How many of you drive an hour or more

[sfmini]

My commute is 32 miles, but it does end up being an hour door to door. I am now driving a dually, and wouldn't you know it, just after I bought it the b*tch who was in charge of our division eliminated 4 day work weeks! I really hated losing my Friday off and am hoping that now that she is gone :risa8: we can go back to that.

My drive is pleasant, back roads, good thing I don't keep my camera with me or I would be late a lot, especially on mornings like today where there were pockets of fog with the rising sun.... just lovely.

I have to say that books on tape/cd saved my sanity until XM radio. I have XM in my new truck, and an XM boombox on my desk at work so I listen to it 12 hours a day.

I have learned to be more efficient with my errands and appointments and try to take care of them on my way home from work so I don't have to drive much on the weekends. I go to physical therapy 3 times a week, and the place is on my route so no wasted fuel on that trip.

I am planning to sell the majority of my horses tho and move closer to town and board the remaining few horses. Just trying to make life easier for myself.

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

Boy I guess it really isn't that uncommon to be driving so far to enjoy a nice home and your horses...I think maybe i'm just spoiled that I found a place to rent right next to the city where I can keep a couple of mine with me and that I have a nice friend down the road willing to board one for me as well! But I tell you, I am tired of not owning my own place, or having the ability to bring home a mini or board a friends...frustrating...I am ready to move but I often wonder if the place i'm looking at is too far away lol.

But this place...well, the home and barn area are just gorgeous...for once I actually like the looks of both the house, and the barn, and there's already pastures! But well...can't get ahead of myself, i'm going to look inside the house and barn today...then i'll know more!

I often wonder if there is a place like this closer to town but i've realized recently that the closer to town, the less acreage you get and the more expensive too...I found a nice house on 6 acres just minutes from town, they wanted almost $300,000 for it! I just about fell over and died lol...

 

[runamuk]

Boy I guess it really isn't that uncommon to be driving so far to enjoy a nice home and your horses...I think maybe i'm just spoiled that I found a place to rent right next to the city where I can keep a couple of mine with me and that I have a nice friend down the road willing to board one for me as well! But I tell you, I am tired of not owning my own place, or having the ability to bring home a mini or board a friends...frustrating...I am ready to move but I often wonder if the place i'm looking at is too far away lol.

But this place...well, the home and barn area are just gorgeous...for once I actually like the looks of both the house, and the barn, and there's already pastures! But well...can't get ahead of myself, i'm going to look inside the house and barn today...then i'll know more!

I often wonder if there is a place like this closer to town but i've realized recently that the closer to town, the less acreage you get and the more expensive too...I found a nice house on 6 acres just minutes from town, they wanted almost $300,000 for it! I just about fell over and died lol...

heehee.....over here you need to be quite a ways out of "town" if you want 6 acres and a house for that low price.......my neighbors place is 7 acres, 2 houses, 2 barns/shops, not fenced and it is 350,000 we are 35 miles from Olympia and 90 miles from Seattle

: jobs in Seattle pay much better overall than jobs down here. But if I had to commute to Seattle it would take me 3 hours....I know as twice I have had to drive there and it took forever due to traffic

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

geez *chokes* I only wish I had that kind money, but i'd need to have a hefty down payment to afford a house in the 300,000 range! I am still a child...legal age, but still a child...lol...

Thats why I am excited to see this place, a nice house on 4 acres already set up for horses...did I say a NICE house? and in my price range...most of what I have seen would be a nice house, but no acreage, no outbuildings...or...a crappy house, but nice outbuildings lol...this property is nice all around, and relatively CHEAP (the house is a roomy bi-level, but only 2 bedroom starter home so I assume the smaller home = lower price).

So...yep....anxious to go see it =)

Thought i'd share pics since people like seeing pics lol!

House

Fully insulated, 6 stall horse barn with wash station

Another angle of barn

Pasture pic

even a round pen!

Neat huh, and it's still well under $150,000! :bgrin So...yep...anxious to go see this place...my foot is non-stop twiddling!

I am almost expecting to get there, hate the drive, and hate the inside of the house now that i've discussed it in such length...lol...

 

[Sonya]

I drive alittle over an hour each way to work 5 days a week. I hate it when I'm working a late shift and don't get out until 12am and then have to turn around and be back at work again at 7am....it sucks with the hour drive each way. But I like where I live and our house is almost halfway between me and my husbands work, so its perfect.

 

[CharmedMinis]

My commute is 35 minutes one way on a good day and 60 or so on a bad traffic day. Work is 19 miles one way from my house. You get used to the commute really fast!

I'd jump on that house. Something like that where I live would be in the 5 or 6 hundred thousands. :new_shocked:

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

Wow I went to go see this property last night and...wow...it is just a small hobby farm, 4 acres, nothing shnazzy and the house is small but...wow...lol...

First the house, it's been completely renovated with new siding, all new plumbing, electrical has been updated all throughout the house and is 200 amps to run the house, outdoor workshed, and barn all at the same time (if wanted lol), new roof, the kitchen counter and sink and cabinetry is new, New furnace, a new 160' well was drilled, the bathroom is quite large, still needs some work but not much more! Half the kitchen has been re-dry-walled and painted, and the owner said he has fully insulated around the entire house so it's like one solid "efficiency" home! Large roomy living room, large bedroom, another study room...and i'm already scheeming idea's for adding on another room to the back of the house to expand the kitchen =) Nice house all around!

The current owner already started piping a water line from the house to the barn, it's ready but a trench needs to be dug from the house to the barn to finish it...no big deal, gives me something to do LOL!

The barn and pastures...are a dream! The barn has 6 large stalls, I think 10x15's he said with sliding doors, very clean but has that nice rustic look to it! (I really dont like the "brand new" look so thats great!), has a tack and feed room, the loft above can fit about 600 bales of hay! And the best part...the pastures are already set up with wood fencing and electric wire along the inside. All the wood posts are cemented into the ground for extra stability...and there are a LOT of them! about 3/4 of the 4 acres are pastures. And he has at least 5 or 6 separate paddocks, LARGE paddocks (made for large horses so for mini's it = large lol), an isle that leads down past all the paddocks with doors to each one for easy access, and then perpendicular to the paddocks is another long paddock that leads down to the lower pasture...huge grassy area, wow! There's also a 15' wide lane that goes around the entire pasture/paddock area for riding and such. This place is just awesome!!! And another neat part is the guy said he is going to leave everything except his tack...so...the water buckets for each pasture and additional items are all being left so the new owner of the home doesn't need to spend money to re-set up the area! YAY!

The drive isn't bad either, it's all double-lane highway with NO TRAFFIC....to me the drive felt more like 30 minutes, and it's literally a straight drive on 3 highways that all merge into each other (no stop lights) and then straight to the road the house is on, turn, and the house is 30 seconds down the road...how easy is that?

Ok so...if anyone has read this far yet LOL! I am excited =) I talked to my boyfriend and he is really hesitant of the drive but I told him it's a straight shot there, and that this would be a perfect starter home for us both...stay there for a few years, fix up a few things, add on to the kitchen and voila...re-sell in a few years and we can then afford the more expensive homes nearer to town! If I wanted to sell that is...this place is really nicely set up =)

Even has a "mans man" workshop outside!

So...my realtor is going to do a price comparison against other hobby farms in the area and see where I should maybe come in with an offer. I was thinking slightly less than their asking price because the inside of the home still needs work but...I am anxiously awaiting to hear what she comes up with so I can think of an offer! I already have one in mind...lol...

 

[MeadowRidge Farm]

Steff, that price sounds like a steal for the place. I know of a "horse farm" which needs ALOT of work, the house is a complete fixer upper, and it has 48 acres, there asking price is $750,000.00 and its not that far from you.Omro area, I dont want to mention the name of the farm on the forum. There is another fixer-upper with a nice horse barn in the Kewaunee/Denmark area, in the same price range your taking, but the house needs alot of work--it had a fire, but it does have a nice horse barn on 20 acres (if I remember right..I'm not at home now, so I dont have the listing here with me) Good luck. Corinne

 

[sfmini]

Whatever you do, hire an inspector and make the offer contingent on passing that inspection. I know they are not cheap, but that could be the best money you will ever spend.

 

[MiniHoofBeats]

Corinne - yeah I know i've seen a few places that really are shambles but because of the land and location, up goes the price! There's actually a place right down the road from me, literally, it was grandfathered in and the city built around it...it's still in a very secluded location though...but yeah, tons of pasture, tiny little "cottage like" house, indoor arena, huge stables...I bet that place is at least $350,000...at least! He said he would sell if the right offer came along...I told him my range and that topic dropped LOL! Oh well =)

I did just talk with my realtor about having the home thoroughly inspected. Even though it has new siding, new roof, all new windows, new plumbing, updated electrical and all new wiring, and a few updated things around inside...it still could use some work inside and I do want to make sure even with all the updates, that the house is not going to fall apart in a few years. My realtor did tell me she strongly advises putting in an offer that is contingent on an approved inspection, which I would do for any house but always wondered if I should do it before making an offer...I like the idea of making the offer contingent upon approval, that way I get to see if my offer is even accepted!

Oh and my realtor did a market analysis comparing the home to other hobby farms in the area that are similar, and she gave me the thumbs up that my offer would be almost too good to pass up so...now I just have to convince my boyfriend that driving 40 minutes isn't so bad, especially when I just plan on being there for a few years then seeing if I would make much on selling it, to move to a place closer to the city that we could maybe then actually afford...this place is a real nice starter home with tons of room! (for the horses!) =)

 

[zoey829]

Me and my husband work an hour away. We are kind of are in the same spot you are. We have good paying jibs but could miss the chance for this farm. We didnt want to give it up. So a price to pay is a long commute. I say go for it. You live once. If you dont like it you move! You do get used to the commute and invesrt in an Ipod. Good luck

 

[Valerie]

Oh my gosh, at $150,000....I would jump at the chance....that being said, I can only compare it to what is around my area and you wouldn't ever find anything that nice looking in that price range. Kinda like comparing apples to oranges when you are talking about different parts of the country, huh? :bgrin

I compute 40 miles roundtrip, daily.......and my drive is 99% freeway driving......you get used to the commute and I drive my little roadster, the 28 mpg is better than our 1 ton Dodge Diesel...haha. Plus every other week I get to work 4- 10 hour days, so have every other Friday off, so that helps a little too.

Good luck, I think your plan to get the inspection is very wise......... keep us updated..... I think it looks very quaint and I love the look of the barns, etc.