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I am basically asking for advice about selecting a retirement home. If the choice is between a secluded property with a nice view three miles outside of town, and a "so-so" home in town with no view, which would you suggest, and why?
(We are introverts to whom peace and quiet is VERY important, but we also want to be practical.)
I am basically asking for advice about selecting a retirement home. If the choice is between a secluded property with a nice view three miles outside of town, and a "so-so" home in town with no view, which would you suggest, and why?
(We are introverts to whom peace and quiet is VERY important, but we also want to be practical.)
Three miles is a comfortable "commute" to services. No view would be and was a killer for both me and my wife. We chose Mother Nature.
I am basically asking for advice about selecting a retirement home. If the choice is between a secluded property with a nice view three miles outside of town, and a "so-so" home in town with no view, which would you suggest, and why?
(We are introverts to whom peace and quiet is VERY important, but we also want to be practical.)
3 miles is not big deal and not worth it for a so-so home with no view. i think you have answered your own question. walk to Town for a good exercise and lunch.
a new neighbor from hxll with dirt bikes and shooting 24x7 can become a nightmare in the countryside.
True indeed. The countryside need not necessarily be quiet or serene, especially if it's that close to town. It only takes one surly neighbor, or other nuisances beyond the ken of urban life, that totally negate the country pleasures.
My neighbor's house is >100 yards from mine; perhaps 150 yards, separated by maybe 70 yards of untrammeled forest. But he enjoys an outdoor stereo at full blast. That is, needless to say, somewhat detrimental to rural tranquility.
3 miles is nowise far to drive, even for multiple daily errands. But it largely obviates walking or biking, especially on rural roads traversed by farm machinery or speeding pickup trucks. One supposes that this becomes more of an impediment and a concern for older people, who prefer (and are more dependent on) amenities. By way of reference, the nominal city anchoring our rural locale is 9 miles from my house, and that is entirely too far for incidental errands. A trip to town becomes a days' long venture, lest I forget something that might require a second trip.
I am basically asking for advice about selecting a retirement home. If the choice is between a secluded property with a nice view three miles outside of town, and a "so-so" home in town with no view, which would you suggest, and why?
(We are introverts to whom peace and quiet is VERY important, but we also want to be practical.)
I am a hermit, DW not so much. We lived 30+ years in a city (urban part of Seattle) and I could not wait to get out of it. Traffic, noise, expensive, crowded. Our house was on a postage stamp sized lot.
When we retired we moved to rural part of Washington - 20 miles to the nearest town with a big grocery store and a Home Depot. But we were on 5 acres, and all you could hear were birds and at night, coyotes and owls. The view out our front window looked for miles without another house in sight.
We didn't like the cold so moved again, this time to rural Hawaii. Again we are 15 miles to nearest big stores but we again are on a big property (2 acres) with a tiny house but cannot see neighbors and it is very quiet with dark skies so we see lots of stars.
So, for me 3 miles out of town is not what I would call remote by any stretch. What you are describing sounds pretty nice. Obviously I would recommend that but it really is a matter of what is most important to you.
We had to do some adjusting to being out of town but it is not a big deal - once a week we make a round to all the stores in town to stock up. My wife goes to the library once a week but mostly does stuff on-line now. Doctors are a bit of a trek for us. The funny thing is even though we live 15+ miles from amenities, traffic was so bad in Seattle, it takes us less time now than it did when we lived in Seattle.
I would go for the country house, but, I'm a dedicated rural type of guy. 3 miles is a do-able walk, easy on a bike, and trivial with motorized transport.
But I am also a guy who buys what he wants, without much compromise for "practicality". Things like stick shift in the car, a house out in the country, etc.
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