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Old 05-04-2017, 08:33 AM
 
Location: Green Mountain State (Vermont)
1 posts, read 1,059 times
Reputation: 10

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Hey there folks,

I've been reading the stats and whatnot on the areas I'm interested in, and I also have been in trucking for over 30+ years...so travel through Pa. in all 4 corners has been consistent and I'm familiar to a certain extent of the various areas.

My peak interest though is to move down along the I-81 corridor south of Harrisburg...and I have a buddy around Newville that says he'd come there in a heartbeat if it were him. We're in our 50's, me and the wife and looks like at least one adult child will be coming down too, and he's an owner-operator/.trucker as well and has actually spent the past couple years working out of Lancaster County, so he knows and likes the area too.

We'd like to buy something once we decide where to plant ourselves, but maybe renting would be wise temporarily. I'd like to have a few acres of land...5-10 maximum that has a house, and a nice steel building or barn would be the kicker. Of course we could always build one of them too. But that's the plan. Move down around that area, obtain land to live on and run our small trucking business from, off the main road one right or left turn...yet close enough to a hospital or doctors offices where my wife could continue to work in the medical industry somehow.

Living in that area opens up opportunities for me and my son for us to do more in the trucking/transportation business than we can do here currently. Plus we're tired of the more harsh winters and the salt/calcium chloride that kills our vehicles here.

I kind of already know what we want, but am looking for input on if there is such a thing in this general area that I mentioned...small chunk of land, house, shop...near enough to hospital or doctors offices for wife's work...?

Thanks in advance.
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Old 05-04-2017, 03:49 PM
 
Location: Alexandria, VA
15,127 posts, read 27,643,123 times
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Have you read the Harrisburg and Lancaster threads? Lots of info.
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Old 05-04-2017, 05:15 PM
 
5,291 posts, read 6,122,809 times
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They do salt the roads in PA maybe not as much or as often as VT. The farther south you go along 81, the warmer the weather. Why exactly PA? I think that Maryland and VA along 81 have nicer farmsteads and countryside, but more expensive real estate.


If you are set on PA, I'd look at Franklin County. There's even a ski area near Mercersburg but it's not like Vermont.
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Old 05-04-2017, 06:21 PM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,755 posts, read 18,029,135 times
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I am a 30 year retired Teamster and I worked out of Carlisle for five years when my company relocated. Carlisle is the trucking hub of the Northeastern US. During my stay there I tried to get my wife to relocate; but she liked our house in Northeastern PA. If you are interested in trucking; the closer you are to Carlisle the better. There are some very nice areas just north and south of Carlisle; like Mt Holly Springs or Boiling Springs - I also liked Perry County.

As far as Wells5 comment about Vermont and PA roads during the winter: I always hated driving in Vermont after the sun went down; road crews get scarce late at night. Not that PA does that great a job in the winter; but I did see more plows out during the wee morning hours.

Good luck to you.
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Old 05-04-2017, 08:15 PM
 
4,277 posts, read 11,741,121 times
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Land in 5-10 acre chunks is pretty expensive in these parts. It may be slightly less costly on the north/west side of Cumberland Valley as that soil is more shaley than limey. 5-10 acres in western Cumberland County can support an Amish family growing vegetables for D.C. Area and they have connections and cash. Local roads can get 18 wheeler unfriendly fast, too. Farmette type places are more likely to be up for auction in this area, vs. listed with real estate agents.

You might also want to consider northern Lebanon County near I-81/78 split (Grantville, Jonestown, Fredericksburg). This area is commutable to Lebanon VA hospital and Penn State medical complex in Hershey = more medical job possibilities than the purely local interest hospitals anywhere near Newville. The highway is closer to the soils the Amish like less well, and roads seem less twisty too. The zone near the Penn National horse track was pricier, but perhaps two bit speculators are giving up hope on horse renaissance.
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Old 05-05-2017, 05:53 AM
 
4,277 posts, read 11,741,121 times
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Also, if you find a cheap 5 acre place, it could have septic system or floodplain issues. That Swatara Creek in northern Lebanon County was a mile wide in 2011. PA has draconian septic regulations - I don't know VT's, but an equivalent septic fix is far more expensive in PA vs. NY.
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Old 05-05-2017, 08:50 AM
 
4,081 posts, read 3,588,029 times
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I'd look into either the rural areas of Cumberland County (in and around Shippensburg), or pretty much anywhere in Franklin County. Both counties have rural settings with modern conveniences only a short distance away. Towns in Cumberland County would be closer to the Harrisburg metro area, while Franklin County tends to have more "bang for your buck".
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Old 05-05-2017, 09:34 AM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,755 posts, read 18,029,135 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ki0eh View Post
Also, if you find a cheap 5 acre place, it could have septic system or floodplain issues. That Swatara Creek in northern Lebanon County was a mile wide in 2011. PA has draconian septic regulations - I don't know VT's, but an equivalent septic fix is far more expensive in PA vs. NY.
20 years ago I found a nice house on 8 acres in Perry County with a trout stream through the property. The house had good elevation above the floodplain. But the house was a modular and my wife did not like modulars - but it was large and I thought that it was a 'deal' for only $155K.

It turned out that my trucking company filed for bankruptcy and my wife has always been happy where we currently live in Monroe.
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Old 05-06-2017, 05:55 PM
 
4,277 posts, read 11,741,121 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fisheye View Post
20 years ago I found a nice house on 8 acres in Perry County with a trout stream through the property. The house had good elevation above the floodplain. But the house was a modular and my wife did not like modulars - but it was large and I thought that it was a 'deal' for only $155K.
A common racket with places like that nowadays is that the bank hires someone in the Philippines to check the property parcel vs. the floodplain, and if the parcel (or, where the computer says the parcel is, which is frequently at variance with actual location) and floodplain intersect they require flood insurance regardless of the positioning of the structure to the floodplain. Then you have to get an elevation certificate from a surveyor to get a loan - $$.
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Old 05-07-2017, 02:33 AM
 
Location: Swiftwater, PA
18,755 posts, read 18,029,135 times
Reputation: 14733
Quote:
Originally Posted by ki0eh View Post
A common racket with places like that nowadays is that the bank hires someone in the Philippines to check the property parcel vs. the floodplain, and if the parcel (or, where the computer says the parcel is, which is frequently at variance with actual location) and floodplain intersect they require flood insurance regardless of the positioning of the structure to the floodplain. Then you have to get an elevation certificate from a surveyor to get a loan - $$.
The one thing that I did, when checking out that property; was to check it out when the streams where flooding. While many of the 8 acres where low; the house and septic where situated well above the floodplain and had no issues with water in the basement. Of course I knew nothing about groups in the Philippines that check the properties - possibly they were not doing that 20 years ago?

But I have also told potential buyers of any property to check them out during the worst weather conditions. People can be deceived into thinking they have a dry basement or sound roof; when they do not. Even the home inspectors can miss problems when they do inspections during draughts. Possibly a perk could pass in August and fail in the Spring? Potential buyers could think that the uphill/downhill driveways would be no problem; but winter conditions can quickly change their minds.

It is an advantage, to anybody that wants to purchase property, to rent close to the location you want to buy. So many on CD want to buy almost sight unseen from many miles away. There is that old adage: Buyer beware. Good homework makes for happy new owners.
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