Where to buy recommendations...

[Orionsmama]

DH and I are looking for the perfect home to buy. We live in southern RI and are currently in a cute little town where we can walk to everything, market, bank, post office etc. Our dream is to have some land, an acre or so, for chickens and a yard for our son to play in. But here is the dilemma...we have found 2 homes that are perfect for us, the first is in town close to everything, both our jobs, and all the amenities. The second is further out of town, a 20 minute drive to everything but is on quite a bit of land and a lot of privacy.

If we choose the one in town we are giving up a lot of what we want but financially it seems to make more sense because we can walk to most things, save on gas and be closer to family for babysitting and whatnots. If we choose the one further from town, we have the perfect house and land but our lifestyle would change dramatically due to using the car more (we walk everywhere right now) and being removed from the energy of town and what it has to offer.

For the home owners out there, what is your advice? Amenities and frugality or dream house with less amenities? Also we are first time home buyers so we really have the upper hand with choosing a home due to not having to sell a house before we move. Help!!!

[Juvysen]

I'd go with the one close to town.  Having to drive to everything sucks... and it'll probably take a toll on your health, too (you'll need to *find* a way to get exercise, whereas if you live in town you'll automatically get some exercise by walking everywhere...)

[osker]

I have to say, I'd go with the one in town. I know RI small town in the winter.. and living on separate land can get very, very lonely.  In town you'd have more options because you could walk places in the snow. And the summers are gorgeous and great for being outside and walking a lot... 

Is there any outdoor space with the house in town? Would you have to go to a playground for your son to get outside, and is there one nearby? Are you the type to want to grow your own food? If so, you might think more about the second house for the land space. 

Do you already have a circle of friends near both houses? Or would you be trying to make new friends once you move into whichever house you choose?  I would think that if that was the case it would be easier from the house in town.. What about school for your son? Close by?  Will you have more children and will there be room for them in either house?

I think I'd go for the house in town, but these are just some things to think about.

[Orionsmama]

I do feel the house in town makes more sense but we are people who have dreams of a big garden and a few animals, chickens (and perhaps a goat.) Most of our friends are around the Providence area and we have to drive to see them at this point anyway, but being close to family for a quick impromptu babysitting is nice. I guess I am just worried with this market that our first house may be our "only" house and having land to do all the things we want to do will be a lost option. The school systems are great in both places but I also dont want DS to feel lonely out in the "country". At this point we are thinking we will be a one child family but who knows, it really changes daily for us....

[Caneel]

I grew up out in the country where most people had sizable gardens, kept a few animals, etc.  I now live in a small college town with lots of cultural opportunities (next to a liberal arts college) and can walk to shopping, restaurants, etc. 

Now that I have a child, the difference between how he will grow up versus my country childhood are coming into focus as DH often talks about moving to the country.  DS will go to school four blocks from our house, I rode a bus 45+ minutes each way.

The biggest theme, for lack of a better word, of my childhood is everything required a lot of driving.  Sports, any after school or church activities required driving.  20 minutes to school wasn't that bad but factor in round trips and now it was 40 minutes for my mom to see me play sports, on top of her 60 minute round trip commute and that adds up to a lot of running around.  My family did more than others in terms of seeking out entertainment but there was a lifestyle trend of once we were home, you didn't go back out as everything required driving considerable distances.

If you are enjoying town living now, maybe you could look into other ways to have a garden and animals.  Is there a community garden in your area?  Same goes for chickens/goats/farm animals - is there a CSA or co-op farm close by where you could keep your own or work for a share?  There is a farm close to our house that does pasture chickens, organically raised lamb and goats, etc. that has options for people to sign on for a certain commitment of labor in return for a share of eggs/milk/meat.

[Juvysen]

Originally Posted by Caneel 

I grew up out in the country where most people had sizable gardens, kept a few animals, etc.  I now live in a small college town with lots of cultural opportunities (next to a liberal arts college) and can walk to shopping, restaurants, etc. 

Now that I have a child, the difference between how he will grow up versus my country childhood are coming into focus as DH often talks about moving to the country.  DS will go to school four blocks from our house, I rode a bus 45+ minutes each way.

The biggest theme, for lack of a better word, of my childhood is everything required a lot of driving.  Sports, any after school or church activities required driving.  20 minutes to school wasn't that bad but factor in round trips and now it was 40 minutes for my mom to see me play sports, on top of her 60 minute round trip commute and that adds up to a lot of running around.  My family did more than others in terms of seeking out entertainment but there was a lifestyle trend of once we were home, you didn't go back out as everything required driving considerable distances.

If you are enjoying town living now, maybe you could look into other ways to have a garden and animals.  Is there a community garden in your area?  Same goes for chickens/goats/farm animals - is there a CSA or co-op farm close by where you could keep your own or work for a share?  There is a farm close to our house that does pasture chickens, organically raised lamb and goats, etc. that has options for people to sign on for a certain commitment of labor in return for a share of eggs/milk/meat.

This post is pretty accurate to my life...I lived in a small college town for elementary school and we moved to a rural area at the end of my 6th grade year. It was so awesome being able to go meet up with my friends (who lived several houses down or a couple blocks away) when my mom was doing things or whatever, when I was in elementary school!  I was even allowed to walk to the little corner store with my allowance and stuff sometimes.   Then we moved.  It was 4 or 5 miles to my nearest friend's house.  I could bike it occasionally, but obviously in winter (upstate NY snow-belt) it was not an option.  I had an hour ride to school each way.  I remember numerous times that it was MUCH longer because there was bad weather.  At least a couple times our bus got stuck in a snowbank   I had to hang out at school if my sports team had a later practice... though sometimes I'd go hang out at a friend's house in town.  I was pretty much married to the bus schedule... if I missed the bus to school and my mom had already left for work I was SOL.  Same with missing the bus home... actually now that I think about it, it never happened, but I had a *lot* of anxiety over the potential for missing the bus... lol. 

Meh, so, I guess my view is pretty biased from my own experience, YMMV!!

[ilovemygirl]

My view is also pretty biased. I would do almost anything to live somewhere again that I could walk to everything. 

That said, I think this depends on how much of a homesteading lifestyle you want to lead and if you have any experience doing that. Are you sure you are going to enjoy gardening and farming as much as you think you will? If you truly think you and dh will be happier and want to be out on land with no neighbors then that's your choice and you should live how you want since you have the opportunity. 

However, if you've enjoyed being in town thus far, I'd think really hard before you commit to living in an isolated place. IMO, there is a huge difference in both financial and lifestyle costs when you are unable to get to anything without a car. Speaking from experience, I've found it very limiting, frustrating and sometimes depressing. I absolutely hate that we need to get in the car just to get an ice cream, go to a dance class, see a friend, mail a letter, etc.

If you aren't really taking advantage of the town and your family being close and babysitting, you probably won't miss it much but if you go out every day just to do this or that and/or spend a decent amount of time with family it could be really hard to get used to not having that.

I guess what my point is ... What is your family's personality type? If it's really geared toward country living - go for it. If it's not then stay put. One is not really better than the other in general, it's just what fits each individual family best. 

[insidevoice]

We currently live where you have to drive to everything, and while I do love the space and the garden, I find we lose a lot of time to commutes if we aren't very careful. A simple  trip to go grocery shopping becomes an event- you have to drive in, get everything, drive home, and hope nothing was forgotten, because if it was there is no going back until next time.  I also tend to spend more on groceries thinking I need to get everything, whereas when I lived within walking distance, I kept some staples in the house and filled in with fresh produce as I needed.

All told, while I really do love the out of town lifestyle for some things, we are moving back to a walkable community.  It is also a conscious choice as I do not want to have to be tied to a car.  I can grow a lot of food in a small garden space, and with container gardening, and I will have a backyard for the kids to play in at home, and a park down the street for when they want to stretch their legs more.  

[crazyms]

I guess I'm the only one that wouldn't do the town house. I'd go for the country one. I like the country though and can't stand being near town. I also don't like having that many people living so close to me. If I can hear what's going on at your house you're too dang close to me. I would want the animals and garden too and need land to feel secure so a house in town just wouldn't work for me. If you're comfortable with it though then I'd think a house with a small lot close to town would probably be better for you. You'd be surprised how much of a garden you can get in a small space. Same for animals. Chickens really don't take that much room if you're feeding feed instead of free ranging. A pygmy goat is tiny and doesn't take a lot of space either although two would be required they're still small.

[JesKace]

Originally Posted by crazyms 

I guess I'm the only one that wouldn't do the town house. I'd go for the country one. I like the country though and can't stand being near town. I also don't like having that many people living so close to me. If I can hear what's going on at your house you're too dang close to me. I would want the animals and garden too and need land to feel secure so a house in town just wouldn't work for me. If you're comfortable with it though then I'd think a house with a small lot close to town would probably be better for you. You'd be surprised how much of a garden you can get in a small space. Same for animals. Chickens really don't take that much room if you're feeding feed instead of free ranging. A pygmy goat is tiny and doesn't take a lot of space either although two would be required they're still small.

You're not the only one!

We live in a city and only on about .10 acre.. It's like 1/2 the size of all the other house lots on our street, and it's the only thing I regret about our house.  I hate having neighbors right next to us on both sides!  Especially when the huge doberman next door jumps on the fence and scares the crap out of the kids when they are playing in the yard...  Our situation is also a little different though because unfortunately we're not really close enough to anything to make it worth walking.  So my opinion may be a little different because I already depend on my car so much.  We have made good use of our space, I can grow a few things in the yard and the kids have a huge swing set.  We have a nice patio area to hang out in the summer.   But I can't do nearly as much as I'd like to do.  I can't wait for the day when we can move out of the city and on some acreage so we can grow more, have some chickens, and possibly some other animals.  I grew up a total city girl, and still am in a lot of ways, but there's so much I want to be able to do that I just can't do in the city.

You should also check with your town, because depending on where you are in the town there may be limitations on what types of animals you can have on the amount of acreage you have.  This may be something to consider when you're buying your home.  If having chickens is something you really really want to do, but aren't going to be allowed to in the town, you might have to give more thought to the country house.
 

[crazyms]

Originally Posted by JesKace 

You're not the only one!

We live in a city and only on about .10 acre.. It's like 1/2 the size of all the other house lots on our street, and it's the only thing I regret about our house.  I hate having neighbors right next to us on both sides!  Especially when the huge doberman next door jumps on the fence and scares the crap out of the kids when they are playing in the yard...  Our situation is also a little different though because unfortunately we're not really close enough to anything to make it worth walking.  So my opinion may be a little different because I already depend on my car so much.  We have made good use of our space, I can grow a few things in the yard and the kids have a huge swing set.  We have a nice patio area to hang out in the summer.   But I can't do nearly as much as I'd like to do.  I can't wait for the day when we can move out of the city and on some acreage so we can grow more, have some chickens, and possibly some other animals.  I grew up a total city girl, and still am in a lot of ways, but there's so much I want to be able to do that I just can't do in the city.

You should also check with your town, because depending on where you are in the town there may be limitations on what types of animals you can have on the amount of acreage you have.  This may be something to consider when you're buying your home.  If having chickens is something you really really want to do, but aren't going to be allowed to in the town, you might have to give more thought to the country house.
 

True that could be coloring some of my thoughts on it too since where I live even in 'town' is spread out so much that walking anywhere isn't really feasible. Definitely check the codes for the town too. I didn't think to mention the limitations... again country girl so we don't have much of that stuff LOL.