Lots of people live for the chaos of city life. They like to relate to amenities and entertainment, and they love the convenience of getting to places quickly. As cities and the suburban communities that surround them continue to grow and expand, some people seek a simpler and quieter lifestyle. The pull of this simplicity convinces many Urban dwellers to sell their homes in the city to buy an acreage in the countryside to enjoy that low key lifestyle. Have you been considering purchasing acreage outside of the city? If so, you are not alone, but you should know more about the pros and cons of living on an acreage. Only then can you make the decision that is right for you and for your family.

What are the Cons/Challenges of Acreage Living?

When you live in a rural area, you will face many challenges. You must be prepared for them, here are a few of those things:

• Isolation: You will not have close neighbours and if you love to socialize, this can present certain challenges. Sometimes your neighbours are a mile away and this means you cannot just “pop over” to someone’s place for a visit. If you are a social person, this might be challenging for you, or if you have small children that want to see their friends regularly.

• Maintenance: Large property does have its advantages, but it also means more maintenance. You will have a lot of mowing, landscaping and home maintenance to complete. It is a lot of work, and it can be challenging to find people who will come out and complete work for you, the reason being that it is not worth their time to come out all that way to your property.

• Utility Problems: You will be using a septic system, a well, and sometimes propane or wood heat. There may also be many power outages since if the power is knocked out in your area, the population is low, so the need to restore power is not as urgent as it is within city limits. Since the area you live in will undoubtedly have more trees, those trees tend to knock out more power more often. You may want to consider having a generator for those lengthy times when you will be out of power.

• Distance from Necessities: When you live in a rural area you need to make a special trip for everything. If you need gas, supplies, groceries, a take-out dinner, you will have to plan your trips to ensure that you make the most of them.

What are the Pros/Appeal of Rural Living?

If you want to purchase a few acres of land in a rural area or you want to purchase a larger farm, there is something that is very appealing about the peace of rural living. If you decide to make the move, you will be able to enjoy:

• Quiet – you will not be listening to common sounds such as car horns, car alarms, sirens, loud people enjoying a night out or busy city traffic sounds. In most cases you will enjoy complete quiet except for the noises that you hear from mother nature and wildlife in the area.

• Wide open spaces. When you live in the city your space is limited and you must keep your yard tidy to meet local bylaws. An acreage allows you ample space for hobbies, places for children to play, space for livestock and a garden. You can enjoy your property free from scrutiny from neighbours since they will be too far away from you to care.

• Acreages have less rules and restrictions. You will have more freedom to do what you like with your property without worry from municipal authorities. Today’s cities are full of regulations and rural living can bring back a sense of freedom that goes back to times when life was much simpler.

• You will be living with wildlife and being close to nature. If you like to fish and hunt, then you are in the right area. You can also raise and keep your own animals including chickens, cows, pigs, goats, horses or whatever kind of livestock in which you are interested.

• Lower Cost. You can purchase a larger piece of property for much less money. Land in rural areas is not as in demand as large parcels of land in the city. Your money can go further in the countryside, and you can enjoy that peace, quite, acreage and a larger home.

Many people are drawn to the idea of living on a large rural acreage because they can enjoy benefits that they just cannot find within the city limits. Some of the challenges that you might face can be easily overcome when you compare them to the advantages that you are getting. A challenge that can be easily reduced is if the build of your house follows best practice guidelines to make sure that you get the home that you always dreamed of.