Why consider moving to a rural area – or anywhere near the mountains, for that matter?

Tired of living in a criminal-infested city that’s being mismanaged by self-serving, money-laundering politicians who’s own self-interests are prioritized as numero uno?  Tired of criminal-first judicial policies being enacted, purposely prioritizing felons over the safety of your very own family?

There are many basis points as to why more and more Americans are leaving their deteriorating, larger cities in favor of a location which offers a little more peacefulness, sanity and safety.

Perhaps you’re tired of living in an overtaxed shoebox where find yourself being woken up every day by your next door neighbors slamming each other up against the wall every morning just prior to breakfast. Whatever the reason – we encourage you to consider the many items below as to why carving out your own little space in a more rural backdrop may very well be something worth considering.

Simply stated, the bang-for-your-buck you receive in terms of acreage is far greater than anything you’d find in (or around) any large city.  While it would be impractical to compare any two parcels of land from a “rural vs. urban” perspective, it is a near-guarantee that the two acres for sale in any small town or rural setting will be far more affordable than anything you’d find in Tampa, FL, or Charlotte, NC (for example).

In many cases, the price-per-acre in any larger city will be many times multiple what you will pay for anything in the mountains or any general, rural setting.  As we mentioned above – it’s not practical to compare apples to oranges, and that is not our intention – our goal here is to simply illustrate that you will likely find a common theme when making such comparisons – the further away you are from a densely populated area – the cheaper you can expect to pay for a piece of property.

Regarding rural land – it should be noted that not all acreage is “created equal” in terms of expected market value – generally speaking, anything with big views (think steep cliffs, valleys, long range sunset horizons, etc.) or water access (pond, creek or river) will bring a much greater premium than anything without.  In our opinion – the fact that these features play such a critical role in terms of pricing – these special features should be one of the first things you determine from the beginning when shopping around for a piece of land.

Is having a backyard pond a deal breaker for you? What about a year-round creek? What about westward-facing, backyard sunsets sunsets?​

As previously mentioned – we strongly encourage you determine these preferences/deal-breakers) prior to shopping around for land, as this will allow you to focus your energy and zero-in on exactly what you are looking for.

The “value-per acre” we just discussed is certainly applicable here, but the financial benefits of living or owning in a rural area must also be considered, as your dollar can oftentimes stretch much further from a long-term perspective. Home prices are generally much lower and taxes associated with rural land are often times far easier to digest than that of their inner-city counterparts.

A “financial benefits” list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the overall practicality for farming and/or small gardening as it relates to putting your own fruits and veggies on the dinner table to nourish your family. Let’s extend this concept further in terms of networking – the ability to trade your home-grown goods at farmer’s markets and with neighbors in the surrounding community can also help lower grocery costs as well, with the end result of strengthened communities, fuller bellies and fatter pockets.

Another note that should be carefully considered, is that rural living typically may not be suitable for the instant gratifying individuals and convenient-dependents. There may not be 7 different gyms, 5 different yoga class options or 3 different Wal Marts nearby. In some cases, driving an hour or more for some of these basic creature comforts would be expected, so if heavily-optioned conveniences are important to you and your family, it is important to do some very thorough research on any area you are considering prior to making any decisions.

We wrote another article titled Benefits of Living in Rural Areas, which also highlights some other key advantages of living in less populated areas. You can check that article HERE, you feel you’ve already decided the rural property is right for you, you can check out our Guide to Buying Rural Property HERE.

Wherever you are at in your journey, at the end of the day – always remember to educate yourself as much as possible prior to making any moves.