City or Country Real Estate?
Is Rural Living For You?

Where Should I Live? City or Country?

Rural living? Could you give up what city life has to offer?

Countless people count themselves fortunate to be able to reside in a big, busy city, or even in the sprawling suburbs. They're drawn by the hustle and bustle, the convenience of absolutely everything - abundant shopping, extensive public transit, the fabulous array of entertainment, recreation facilities, including inter-connecting parks and bike paths, and a throbbing mix of diverse cultures. A multitude of services abound everywhere one looks.

They couldn't even imagine rural living, let along actually doing it. City dwellers appreciate the close proximity to friends and jobs, often traveling about on foot. Some rarely step foot out of town.

Some City Dwellers Don't Own a Car!

Why bother when everything they need is close at hand?

There are others, though, that dream of rural living, the quiet country life. Their ideal is to be as far away as possible from the stifling heat of the concrete and asphalt, the smog and water pollution, the never-ending stress and chronic noise of high-density city living. Some are put off by the obnoxious odours of industry and commerce, the quick tempers and honking horns, the snarled traffic congestion, and the visual reminders of the plight of the poor and homeless souls guarding their sparse worldly possessions while keeping barely warm huddled, lonely, on city subway grates or in dark, dank alleys.

Two Perspectives - Both Valid

City living can be expensive. But rural living, including country real estate, can set you back some too.

If you long to escape what is sometimes referred to as 'the big smoke', it would be a smart idea to do your due diligence before heading for the hills. If none of your friends or family are country folk, then allow me to offer you a few ideas about rural living for your thoughtful consideration.

First of all, country life isn't for everyone. Yes, it's usually quieter, cleaner and there's obviously less traffic to contend with because there are fewer people participating in rural living. But ...

There Are Trade-Offs

Unless you're in a small town, you can't just pop into the corner convenience store for milk and bread ... because there isn't one. Do you have kids, or plan to have a family? With rural living, get ready to be a shuttle service because most kid's activities will be in town. Big yellow school buses will promptly cart your kids to and from school, and probably pick them up at the foot of your driveway. So, that's Ok, unless they're involved in extra-curricular activities after school.

Taxi!!

If weather conditions are poor, then there's always the chance that buses won't be running. Your kids will be very disappointed about missing school, of course, but they'll have what is often referred to as a 'snow day' - no school. So, be prepared to take a day off work too if your kids are young.

Nights are usually quiet - great for sleeping. No sirens or car horns or diesel truck engines or noisy neighbours blaring their mega-sound systems from across the alley or skinny city lot. Proximity of neighbours takes on a whole new significance, whether city or country living, if you get no satisfaction from the Rolling Stones reverberating from your neighbour's house.

And a cloudless sky at night is incredible. Because there are no polluting city lights, you'll actually be able to enjoy a vast black velvet sky pin-pricked by a multitude of lights from ...

A Gazillion Stars

One similarity between country life and city life is the importance of location. For rural real estate, if you live adjacent a working farm, you may experience some noise from farm machinery or animals, and the occasional upwind scent of manure used as fertilizer. I suggest you avoid living too close to a pig farm - bad smells and bad energy.

Something else to watch out for in rural life are quarries. They may seem innocuous, but blasting does occur, and the aggregate must be carted away - hence dump trucks. So, if you don't mind the regular rumble of trucks traveling to and fro past your country home on an hourly basis, you needn't worry.

If you know little about rural living, you may be unaware that your ...

Water Supply and Sewage Treatment

... are quite different from the city.

In the city or 'burbs, for water, just turn on your faucet, and drink. Well, not exactly, since if you're at all concerned about the quality of your water, you'll have a sophisticated filtration system to remove the chlorine, fluoride and other contaminants. And once your sewage, called gray or black water, goes down the drain, you don't have to give it another thought.

It's almost the same in the country. Your water still flows from a faucet on demand, but the pressure comes from a pressure tank in your home. And the water doesn't usually come through a pipe from the city. It's pumped from your own well which may be dug, bored or drilled. You'll become familiar with terms like water potability, flow and recovery rates. Potability will need to be tested periodically to ensure there's no contamination.

A Rural Living 'Must Do'

If you're on a private well, it's wise to perform regular potability testing of your water for coliform and E.coli. This should be done at least annually. The local Public Health Unit will do it free of charge. Total coliform is a group of bacteria present in animal waste and sewage, but is also found in soil and on vegetation. They're not usually considered disease-causing organisms. The presence of these bacteria in your well is usually the result of surface water run-off entering your well. So, look for good drainage away from your well-sealed, water-tight well cap, which should be at least 12 inches above grade. The presence of this bacteria in your well is usually from recent sewage contamination from a nearby source, such as a septic system or animal barn.

Water may be treated and/or filtered using these systems, or any combination: chlorinator, ultra-violet, distiller, ozonator, activated charcoal or reverse osmosis. And ...

Sewage Water?

Unlike city sewage, which simply flows into the public sewer, for country real estate, it flows by gravity to a septic tank buried usually at the rear of your house, and well away from your well. The sludge settles in the tank, and the remaining water then flows into an extensive tile bed where it dissipates into the ground. Look for a large flat, and sometimes raised, open area where the grass may be greener. Depending upon usage volume, you'll need a septic service to pump out your tank every year or two.

Heating

... a rural home is much the same as the city, except that usually, there's no natural gas available. Typically, the fuel options are oil, wood, electricity, propane gas or combination. Nowadays, you can also heat with ground source heat pumps or a geothermal system. The latter is expensive, but you're pretty much off the grid and self-sufficient for heat and air conditioning. And ...

Telecommunications?

Usually, with rural living, there's no cable television service available, unless you're in or very close to a town. Satellite may be your only option. And if you're a big internet user, check to make sure high-speed is available because it's not everywhere. You may not even have cell phone access around your home. Oh my goodness - how would one manage?

So, rural living or city living? Wide open peaceful spaces where you don't have to pay for parking, or in smaller efficient spaces where you can reach out and touch your neighbour?

Convergence or Convenience

... with the natural environment of country life, or with the nurturing of the womb of city life?

Any honest, experienced REALTOR® can assist you with city real estate or suburban. But if you like the idea of rural living, if the trade-offs are worth it for you, I strongly recommend you work with a country REALTOR®, one who's familiar with country real estate and country living. If you're interested in Caledon, Halton, Erin or King, Ontario real estate, or any of the surrounding areas, I'd be pleased to assist you personally, since

I'm familiar with town and country realty, including city, suburban and rural real estate.

If you're not in my neck of the woods, I'm confident I'd be able to find a good agent for you.

So, remember ...

Rural Real Estate is a Specialty

Click this link to learn about rural living and buying rural property.

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