Give me land, lots of land . . .

We are considering land.

Chris and I are both of the opinion a little land would be nice to have. Not a lot, just enough for some fruit trees and a nice garden space. Just enough to ensure our neighbors are not right on top of us.

We have been thinking this way for some time, but also recognizing a great deal of work must come before (during and after) any move. That’s the part we’d both like to avoid, but because I know avoidance = procrastination, I am ready to grab the proverbial bull by the horns and get to it. Chris . . . not so much. This is where the plan runs off the rails.

Through a realtor client of mine, I have located a piece of bare ground outside of town which already has a well and is DEQ approved for septic. It is on a paved road. It is two acres. It has power on a pole at the road right in front of the acreage. We haven’t been to see it yet, but I want to. The price is right and if the owner will carry a short-term contract until we can sell our place, we could soon be the proud owners of a couple of acres northeast of town.

Then, down around the corner from us, there is a place I’d like to look at. It is two acres with a house already on it and from the pictures it looks like one I might like. I want to check it out. If we don’t like it there are a couple of other listings I might be interest in seeing. This process could take awhile, but if we don’t start somewhere, we will retire right where we are and neither of us really wants that.

It will take time to sell our place. Some work must be done to it before we can even consider putting it on the market. And, let’s face it, the market is not great right now. Still, if we don’t list it, we’ll never sell it.

Buying and selling real estate is a logistical nightmare. I know this. That doesn’t really deter me. I want a single story house. I have had enough of carrying laundry and Liam up and down the stairs. I want a bigger kitchen. I am tired of moving stuff around and around my kitchen in order to have room on the counters to actually cook. And, as I already mentioned, I’d like a garden and some fruit trees.

Chris agrees with all this, but still gets a “deer in the headlights” look whenever I start to talk about it. I think he’s afraid I’m planning on moving tomorrow. I would if I could, but I can’t so I won’t. However, I really just don’t see any point in putting off the things that have to be done to make this dream a reality. The more we put it off the longer it will take and the harder it will be to actually get ourselves motivated to do it. Even the largest project has to start somewhere.

We are both agreed this will be our last move before they plant us, so it has to be the right house and the right piece of ground. We don’t expect perfection, but it would be nice to have several of our wants met.

Realistically we both know this could take some time. That’s why I want to get started now. Neither of us are getting any younger, and I’d like to have this done before Liam starts school somewhere so we don’t have to uproot him. I’ll keep you posted on our progress.