weather situation in the Lexington or Louisville areas?
I would hate to have to move 50-100 horses to a safe zone every time the threat of a hurricane or sever weather approaches. I appreciate any feedback on the subject.
It's so refreshing to see people who are still reasonable about what Farm Land should be used for. Here in Southern California whenever you find a house with a couple of acres for sale, the listing ALWAYS says "Possible lot split" which drives me nuts!
Investors where I live buy a house on an acre then split it and build a house or two on the extra space. One developer actually bought an old farmhouse on one acre, tore the house down, and built TWELVE homes! Yep 12!
Anyway, we've been looking at Kentucky too for obvious reasons. My wife and I want to start a horse rescue and retirement organization so my question is this. What's the real weather situation in the Lexington or Louisville areas?
I would hate to have to move 50-100 horses to a safe zone every time the threat of a hurricane or sever weather approaches. I appreciate any feedback on the subject.
Cheers....Scott & Josie
Camarillo, CA
Sounds just like New Jersey. If there is even the smallest plot of open land left, it will soon have a house on it. Worse, they will sell 25 acres of farmland and soon a whole bunch of cookie-cutter houses will spring up so close to each other you can throw a bar of soap over to your neighbor's window with no problem.
I drove past one of these big plots as the land was being graded for houses. It was a very windy day and the dirt was blowing across the highway, cutting down visibility quite a bit. It was also blowing onto the housing subdivision across the road (no doubt the same type houses will appear on the other side), covering those brand new homes in silt. If it were warmer and anyone had windows opened, they would have gotten a coating of dirt in their new home.
How senseless is this? Once the land, woods etc. is gone, it's GONE for good. The wind blew so much once-rich soil all over because there were no longer any plants to hold it down.
Our future generations will be paying dearly for such folly.
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I Was Wondering The Same Thing
Great posts...question about weather
