Green Acres When people move to a new province or to a more rural area, they may decide on a property that has an acre or two of land and where no other properties are close by. Ideally it will overlook a lake or some other water and the sounds of traffic are absent. They dream of this idyllic situation without much thought of the reality. Just recently, Ive come across some people who seem to epitomize this back to the land syndrome. The first was a couple who had been used to big city traffic that carried them to their workplace in about an hour or so from their suburban home. Their employer was transferring one of them far away to another city and here was their opportunity to get away from it all. They chose a house in the woods about 50 kms from their new workplace. It had acreage, solitude, and the price was right. Not long after they moved in, they called the agent, “Did you know there are bears in these woods? My wife won’t leave the house or let the kids out. And did you know how much it costs us to drive our new SUV to town every day?” Maybe there is not much of a bear problem in PEI but I’ll bet that most everywhere else there are bears in the woods and always have been. What did they expect? The other was a couple of seniors who moved from the city to a remote oceanfront property with magnificent views. They spent the summer outside in the yard landscaping the rock-strewn and feisty soil. For the long winter they were in the house doing repairs and making improvements. So, in the spring when everything was to their liking, they looked around for something to do. The neighbours had already proved to be friendly enough but admitted they were not the types to have over for a dinner party or a wine tasting. Drinks, yes, but they liked them straight from the bottle. Pate de foie gras? Not really, thanks. The couple were left to wait for friends and family to visit them but found the house was too far for a day trip and too close for a stay-over. So the visits were infrequent. They were lonely and discovered that their investment in marble counter tops, saunas and sun rooms were not appreciated or even used very much. The agent was called but he broke the bad news, “The average time to sell any property in that area is over a year and they don’t have much, if any, increase in value. The improvements may help to sell it quicker but don’t expect to get your money back.” Like so many, they had become marooned in their own real estate. I think both of these couples need to move and I’ll say it again, it pays to stay in touch.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 08:15:01 +0000
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