Where Would You Love to Live–Beach, City, Mountains–or Somewhere In Between?

Welcome to the 714th Metamorphosis Monday!

I guess I’ve always been a city girl, not “hard-core city” like living in Atlanta, but more low-key city living, life in the burbs 25-30 minutes outside a big city. That lifestyle has worked well over the years, especially when my son was in elementary, middle, and high school. Back then, schools were the most important factor in choosing where to live.

Recently, I’ve been thinking more about moving farther out, away from the hustle and bustle and to a place where the sounds you hear on a daily basis are mostly the sounds of nature. That would take some adjusting, but I think I could do it. Ha! I still need to renovate bathrooms and get a few more things done before I can really seriously think about moving, but I do love dreaming about it.

When it comes to deciding where to move, I’m definitely more of a mountain, forest, hiking lover than a beach, water, boating, swimming fan. I’ve been reading that there’s a housing shortage going on, especially in certain areas. Also, I’ve heard that it’s a “seller’s market” although that may be changing now as interest rates have started climbing.

With all that in mind, after emailing back and forth with a friend discussing places we would love to live if we ever moved, I started checking out the available homes in the North Georgia mountain area. There are quite a few communities farther north of me. Any fantasies or dreams I had of moving to the mountains in the next few years were dashed when I started looking at home prices.

To see what mountain homes were going for these days, I checked out some of the real estate sites and what I found was pretty shocking. I couldn’t believe how much the cost of homes has increased over the past two years! Below you’ll see some of the listing prices I’m finding for fairly remote mountain community homes.

This home last sold in September 2018 for 400,00. Four years later in August of this year, it was put on the market for $799,000, doubling the square footage cost and the price of the home over that 4 year period. A month after listing the house, the price dropped $100,000. A $300,000 profit is still really good after just 4 years! Has your home gone up 75-100% in the last 4 years? Mine definitely has not.

 

Here’s another example of a mountain home I saw that’s currently on the market. In September 2018 it sold for $295,000. It was listed for sale last month for $535,000, an 85.8% increase in four years. That price has come down a bit over the past month. It’s currently listed for $519,900.

 

Here’s another example: This home was purchased for $312,500 in May of 2018. At that price, the cost was $79 a square foot. It was listed last month for $940,000 ($238 a square foot) but three weeks later was reduced to $890,000 which makes it $225 per square foot.

 

Looking at a home that’s a bit older, this home sold for $400,000 in October 2015. It was listed for sale seven years later (June 2022) for $1,675,000, a 318.8% increase! So it went from $68 a square foot to $285 a square foot. The price has been reduced a couple of times since June of this year.

 

Even those who just purchased a mountain home are attempting to cash in on this seller’s market. This home was purchased for $549,000 and was relisted 8 months later for $685,000. That’s $136,000 more and a 24.8% increase in 8 months. The price has sensed been reduced to $625,000.

 

I’m sure a lot of these large increases are due to sellers seeing a “Seller’s Market” (fewer homes being built and available on the market) and the really great interest rates that were going on for a while. A lot of folks are working from home full-time now so they can live farther away from the city, where a few years ago that may not have been possible. Also, I’ve heard that some of the people moving to the mountains, previously owned homes in Atlanta where housing is very expensive. So selling their city homes would most likely give them plenty of money to pay for the increased prices of mountain homes. Last time I checked, I think the mortgage rates are back up to around 5-6%. I haven’t checked in the last few days, though. I saw this recently on Instagram.

 

I don’t blame these sellers for attempting to cash in. Maybe some significant renovations were done and the sellers are just trying to recoup some of that expense. Mostly, I think it’s just people making hay while the sun shines, although I think it’s starting to get a bit cloudy out now. My biggest fear in buying a home in today’s climate is discovering a year from now that I purchased during a bubble and now owe a lot more than my home is worth. If you’ve been thinking about moving sometime soon, I very much encourage you to do some serious research on the area and previous home prices before making an offer.

What do you think? Are we headed toward a housing market crash or maybe just a return to more normal housing prices? Are you surprised to see homes in the North Georgia mountains being listed (and often selling) for drastically higher prices than just a few years ago? Do you see this happening in your area, too?

Looking forward to all the great Before and Afters linked for this week’s Met Monday!

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Metamorphosis Monday

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Comments

  1. Good morning, Susan
    Two and a half years ago (mid Covid pandemic), we sold our house in Maryland and moved to Greenville SC. Our house in Maryland is now selling for almost $200,000 more than we sold it for.
    We had a terrible time finding a home in SC that we would be happy with. After 18 months of renting and six home contracts that weren’t accepted (even though we offered over ask on all of them), we finally found home we are very happy with. Only problem is…we had to pay way over ask, waive the appraisal, etc. etc. I’m not sure what the future holds here in the Greenville area for housing, but we love our house and the dining room is big enough for my table which extends to 12 feet.
    I am a city girl for sure and after nearly 45 years in the DC area, I would not survive way out in the country!
    Hope you are enjoying the Fall weather!! Have a great week!

    • I live in Greenville SC too. A custom builder here told me they are quoting $275 per square foot in Hartness, a large new development here, and he said building has not slowed down. In fact, he said custom builders are having trouble finding new lots to build on. We live in a high growth area! Glad we built 2-3 years ago before prices went crazy and before interest rates started going up!

    • Susan, what a frustrating experience that must have been! I would have been pulling my hair out, I think. I’m so glad you found a place you love, that’s wonderful! Did you put your furniture/things in storage during those 18 months?

  2. Things are moving down now in price here in So. Cal. Prices are through the roof. Yes, many homes have doubled and then some. Things will go better or worse after November. Ride it out and see where things go.

    • Good advice! Definitely want to wait to see what happens. In the meantime, I’ll just save and work on renovations. I love my home so I’m not sure moving is even the right thing, but I do love the mountains,too.

  3. Thanks so much Susan! The housing market is really unstable right now, hard to know what to do~

  4. We were fortunate when we bought our current home and got the lowest rate ever. But house prices were on the way up. I just remember when we were first married that interest rates were up to 22%. Every time we’d get a raise or save down payment money the rates would go up. It was a nightmare. Thanks for having us over, Susan. I hope you can find the perfect spot when the time is right for a move.

    • That’s wonderful that you were able to move at just the right time. I bet that was around the same time when we were trying to buy our first home in the early 80s. Interest rates were insane! Thanks, Debra–I’m patient so willing to wait and see if things improve.

  5. As someone who has been blessed to live in the N GA mountains since 1986, I can say that I truly would not want to live anywhere else. Yes, house prices went up dramatically and are coming back down a little more slowly. Yes, the appraised value of my home has gone up, too. But I see that “asking price” and “selling price” aren’t always the same – I know of one home that sold for about $300,000 less than the price it was listed for. So for now, don’t give up, just keep doing what you want to do to your Marietta home (I grew up in Marietta, by the way, too much traffic there for me now) and be patient, things will probably level out. Or, if you find a mountain home you truly love, make a reasonable (to you) offer and see what happens!

    • That’s a great point, Joy! I was surprised to see a home that I loved for its mountain view but was already “Pending,” actually sold for a good bit less than the asking price. I guess they price them high to allow for negotiations. Thank you for that advice–definitely sounds like the prudent way to go.

  6. Hi Susan, After living in the burbs for all of my life, my husband and I decided to expand and renovate our lake cottage. We sold our home in town and moved. I love the peace and quiet of country living. The down side is having to drive farther to shop, etc., but it is worth it. The housing market went through the roof here in Michigan, but is slowing down. The value of our home doubled. We were lucky to have already owned this property. I don’t think we could have afforded to buy it at todays prices! Also, Michigan property taxes are very high, which pushes up monthly payments. Living in the country is wonderful. You can see the stars at night. If you love nature, go for it!

    • That’s amazing how much it went up! I would love country living, I think. Just the peace and quiet would be wonderful–not to mention, the wildlife. Thanks for letting me know how much you love it, Ellen! I think with online ordering, I could make it. lol 🙂

  7. Susan, we live out in the country about eleven miles to our small city. I was a city girl when we built our home 44 years ago. We could have built a larger home during this time, but never found the property like we have here. Thirty two acres with mostly the sounds of nature and a view of the FootHills of the Appalachian Mountains. We also have access to 250 acre woods behind us located on the river that my husband manages for the owner. I have no desire to live anywhere else. Our preference for vacations are always the mountains.The housing market is definitely unstable.

  8. Yes, right now is not a good time to be buying with the crazy market and rising interest rates. We had a house in our neighborhood close on 9/22 and was on the market 6 days later for an additional $100K. ???! Just one of many examples. We took a hit on our condo – bought too high and sold lower. It went on the market 2.5 mos after our buyer purchased (!), is pending, and waiting to see what it sold for. It’s insane. I’m just happy we seem finally settled. It’s all so UNsettling!

    • Wow! That is crazy! Did they buy it just as an investment? I’m constantly bombarded by text messages (and calls) asking if I want to sell. I keep my phone on Do Not Disturb which stops the calls, at least. I’m guessing they want to make me a lowball offer so they can turn around and sell at today’s inflated prices. It will be really interesting to see what it sells for! I wouldn’t have the energy to play the real estate games that the investors play. I’m so happy you’ve found the perfect place, that has to be the best feeling ever!

  9. So many valid points in your post and the comments. Who could have predicted the crazy swings in prices and interest rates. Certainly we always expect real estate to increase in value and mortgage rates are always vacillating, but not such a wild ride. My husband and I down sized 5 years ago to a home found by our daughter, within walking distance of her house and an easy bike ride for our grandsons to come over. It has been the best years! When our two daughters and family visit from out of town we move easily between houses and enjoy having the extra space. I know you will find a perfect home and I hope it is closer to your son and his family. Good luck hunting!

  10. Carolyn Price says

    It’s the mountains for me. After spending my 35-year career teaching in classrooms w/ as many as 42 students (middle grades Math in Florida), l cherish the quiet of the mountains.
    For me, And I wanted a little snow from time to time so we opted for the North Carolina mountains over the north Georgia mountains. We are 15 minutes east of Asheville and have a choice of going to Asheville or Hickory for just about anything we need.
    This was the right decision for us. We moved into our log home just a little over two years ago and could not be happier.

  11. We have lived in our home for 30 years. We hoped to downsize, as this is 5,300 feet and a lot of upkeep. We looked for several years, even at nearby towns and everything was overpriced, poor quality and crowded lots, so we decided to stay where we are with large lots, beautiful views, mature trees, nice neighbors, no crime. Boulder real estate, and real estate everywhere, is ridiculously overpriced now. I feel sorry for younger people who cannot afford a home, but are also paying very high rents. I often daydream of moving to a very small town, but I think we are too old for that now.

    • I know what you mean, so many of the homes being built today are not great quality. They are being thrown up so fast. I also feel bad for younger couples trying to find a quality affordable home these days.

  12. Susan Waters says

    I live just outside of Chattanooga and the housing market has not cooled here. It is very much a seller’s market with the median listing home price in at $329.9K, trending up 24.5% year-over-year. The properties with mountain or lake views are going for a premium price in the area.

  13. Okay, climbing up onto my soap box.

    Susan, unfortunately, there are a lot of ‘institutional investors’ who, imo, absolutely ruin real estate markets. They make it impossible for people whose families have lived several generations in an area to buy a house. It’s horrible, but I’m not sure what can be done about it. And of course, there are plenty of greedy individual sellers as well. Between the lot of them, it’s bad. Some people are just so greedy it makes my heart sick.

    You’ve got companies like Open Door and Black Rock coming into a hot market and buying hundreds, even thousands of properties, only to do a minimum of repair work (if any) and putting them on the market a couple of months later for 60 – 100k or more than what they paid. It’s sickening! It’s definitely unnatural and it’s definitely bad for the country and the economy.

    Many, many renters feel stuck in a system where they can’t possibly ‘out-save’ the market. The prices are rising far faster than they can possibly save. In some places, it’s not unheard of for a house to go up 100k+ a year. Well, unless you’re wealthy, how are you going to save 100k in a year to offset that? So, many people are discouraged and that’s also not good for the general health and well-being of our country.

    And once the cost of homeowner housing gets so high, rents naturally will follow. These large apartment complexes change hands often and the new owners are also paying a much higher price, and consequently, must charge higher rents. There are several markets in the country where a 1 bedroom apartment will rent for $2,500 or a lot more. Insane!

    “You will own nothing and be happy.” Famous words by the WEF’s (World Economic Forum) Klaus Schwab. The ‘Great Reset’ is what they have in mind for us little people, the ‘useless eaters’ of the world.

    Some people may not realize that when the Pilgrims made that journey across the Atlantic 4 centuries ago, people in England didn’t own their homes. They rented from the feudal overlord. It worked out great for the Lord of the Manor, but the average person had no hope of ever owning their homes. That was just one of the perks that freedom in America had to offer. And in fact, many of the soldiers who came over a century and a half later to fight in our revolution were indignant to find the ‘poor farmers’ of America had a far higher standard of living than they did. Those who had to buy their commissions to fight!

    We have to figure this out because we can’t allow our country and freedoms to be plundered by a few pirates so that future generations don’t have an opportunity to have what we’ve had. And what we’ve had came at a high enough cost. It doesn’t need to be any higher for them.

  14. Bobbi Duncan says

    Hi, sweetie. I hear ya, girl–home prices are through the roof! We have been searching for three months now for property to build a custom home in the Dahlonega area. There isn’t much land there that suits the look we want for the style of home we wish to build…so far, anyway. One problem is that we’re spoiled living where we do now, w/ the beautiful rolling hills & proximity to everything, but land & homes here are just sooo expensive. Dahlonega would give us that lovely, quaint village feeling we’re after though, and the outlets & other shopping are just 25 minutes south, which is doable as well. I fear we’d be building in a high market if we built right now, but we thought it would be good to know we had the land (?????). Scary times for sure. On a positive note, a plus would be that you & I may finally get to meet, which would be lovely. Hugs & happy fall.

    • I love the Dahlonega area…that’s very close to where I’ve been looking! It is a beautiful area! We really would be neighbors and I would love that! I know, everything seems rather uncertain right now, so I will just wait a bit to see what happens and hopefully, housing prices will stabilize.

  15. The one thing I think you need to consider when deciding to move farther away from the city is should you move very near a small town that has a lot to offer. I moved 40 minutes outside Louisville to Bardstown, KY, when I moved back to KY from TN in 2021. I love being this far from the city. It’s so peaceful. But I also love that Bardstown has a Lowe’s, Walmart, Kroger and a thriving small downtown with home decor shops. There is even a hospital here just outside town. All of these things along with the subdivision I built my house in were well thought out. I liked a particular subdivision just north of Bardstown. So when I heard the ten year old neighborhood was getting some new homes in the front of it, I bought the first lot with 9 acres of greenway behind my house and 2 across beside my house. It’s very private and the utilities and taxes are really low. All of these things made a big difference in making this move. My home town was Louisville but I wanted to move back and be farther out than southeast Louisville. Take everything into consideration when you move farther from a city. It helps.

  16. I’m thrilled with retiring in Mexico. Investigate Lake Chapala or Ajijic. Hugely popular with ex-pats from USA and Canada. For a relatively small area but about 1 hour drive to Guadalajara where I spent the day shopping at Chicos and other high end stores and had the best ever pizza for lunch, the benefits are almost too numerous to mention.

    Weekly gardener costs me the equivalent of $12.50 US with a weekly maid whom I dearly love who is good to my dogs spends 3-4 hours each week for $17.50US but the biggest draw is the wonderful people. Forget the nonsense you hear about what Mexico is like. The sweetest, nicest, kindest people I have ever dealt with are here. I have lived here 12 1/2 years and it’s the best move I ever made. I bought a house then that was being built. 2 bedrooms/2 baths plus den, 2 fireplaces, garage closed off and totally walled gardens. I got it for $140,000.00US. House prices have risen but not ridiculously. 45 minutes to an international airport.

  17. A couple of thing to consider when moving to the country that I learned. I live 15 miles away from a decent sized city. There is no food delivery, of any kind! Amazon laughs at you when you choose next day ~ everything is 2 day. There is no running to the store when you are out of an ingredient. Always ask contractors if they will drive out to you ~ I’ve had several that said no. Any major medical issue could require a helicopter trip (there is insurance for that). Might need to upgrade your headlights for driving at night…I’m looking at you deer!! With all that said, county living is the best. Enjoy your search!

  18. I would recommend Big Canoe in No. GA. Gate community with loads of trails, close enough to Atl for top medical assistance (Emory) and far enough to be away from encroaching crime and noise

    • Hi Sue,
      I would love to talk with you more about Big Canoe. Could you email me at [email protected] . I tried to reach you at your email, but you may not have received it. (Resending this since I typed my email incorrectly the first time.)
      XXX
      Susan

  19. It’s a big, exciting decision and the good news is that some economists are predicting a return to more normal pricing in housing.
    I agree with everyone – there’s a lot to consider. To the list of considerations, I would add infrastructure. How will you access water (city/county/well/shared well) electricity, gas (natural piped in or LP gas tank), WiFi access and strength, police and fire department (dedicated to the area or spread thin by a shared large area), close access to great medical care and shopping – particularly grocery stores and pharmacies.
    As ever, a great school system is also important because you never know when you might want or need to sell and school systems are always very important in deciding on a property for prospective buyers.
    What is going on in the area. (e.g. crime, weather emergencies, whether the area is growing with new housing, shopping, employment opportunities and if it is being upgraded and maintained or does it seem to be declining, properties selling quickly)
    And there’s also the possibility of added living expenses like cost of a mortgage, HOA, gardener, maid, increased hazard insurance premiums if you move to an “all-volunteer” infrastructure and transportation if you locate too remotely.
    Careful consideration to your long-term plans, age and health. If you are planning a “forever” purchase, can it be built or retro-fitted with safety features and wheel chair width doors. Can you live totally on the main floor and access the home without stairs if you need to?
    Last – I’ve found that the need for family close-by increases exponentially as we age – both because of the need for their help but also for their ability to maintain a normal lifestyle while providing that help (considering travel to and from helping you and the time needed for the help).
    Happy hunting!

  20. I feel for all those who have posted before me. Believe me I feel your pain. I live in Boise, Idaho. Yes, Boise, Idaho and we have had the highest housing price jump in the country. It seems as if everyone wants to move here. What I don’t understand is, Why? We don’t have the advantages of large cities. Yet in the last year houses of any kind cannot be had for under $6oo,oo0. That includes a 800 sq ft house built in 1912. It is ridiculous. In the past people have moved here in droves and then when they realized that unless you are very outdoorsy there isn’t much to do, they leave here in droves too. Hunting, fishing that sort of thing is what people do here. But in the meantime they have driven up the housing market for the locals. They the locals, people who were born here and have lived here all their lives have to leave .
    They also learn that when it comes to wages and education in Idaho is about 48th in the nation. So that is a big shock to them. The next thing they want to do is turn Idaho into California or Oregon or whatever state they were running from. It is a sad state of affairs.
    Here’s hoping we can all find our happy place and just be good citizens and love our neighbors.

  21. What goes up WILL come down. It will take several years, but things will go back to normal in the housing market. It happened before in 2004/05. I bought my townhome for $85000 in 1996 in S. FL. When that bubble hit in the early 2000’s, it was going for $250,000. Ridiculous! But I was not ready to sell, and anyway, you need to go somewhere else, and the prices are all inflated, so it’s relative really. Anyway, I sold my townhome in 2015 for $180,00 and it was a very fair price (I was downsizing for retirement without a mortgage). My friend is a real estate paralegal and said already things are slowly changing because of the interest rates. It’s slowing sales. As far as area, I prefer suburbs very close to everything, or a more urban area. My family lives in upstate NY, a rural area, and I’m up there a lot and stayed there 2 years during the pandemic. I hate it. Nice mountains, trees, farms, blah blah blah, but there is nothing to do, no people around, and I have to drive a 40 mile round trip to get to a Mall and the main shopping strip. Here in FL I am close to absolutely everything – tons of restaurants, shopping, anything you could want to do is easy and accessible at a moment’s notice. Plus, I like a warm climate and beach better than mountains and cold. And seriously it’s primitive to me – well water that smells and has to be specially softened, septic system, a water pump that affects how much water comes out in the shower, blackouts all the time because of the trees, cell service is like 1990. I don’t know. If you move to the country, be sure you have the modern conveniences. Living “normal” for the past 45 years I can’t adjust to their way of living at all. Sounds romantic to have a wood burning stove and a snowy mountain view, but as far as living there day to day? No way.

  22. Dear Susan,
    Country girl here – our big traffic days are in the spring and fall, when about every other conveyance is a tractor. We lived “in-town” while our kids were growing up, and that was important with all the driving to and fro – work – school – sports – after school events and the like, but when they were adults, we headed back to the country 10+ years ago. We found an 1850’s schoolhouse, and have been lovingly updating and enjoying it. We hope to live here through retirement, as we have added a main floor bedroom and laundry, so we could easily live here without ever having to go upstairs – or downstairs. So, Country retirement for me. Though we live near enough to a lake that we love, and are there a couple of times a week for dinners or walks. Best of both worlds.

  23. Tina W Reynolds says

    Real estate in my area is very depressed. Occasionally people ask big prices, but those houses sit on the market for more than a year and they face the humiliating and devastating process of lowering the price, over and over! I wish we could make a GOOD move. A move that put us in a much better place. I like small towns where there are still goods and services available readily. I also look for a good hospital. Some small towns have a good small hospital associated with a big hospital located in the nearest big city. They can share and call upon those doctors. My weird thing: I like city water! I have never lived with a well or septic tank! We will be staying here for about 5 more years…I wonder what things will be like then? I also LOVE to dream about what a move could mean for us. I constantly look at real estate ads and new home floor plans. As far as country/mountain living, I would say contact VRBO.com (Vacation Rental By Owner) I know some folks who use this service. Every summer they rent the same home in the country for a month. Peace, quiet, birds and crickets! Cows in the neighboring fields. Then, they come back home! Their kids love it! Maybe it is possible to get even 2-3 months! Now that would be an escape without the risk of an expensive purchase. My son dreams of a cabin in the woods. I hope that dream can come true for him!

  24. Hello Susan! Hubby and I left the mountains in 2021 in pursuit of city conveniences! We moved to the Greenville, SC area. We traded mountain views for stable internet services, city water and sewer, street lights, and a full-time professional fire department! Just FYI, a fire engine could not make it up the mountain to our previous home! We’re now in our 60s and our priorities have changed. We can easily reach the mountains within 30 minutes, but we now have peace of mind knowing that major medical care is minutes from our home. Best wishes to you as you consider the pros and cons of mountain life!

  25. Hey Susan,
    This is a great topic! Don’t know if they do it in GA but in NC you put down two fees up front – earnest money and due diligence. Due diligence goes directly to seller. We were not able to purchase the home on 6 ac we wanted in Whitsett NC in Apr 2022 b/c we worked with a realtor who told us $4K was a good due diligence fee and another buyer swooped in with the same offer and financing as we had but w/$24K due diligence fee. We would have gladly paid a $35K due diligence fee to get that house. At the time people were paying $75K due diligence or higher on homes starting in the $500’s and still are. We ended our relationship with that realtor. Inventory was low so we had to change our expectations. We purchased a much less expensive home in Pilot Mountain NC b/c we wanted to be near Winston-Salem. We Love Pilot Mtn!!! Of course we previously lived in Winston for 11 yrs so we’re familiar w/the area and NC/SC. We were looking for certain things – we’re right off 52 so it’s easy to get anywhere quickly – takes us less than an hour to get to Raleigh-Durham and 2.5 – 3 hrs to get to the coast, wanted to live in a hamlet and feel like we live on a lane in the middle of the English countryside which is what is what we got, have a little over 3 ac and can see our neighbors homes but everyone has acreage so we’re not sitting on top of each other, and we lucked out b/c they are the nicest people. We are now looking for a piece of land to build on and a home on the coast somewhere. We don’t necessarily have the time to view homes, we look at them on the Net then have our realtor tour them then put in an offer. One of us goes to the inspection. We close in a month. How real estate is now. Good luck Susan in your house search, such an exciting time. Happy dreams!!!

  26. Tess Halliday says

    Susan…this is great info. My husband and I were house hunting during the last bubble and prices were so crazy for what you could get. We are in a small city in central New York (240 miles from NYC). We finally found a house that we liked. We were the first to see it and offered a full price offer that day. Our interest rate was high as well. That was 16 years ago. We just refinanced a few months ago before the rates went up. This market certainly feels like a bubble about to burst as it did when we bought. We are happy with our house and have done some remodeling. If you wait a while until the bubble “bursts”, I’m sure you will find something you want and your house is so lovely, even if it’s not a “seller’s market” you won’t have a problem. Good luck…a mountain home sounds so peaceful. And a wonderful decoratin project!!

  27. franki parde says

    We ARE retired…sold our beautiful Tudor in Ar”lington and downsized to our (former weekend} log cabin in the trees on a 300 mile shoreline lake. My husband & I built in 1984, then garage, boathouse, etc…I cried for a year living away from “the city.” We have to travel just under an hour to “major shopping” and just got underground fiber. Our daughter just purchased next to us. Last night we listened to owls “talk to each other” for hours, watched eagles this morning from my swing, etc. Adjustments are tough…creature of habit, etc. Cost of living is significantly less and lots of other plus amenities. Now, I call my 2 acres “home.” WHERE DOES THE TIME GO…..franki

  28. Yes, our house doubled in price from 550 to over $1M in just two years. We live in Canada, where housing is a bit silly.

  29. We just purchased a lot in River Dunes, Oriental NC. Water front and view but protected from severe weather. Home to Southern Living 2022 Idea House. We plan to build in 2 years.

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