Anyone moved to a rural area recently?

Another thing to consider is what will you do in a rural area? What will your day to day living be like?

You mentioned wanting up to 2 acres of land. Why? What's the appeal? That's a lot of land to maintain. A 2 acre lot most likely will have one heck of a driveway to clear of snow in the winter.

In rural areas you will almost always be dependent on a vehicle. Costs for utilities tend to also be higher, and as you mentioned, grocery stores tend to have less competition which tends to translate into higher prices.

My brother bought a 2 acre property in a rural area. When I asked why his response was he always wanted to have land and live in the country. He lasted 2 winters.

The land maintenance aspect of it actually is the appeal.

My grandfather used to have an acre lot and I spent a lot of time helping him out with maintaining it when he was too old to do it himself.

I like maintaining the lawn, gardening, etc, and if there's enough space I'd start a hobby farm as well. With that said, I admit that anything more than an acre might be overkill.

What was your brother's reason for moving back?

"rural" and up to 2 acres of land is a dump of a lot (not always, but most times), likely short setback and close to road and neighbours and worst of all narrow frontage which is what you are buying rural for to begin with. If you want rural as its meant to be experienced where you have some privacy you need a 5 acre lot as a minimum from everything I've seen over the years. There are unicorn lots that are 2 acres or less with big frontage and backing on to crown land/conservation, those are the exception, not the rule.

Considered as well.... Major point was kids education. Unless you are planning on home schooling, not sure how those schools would hold up. Diversity being a big question mark as well.

For internet - starlink.com - engage!

We settled on getting a cottage/something out there as a compromise for future goals.

dc200 wrote: ↑ The land maintenance aspect of it actually is the appeal.

My grandfather used to have an acre lot and I spent a lot of time helping him out with maintaining it when he was too old to do it himself.

I like maintaining the lawn, gardening, etc, and if there's enough space I'd start a hobby farm as well. With that said, I admit that anything more than an acre might be overkill.

What was your brother's reason for moving back?

You are only seeing this through rose coloured glasses. You helped him maintain it, but you never had the cost of maintainting it. The repairs to the equipment you need to maintain it. The amount of gas it takes a year for this equipment

want some yard work, spend 10 hours on a Saturday to keep it looking nice, depending on size. You may like doing it now, unless you have some kids to help you out, expect a few days of work every month to keep your place nice.

Will you need to haul water into a cistern, or have a well, or have water supplied by irrigation? All of that is on you to maintain and fix.

I lived on an acreage for 11 years, and came from a farm. My wife wanted us to move back to the city so I had time to myself and not "work myself to death". Kids were grown so one of the reasons to be out there wasnt there anymore, or as much. Being from the farm, it was do it until you are done.

I miss a lot of things from it, but theres a lot of things I dont miss as well. Water hauling for one ate up a few hours every second weekend with normal use.

Unless you dont need to work and this would be your hobby, you have no idea how much time you will need just to keep the place going

But if you can make it work, there are a lot of advantages to it

I thought that rural property was my dream for a long time, after moving to a large 1000 acre farm (fortunately renting) I discovered it definitely wasn’t. I have lived all over in bigger cities (Vancouver, Edmonton, Halifax) and very small towns (3000 people sized) and considered myself fairly adaptable.
Things I didn’t like:
- Any sort of social interaction is harder and involves massive amount of travel.
- It’s fun to have ducks and a bigger garden etc. Who is going to take care of them if you want to go away for a weekend even?
- Some things like groceries and other appointments are necessary and driving can be really tricky (dangerous). The more remote you go the longer down the list you are for plowing etc
- I didn’t get cell service
- Satellite internet is better than I thought. I could slowly stream things, but it sucks. My work involves spatial mapping things and that was impossible. It was just me too, I can’t imagine multiple people on it.
- I really like to be outside, it was actually harder out there though than in the city. Less public trails. Anything on your own property you are wading through snow to break trail all winter. Pitch black in the evening making outside jaunts pretty scary
- Things like no water when power went out (often)
- Just so much time wasted on everything….moving snow around, driving, messing with the well. Time is valuable and I have better things to spend it on.

That is what by brother discovered. He completely under estimated the amount of time and money it costs to maintain larger properties. He moved back into town on a regular town sized lot.

Looking for a 5 acre lot as a minimum if I want privacy + good frontage makes sense, but unless most of that lot is wooded, that'll just be more land I'll need to maintain myself. With that said, any wooded sections on the lot will come with their own potential issues, e.g. dying/damaged/infested trees that will need to be cut down for safety reasons. Trespassing samsquanches too.

Slow satellite internet will be a major issue. No cell service is an absolute no.

Having to wade through snow in the winters is something I didn't think about. For that reason I would avoid areas that are within range of lake effect snowfall. Do rural roads get plowed often? I have no clue.

I would prefer a well as my water source so I'm not wasting time hauling water to a cistern, but I know that this requires frequent testing if I want to avoid chemicals and toxins in my water supply.

I'd have to figure out schooling for the kids.

Forgot about healthcare accessibility.

Lots to think about...

dc200 wrote: ↑ Looking for a 5 acre lot as a minimum if I want privacy + good frontage makes sense, but unless most of that lot is wooded, that'll just be more land I'll need to maintain myself. With that said, any wooded sections on the lot will come with their own potential issues, e.g. dying/damaged/infested trees that will need to be cut down for safety reasons. Trespassing samsquanches too.

Slow satellite internet will be a major issue. No cell service is an absolute no.

Having to wade through snow in the winters is something I didn't think about. For that reason I would avoid areas that are within range of lake effect snowfall. Do rural roads get plowed often? I have no clue.

I would prefer a well as my water source so I'm not wasting time hauling water to a cistern, but I know that this requires frequent testing if I want to avoid chemicals and toxins in my water supply.

I'd have to figure out schooling for the kids.

Forgot about healthcare accessibility.

Lots to think about...

You will need a pickup truck as well to haul the things you need. Quad for work, riding lawnmower. You will probably pay at least $500 to $1000 a year in gas just for your equipment to take care of the place

Not all rural areas are created equal. Some are pretty much like subvisions but just built on bigger lots with all the pros without any of the cons. Do you actually have a location in mind?

ZxExN wrote: ↑ Not all rural areas are created equal. Some are pretty much like subvisions but just built on bigger lots with all the pros without any of the cons. Do you actually have a location in mind?

No specific location yet. Just something within Central or East ON. Don't want to go too far North either.

MLS® Number: 40144906

I think this is a fairly good example of what I might want in terms of lot size, lot features and location. A place like that isn't exactly "proper rural", but I feel like it would be a nice compromise.

dc200 wrote: ↑ No specific location yet. Just something within Central or East ON. Don't want to go too far North either.

MLS® Number: 40144906

I think this is a fairly good example of what I might want in terms of lot size, lot features and location. A place like that isn't exactly "proper rural", but I feel like it would be a nice compromise.

This would be a property where you can kiss many Saturdays or Sundays good bye. And you as well need to deal with any septic issue and water issues yourself, you are on the hook for it all.

But if its something you want, then go for it. This type of property you need a quad for sure and a riding lawnmower, or a zero turn, and a regular mower as well

There's a vast range of properties that are rural in Ontario, and much of the commentary above is relevant to some properties, but not others, and people should be careful with blanket statements like "you need a truck" which are not accurate.

For example I live on 3 acres rural waterfront (Lake Erie), 105 ft wide lot, 1400 ft deep. Most (2/3) of the land is forest/conservation that gives me a tax credit to keep my (waterfront) property taxes low, and as such am incentivized NOT to maintain/change it. The rest of it takes a bit of work, but not too much (a few hours/week), and sometimes I pay local guys to do the bigger jobs. The privacy/lack of immediate neighbours (as compared to urban) cannot be understated... I have no rear neighbour, no front neighbour, and the side neighbours are at distance and often absent. I don't need a truck, don't have a well, have decent internet (Netflix, Prime, no problem at all) and cell service, am 6-15 minutes from almost everything I'd need shopping-wise (Walmart, Service Ontario), 20-30 minutes from hospital, etc etc. I have to drive ~45 minutes to experience a traffic jam. Restaurant choice is not GTA-level, but with a bit of planning I'm bringing home awesome Greek, Indian, etc frequently on the way back from work outings.

What I'm trying to say is that you CAN have your cake and eat it too, rural-wise.... but you have to be picky and careful, and focus on your needs.

Tailwind72 wrote: ↑ There's a vast range of properties that are rural in Ontario, and much of the commentary above is relevant to some properties, but not others, and people should be careful with blanket statements like "you need a truck" which are not accurate.

For example I live on 3 acres rural waterfront (Lake Erie), 105 ft wide lot, 1400 ft deep. Most (2/3) of the land is forest/conservation that gives me a tax credit to keep my (waterfront) property taxes low, and as such am incentivized NOT to maintain/change it. The rest of it takes a bit of work, but not too much (a few hours/week), and sometimes I pay local guys to do the bigger jobs. The privacy/lack of immediate neighbours (as compared to urban) cannot be understated... I have no rear neighbour, no front neighbour, and the side neighbours are at distance and often absent. I don't need a truck, don't have a well, have decent internet (Netflix, Prime, no problem at all) and cell service, am 6-15 minutes from almost everything I'd need shopping-wise (Walmart, Service Ontario), 20-30 minutes from hospital, etc etc. I have to drive ~45 minutes to experience a traffic jam. Restaurant choice is not GTA-level, but with a bit of planning I'm bringing home awesome Greek, Indian, etc frequently on the way back from work outings.

What I'm trying to say is that you CAN have your cake and eat it too, rural-wise.... but you have to be picky and careful, and focus on your needs.

Who is your internet provider and what kind of speeds do you get? Is it cable/DSL or satellite?

Do you have a septic system? If so, how much do you spend maintaining it yearly?

Are snowy winters an issue? Living right next to Lake Erie you must get a lot of lake effect snow from time to time.

The property I linked to in my previous post is 30 minutes away from Peterborough, so location wise it's not bad at all.

I'm on 2.5 acres, rural, about 25 minutes out of the city. Born and raised in the city, moved to rural ~8 years ago.

~1.5 acre cleared and maintained, 1 acre of natural forest at the back.

Takes 1 to 1.5hrs once a week on a zero turn to mow the grass. 150ft driveway is an ATV with a blade, takes 10 minutes.

Or you pay a service $2000 to mow and $600 to do the plowing in the winter if you don't want to invest in an ATV/Lawn tractor.

Well and septic are not much different in cost vs paying water and sewer bills. Yeah, it's a grand a year or whatever, but it's not like it's free in the city.

LOL at maintaining the forest. It's been just fine for a few billion years it doesn't need my help. Trees grow, die, and fall where they may.

FWIW, I'd never go back to dense city living. In rural, neighbours are close enough to feel like you live in a community, but far enough I can't see or hear them from my house.

Yeah, in October of 2020, I moved from St. Catharines ON, to Elgin ON, which is about 30 minutes north of Kingston. I went from an "average" residential lot, to 9 acres, mostly wooded.

It has been a fantastic place to hunker down during the pandemic. I cut I nice ~900m nature trail into the woods, which I walk frequently. The lot backs onto a field, where I sometimes spot deer, turkeys, and other wildlife.

I have Starlink internet, but before that, I was paying a ton for LTE data to hold me over, as satellite latency is terrible, and WTH internet required a very tall tower, which I did not want to pay for, knowing Starlink was coming soon.

I have a ~300ft driveway. I bought a light duty snow plow for my truck. It was under $2k, ordered from Costco. It worked great this past winter, which was not particularly harsh.

It does cost a little extra to get contractors (electrical, gas, plumbing, painting, HVAC, etc) to come out here sometimes, as they need to cover their transportation costs. I have not yet had any trouble with the well or septic systems. We have a Generac standby generator, though we have not had any long outages yet. We used propane as our primary heating fuel last winter, and it was far more expensive than anticipated.

I do live near a small grocery store, only about 5 minutes away. If you were to do all your shopping there, it would be expensive. They have almost everything, but not a ton of selection. For example, SuperStore might have 10+ varieties of yogurt. RFD shoppers would likely buy a variety that is on sale, or maybe price match their favourite with another store. At the little local store, they only have a couple kinds of yogurt, and if it's not on sale, you either pay for it, or don't. My wife works in a city (50 minute one way commute), so she will often do click-and-collect grocery orders, and pick them up after work.

As I mentioned, my wife currently has a substantial commute, but she does not hate it, as it is along nice rural roads, not congested highways. I work mostly from home, but do still make regular trips to Niagara for work, and stay with family when I do. In town nearby we have grocery, bank, post office, drug store, hardware store, Service Ontario, LCBO, restaurant, and not a whole lot more. Canadian Tire, Costco, and all the other big box stores are 30 minutes away or more. We live on a gravel road, but we have garbage collection, a mail box, and prompt snow plowing. I'm rarely in a rush to go anywhere, and the only traffic delays are typically construction and farm equipment.

Due to the pandemic, I have not had a lot of social interaction, but as group activities become allowed again, I think I will be able to find clubs and activity partners to meet my social desires.

There are plenty of outdoor recreation opportunities within a reasonable drive.

We do realize that it could be hard to move back into a city as property values change. That said, my wife has lived rural most of her life, and could not fall in love with city life, though she gave it a shot.

Anyways, hopefully you find this somewhat helpful or thought provoking.

This might be a good example of what you need ; a good compromise between rural and modern city living. Close to wineries and amenities if you need it. Depends on how much privacy you truly need, lots of other properties in Prince Edward will offer it.

https://www.redfin.ca/on/prince-edward- ... /175018261

We were on well and septic and in the 4 yrs, nothing had to be done other than pumping it out once for $250 and we did not have to pay anything for water but my place was relatively new. It takes me about 3hrs to mow every other week (you could mow every week too if you want or pay someone $80 to cut for you). You can have a garden and mini-farm if you want and have the time. All amenities of Prince Edward within 20 minutes or 10 mins to Belleville. Internet is not an issue as we had the full service from cogeco and bell (newest FIBE). I grew up in Toronto and can honestly did not feel like we were living in a rural property at all.
Lots of similar type homes in Prince Edward County where you can have even more secluded properties (old and new) where you don't feel like you need to grow and beard and chop wood all day.

As for schools, the county as many very small and good schools for kids (good teacher student ratio) and then it would be Belleville for highschools.

As for your question on property appreciation, my property here as appreciated at a faster rate than one of a similar price point in the GTA. Price here are continually going up so honestly, not sure where it will be in 5 years.

Not sure why you need 5 acres, I'd recommend sticking to 2-3 acres max unless the extra acreage is just trees and doesn't need any of your attention.

OMG I *loved* living in a rural area (Ott, west of Kanata, on 2 acres). The only problem: I hate Ott more than anything else on this planet. Just sayin'.

ZxExN wrote: ↑ for your question on property appreciation, my property here as appreciated at a faster rate than one of a similar price point in the GTA. Price here are continually going up so honestly, not sure where it will be in 5 years.

I've seen rural properties double in value over the past 12 months compared to their urban counterparts due to there being more room for price growth, but will they continue along the same trajectory and eventually overtake? It's anyone's guess at this point, but personally I have a hard time imagining that. Waterfront properties might be an exception because they're exceedingly rare and have always commanded a premium.

One of the main draws for me is being able to get more for my dollar with the catch being lesser convenience and amenities. If that goes away and I'm suddenly being asked to pay GTA prices for a rural property, I don't think I would ever make the move.