[StillwaterTownie]

Originally Posted by firemediceric

That looks exactly like the setting I would be seeking. That’s encouraging because I went and looked at current real estate listings for the towns you mentioned in the earlier post. The current listings are discouraging. Not seeing much of anything that fits the bill for what I’m looking for.

Are you looking for at least 10 acres to build a house on or a stretch of land that already has a house build on it?

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by firemediceric

What areas in Florida are not pasture, swampland, pepper trees and palmettos is scraggly oaks and scrub brush. Shoot, one of the endangered birds is a Scrub Jay as the scrub is their natural habitat. Here in Florida for the most part either soil is rich in organic matter because of the decaying vegetation in the swamp or the soil is sandy leading to mostly stunted growth of the vegetation that grabs hold.

I actually lived in Florida except for it was north Florida. Gainesville and Tallahassee. Trees were a lot taller up there and it was pretty striking when I'd come back to Oklahoma to the crosstimbers and see those trees.

One of my friends in Florida had actually gone to Oklahoma and he described Oklahoma as a place where "they call shrubs trees". However in the cross timbers part of the state it is kind of cool because you get a mix of green and sky. If you are down in the trees it's forest. If you are driving on an Interstate it almost looks like a carpet of green juxtaposed against the sky.

As far as real estate in SE OK in the pines I'd look for postings from Poteau (you will want Cavanal Hill) Wister, Howe Talihina, Wilburton, Kinta, Red Oak, Heavener, Hodgeon, Summerfield, Whitesboro, Muse, Big Cedar, Page, Zoe, Octavia, Honobia, Clayton, Smithville, Battiest, Antlers, Broken Bow.

If you punch in those locations you can probably get almost all the listings in the light green area on that map. (I actually have lived down down there before in Poteau and Wilburton so I know the area pretty well).

And as I said, if there were a town of 20K down in the middle of those woods I'd still be down there.

[Serious Conversation]

Originally Posted by johninvegas

So, my wife and I are looking to move to either of the places mentioned here (most likely closer to Knoxville than the TC area). My question is that my wife suffers from SAD (seasonal affected disorder) meaning on she suffers when there are many cloudy days in a row. She used to live in Chicago where it is cloudy from November thru May. How does the cloudy winter weather differ in SE Ok, versus ET?

The Tri-Cities does get some of the winter gloom, but it's nowhere nearly as bad as when I lived in Indianapolis. It's pretty uncommon to go a week without seeing the sun. Even in January, getting up into the 50s, or even 60s, is not uncommon.

December was actually really mild this year. Winter starts loosening its grip in mid-Februrary or so (though there is obviously snow potential well into March), things really start greening up in March, and we're usually mowing again by April.

It's 69 outside now and I have my windows open. Tomorrow's high is supposed to be 42, with a rebound to about 57 Sunday, and 50s/60s most of next week.

A huge difference between the two areas is going to be the availability of water. Drought is extremely uncommon here. The worst drought I can remember is 2016, when there were some wildfires, but even then, it's nothing like the West Coast. We normally have ample rainfall year-round. The risk of severe weather is basically zero.

[firemediceric]

Originally Posted by StillwaterTownie

Are you looking for at least 10 acres to build a house on or a stretch of land that already has a house build on it?

I’m leaning towards finding a sufficient amount of acreage with a home already in place. That could be more or less than 10 acres depending on the privacy the setting affords. To find a home that needs only minor rehabilitation or is ready to move into would be my preference. I’ve contracted and had homes built in the past. Always headaches and cost overruns, but that is the nature of the beast. I feel that is likely greatly amplified given the current atmosphere of construction and material costs. The only way I would purchase vacant land at this juncture is if on the referral of a real estate agent or otherwise a builder is recommended who has glowing recommendations and references. I’ve had that same mindset right along with my searching in Tennessee, too.

[Johnhw222]

Were I living in SE OK and wanted access to good medical specialists, I would consider DFW. Durant is part of the DFW combined smsa. Of course once you are north of Antlers in SE OK proximity to OKC competes. Durant does not offer the kind of views Eddie’s photos displayed. But Durants county is the fastest growing not adjacent to Tulsa or OKC.

When considering SE OK keep proximity to Tx in mind.

[StillwaterTownie]

Oh, yeah, if I lived in Durant, I'd be wondering what big chain store or big chain restaurant was going to open up next, whether I was retired or not.

[eddie gein]

Originally Posted by Johnhw222

Were I living in SE OK and wanted access to good medical specialists, I would consider DFW. Durant is part of the DFW combined smsa. Of course once you are north of Antlers in SE OK proximity to OKC competes. Durant does not offer the kind of views Eddie’s photos displayed. But Durants county is the fastest growing not adjacent to Tulsa or OKC.

When considering SE OK keep proximity to Tx in mind.

Durant is in the "cross timbers" we discussed earlier. It is the darker green on Rigs map. Still pretty country.

[Threestep2]

Pull up historic weather for the areas you are considering. There are lots of pretty maps and graphs out there if you trust an analyst.

10 acres and a fort in the middle sounds great. Can you handle logistics? Power, water, gas, Internet, road access, mowing, fire services. Does the property have restrictions attached from public access to mineral rights?

Community hospitals are nice. Does a physician in town accept your insurance, how do emergency services handle your location? Should you have an issue requiring longer rehab how will you handle living accommodations/transportation?

Research the status of planned and approved developments with local planning committee. Nothing like a cannabis farm or a starter home subdivision next door.

We found the perfect house and barn on 15 acres about 15-20 miles from Edmond. Internet access was the deal breaker.

[firemediceric]

Originally Posted by Threestep2

Pull up historic weather for the areas you are considering. There are lots of pretty maps and graphs out there if you trust an analyst.

10 acres and a fort in the middle sounds great. Can you handle logistics? Power, water, gas, Internet, road access, mowing, fire services. Does the property have restrictions attached from public access to mineral rights?

Community hospitals are nice. Does a physician in town accept your insurance, how do emergency services handle your location? Should you have an issue requiring longer rehab how will you handle living accommodations/transportation?

Research the status of planned and approved developments with local planning committee. Nothing like a cannabis farm or a starter home subdivision next door.

We found the perfect house and barn on 15 acres about 15-20 miles from Edmond. Internet access was the deal breaker.

Great recommendations!


I will definitely require typical infrastructure support for electricity. Regarding water, I've had homes both with municipal water and a private well. Pros and cons to both. I can be fine with either. I prefer septic over sewer. Although piped natural gas is nice, in the past I have placed my own propane tank for gas appliances. It's nice but I can also do without gas altogether. Internet would be a deal breaker for me, too. I don't need it for any type of work but I'm spoiled accessing the internet for everything from news to entertainment and shopping.

Regarding roads, I refuse to live on a dirt road. I don't mind a long unpaved driveway, but I will never own a house again on a dirt road nor live in an area which requires me to travel regularly down dirt roads.

Mowing...I've had my share of spending a day at a time each week mowing acres of yard. Exactly why I want an area that's wooded. Seclusion and low maintenance. a roughly 30-50 foot cleared area around the house which I won't mind maintaining, but the rest I hope is wooded.

As you may be able to discern from my screen-name, I'm well versed in fire protection services and EMS. I'm not worried about fire protection. I'm willing to take the risk which comes from living remotely with regard to a traumatic injury, a cardiac issue or a neurological event.

I really am not worried about a PUD nor cannabis farm. That's why I want enough trees between me and whatever is adjacent to ensure my seclusion. I would be concerned about a chicken farm or crypto mine as I wouldn't want to put up with the smell of the former nor the noise of the latter.

My deal breakers: I won't put up with dirt roads. Must have decent (not satellite) internet service. Absolute privacy and seclusion. I do not want the house to be visible from the road nor adjacent properties. HVAC required. Ample storage space. House needs to be single story without more than a single step as an entrance way for ADA issues. I believe that will be the biggest hurdle when looking at homes for sale.

[Threestep2]

Drive through in a wheel chair:>)