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1 Acre with an hour commute or a small backyard with a half hour commute?

Each town even a mile apart can have a different vibe. I live in a little chill town. The town that is about 2 miles from me is has more of a "keeping up with the Joneses" vibe. If you have time, visit the elementary and/ or middle school in both districts. Spend a little time in each town. Perhaps that will make your decision easier.

Personally, I vote for shorter commute. As the kids get older, the activities/ sports get more intense and time consuming.
 
Quality of life. Shorter commute. In terms of free time. Mental health. Saving gas money. Saving mileage which results in higher insurance premiums. I could go on and on bc living in So Cal—even 27 years ago—I had this choice. Thank goodness I was never land hungry and opted for the shorter commute. I hate driving.
 
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I know too many folks who opted for more land and space but eventually moved back.
 
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Thanks so much, all. I really appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts and experience. We're still trying to nail down a decision but you all brought up some factors we hadn't considered before. Definitely food for thought and such interesting perspectives! I think what is making it so hard for us is that our top priorities (outside of finding a house that suits are needs) are financial freedom and community and one offers us the first (the acre lot is significantly less expensive since it's father away) while the other offers us an opportunity to be closer to friends and family (more community). At the same time, as I mentioned before, if we lived farther away I wouldn't have to work as much which would give our family back a lot of time in that way. Is the protentional for community and a shorter commute worth passing on more financial freedom and the perfect lot? Decisions, decisions!
 
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JV36912 said:
Thanks so much, all. I really appreciate everyone sharing their thoughts and experience. We're still trying to nail down a decision but you all brought up some factors we hadn't considered before. Definitely food for thought and such interesting perspectives! I think what is making it so hard for us is that our top priorities (outside of finding a house that suits are needs) are financial freedom and community and one offers us the first (the acre lot is significantly less expensive since it's father away) while the other offers us an opportunity to be closer to friends and family (more community). At the same time, as I mentioned before, if we lived farther away I wouldn't have to work as much which would give our family back a lot of time in that way. Is the protentional for community and a shorter commute worth passing on more financial freedom and the perfect lot? Decisions, decisions!
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See, I’m in the opposite camp & would vote larger lot & longer commute. And this is exactly what we did when we bought the Vicarage. We went from a tiny first home in a busy village to this massive place on 1.25 acres. My husbands commute went up to an hour, but to him it was worth every penny to be away from the City & have space to breathe & enjoy his surroundings. It helps him switch off to be in the garden & he now has raised beds & a 29 foot glasshouse that are starting to produce veggies. He makes the most of his down time & mows the lawns himself, but we do have a hedge guy, as we could never tackle the boundaries ourselves. We like to keep busy (we’re 50 & 51) so have no qualms about the gardens & trees.

There is a LOT of fantastic points raised in this thread for you to consider, plus obviously you are much younger than we are, so you have to objectively consider each & every factor.

My commute is longer, but I only work 11-2 each day & so have time to take the girls to school (longer commute) & pick them up again. This factor & my hours made the move that much easier for us, as it doesn’t matter if the school run is 10 minutes or 30. I am able to do it, and so I do.

Having previously had noisy neighbours for 17 years, I also cannot put a price on the peace we have now. We live in a small village here, but as the Vicarage is surrounded by paddocks & farmland, the neighbours (who are all lovely) are a few minutes walk away down the lane. They have called on us in times of need & we’ve been there in a flash, but the quiet here is worth everything to us & the girls. Our dog also LOVES the garden & is forever rummaging & chasing rabbits, ducks & pheasants etc.

It’s worth saying that we knew before buying this place that our longer commutes aren’t long term, as we are both taking early retirement next year. One day this place might become too much & we’ll think about downsizing, but for now we look at this house as our Forever Home & would love to have grandchildren running around here one day. We poured blood, sweat & many tears into this old girl, and for us this was completely the right thing to do.

Good luck with your decision & have faith that either way, it’ll be the right one.
 
I would take the larger house. You can always downsize later, but it starts to get much harder as decades go by. I'm in an extremely good location, but in a too small house. :devil:
 
I’ve missed you @JV36912 and am so happy to see you back here.

At the end of day it all comes down to priorities. There isn’t a right or wrong answer. Does the one acre lot have a beautiful view? I would drive a farther distance to have a beautiful view and yard. I had a 45 minute commute for 20 years and it rarely bothered me. I also don’t have children but if I had them what was best for them would always come first.
 
We’ve got 3/4 of an acre, get the smaller garden and shorter commute!
 
@Ally T thanks so much for sharing your experience! I took a peek at your previous posts and saw your Vicarage and it's absolutely beautiful!! I share in your joy of finding that gorgeous forever home and wish you a lifetime of happiness there, as God wills. You're right- so much wisdom and great thoughts from this community. Yours included. We've always been city people and dreamed of possibly owning a larger property one day (the quiet, privacy and space seem so attractive to us). It seems like a good opportunity to make that a reality but it comes with it's limitations as I've shared before.

@lyra Thank you!! Yes your absolutely right. The only thing is, with the price and size of the home (on the larger lot), we can always add on later if absolutely needed to.

@Calliecake I've missed this sweet community! I'm looking forward to this chapter being past us so I can get back to regular rythms of life. You (and many others who've said the same) are right- there is no right or wrong answer here. I know they're both good decisions so it makes it especially tough. I grew up in the city, in smaller tight neighborhoods so the view on this property pulls at my heart strings. Perhaps it's not all that amazing for those that are used to properties like this- I'm honestly not sure- but I love the idea of waking up to this every day. I do hope I don't get tired of it one day because I also love the idea of being closer to my sister but I'd need to give this up. For any one whose curious here's a shot of the backyard that we captured.


IMG_0559.jpg


@Austina duly noted!! any particular reason why?
 
I don't know if it's too late in the process to do this but renting someplace with a longer commute would give you a taste for what it would be like long term. I have no personal experience but I do have friends who opted for shorter commutes after living with 2+ hour commutes because they felt it took time that could be spent with their kids who were young at the time -- below 10 yrs of age.
 
JV36912 said:
@Ally T thanks so much for sharing your experience! I took a peek at your previous posts and saw your Vicarage and it's absolutely beautiful!! I share in your joy of finding that gorgeous forever home and wish you a lifetime of happiness there, as God wills. You're right- so much wisdom and great thoughts from this community. Yours included. We've always been city people and dreamed of possibly owning a larger property one day (the quiet, privacy and space seem so attractive to us). It seems like a good opportunity to make that a reality but it comes with it's limitations as I've shared before.

@lyra Thank you!! Yes your absolutely right. The only thing is, with the price and size of the home (on the larger lot), we can always add on later if absolutely needed to.

@Calliecake I've missed this sweet community! I'm looking forward to this chapter being past us so I can get back to regular rythms of life. You (and many others who've said the same) are right- there is no right or wrong answer here. I know they're both good decisions so it makes it especially tough. I grew up in the city, in smaller tight neighborhoods so the view on this property pulls at my heart strings. Perhaps it's not all that amazing for those that are used to properties like this- I'm honestly not sure- but I love the idea of waking up to this every day. I do hope I don't get tired of it one day because I also love the idea of being closer to my sister but I'd need to give this up. For any one whose curious here's a shot of the backyard that we captured.


IMG_0559.jpg


@Austina duly noted!! any particular reason why?
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That picture makes me say go for the bit lot. Is that a river or a lake back there? And already fenced is nice.
 
@JV36912, Please remember I don’t have children so you can’t go by anything I’m saying on this subject. I LOVE this view. I would feel so happy waking up to this view everyday.
 
@Demon, I know. I’m afraid I’d get eaten alive over there.
 
Calliecake said:
@Demon, I know. I’m afraid I’d get eaten alive over there.
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Not at all! You'd do just fine. There are certain people it's best to have on ignore, as they tend to be just belligerent. If you'll sign up I'll share my list. ;)2
 
JV36912 said:
@Ally T thanks so much for sharing your experience! I took a peek at your previous posts and saw your Vicarage and it's absolutely beautiful!! I share in your joy of finding that gorgeous forever home and wish you a lifetime of happiness there, as God wills. You're right- so much wisdom and great thoughts from this community. Yours included. We've always been city people and dreamed of possibly owning a larger property one day (the quiet, privacy and space seem so attractive to us). It seems like a good opportunity to make that a reality but it comes with it's limitations as I've shared before.

@lyra Thank you!! Yes your absolutely right. The only thing is, with the price and size of the home (on the larger lot), we can always add on later if absolutely needed to.

@Calliecake I've missed this sweet community! I'm looking forward to this chapter being past us so I can get back to regular rythms of life. You (and many others who've said the same) are right- there is no right or wrong answer here. I know they're both good decisions so it makes it especially tough. I grew up in the city, in smaller tight neighborhoods so the view on this property pulls at my heart strings. Perhaps it's not all that amazing for those that are used to properties like this- I'm honestly not sure- but I love the idea of waking up to this every day. I do hope I don't get tired of it one day because I also love the idea of being closer to my sister but I'd need to give this up. For any one whose curious here's a shot of the backyard that we captured.


IMG_0559.jpg


@Austina duly noted!! any particular reason why?
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Are those trees on, what would be, your property? If not, what are your guarantees that someone wouldn’t come in and build right there?
 
@Matata a really wise suggestion! Hubs actually has the long commute now and has shared he's ok with it for the right property. We hadn't seen anything until this one came along (which is why we had focused on the larger town with the smaller lots) and it has us reconsidering our search

@Demon @Calliecake I know! that view has my heart. It makes me forget everything and is just so calming and peaceful. Does one ever get tired of a view? It's actually a large pond maintained by the HOA and yes, agree. So nice that it's already fenced.

@RMOO So technically the lot extends beyond the large pond to the trees (and a little beyond) so they wouldn't go anywhere unless the owner wants them to. (the property is technically larger than an acre since it goes beyond the pond but the usable space before the pond is a little more than an acre)
 
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may just add when the trains were behaving i loved my commute, i had to get up at 4.45am but got used to it even in winter

i worked in a toxic enviroment and the commute ment i left it all at work

the view was so beautiful of the Tasman sea, the South Island one way and Mt Taranaki on a really good to the north and Mt Ruapehu, beaches and small villages it was all charming
my commute north from Kenepuru station to Waikanae -a 2 min walk from both home and work
the islands are Mana island then Kapati island

i forgot to mention on the old trains with no aircon the windows opened and the smell of the wild fennel was heaven
 
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Daisys and Diamonds said:
may just add when the trains were behaving i loved my commute, i had to get up at 4.45am but got used to it even in winter

i worked in a toxic enviroment and the commute ment i left it all at work

the view was so beautiful of the Tasman sea, the South Island one way and Mt Taranaki on a really good to the north and Mt Ruapehu, beaches and small villages it was all charming
my commute north from Kenepuru station to Waikanae -a 2 min walk from both home and work
the islands are Mana island then Kapati island
Click to expand...

Absolutely beautiful! I can see why you enjoyed your commute. What wonderful views to decompress and unwind after a long day.
 
I get everything you are saying @JV36912. I have a large pond behind our home that is also maintained by the HOA. We have lived here over 20 years and I have loved it every single day. It truly makes me happy..

The house next to us has sold twice during this time. Their backyard has sold their house in days with people fighting over it and this was before Covid. Finding a beautiful view is difficult.
 
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JV36912 said:
Absolutely beautiful! I can see why you enjoyed your commute. What wonderful views to decompress and unwind after a long day.
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thank you, as they say about Wellington, you cant beat it on a good day , mind you i only went into wellington if i feel asleep, which did happen :kiss2:

at the very end i saw the train go past my old work place, so glad i got out of there, the job was challenging and enjoyable but the people ...
always glad to get home at night, we liked living in suburbia,(the last suburb in Wellington) but that village might have looked pretty but was horrible .the kind of place you could live in for 20 years and still not be a local
 
Daisys and Diamonds said:
may just add when the trains were behaving i loved my commute, i had to get up at 4.45am but got used to it even in winter

i worked in a toxic enviroment and the commute ment i left it all at work

the view was so beautiful of the Tasman sea, the South Island one way and Mt Taranaki on a really good to the north and Mt Ruapehu, beaches and small villages it was all charming
my commute north from Kenepuru station to Waikanae -a 2 min walk from both home and work
the islands are Mana island then Kapati island
Click to expand...

I could make that train commute every day! Beautiful, and the thunk thunk noise of trains is so relaxing. I't be especially nice on the way home.
 
Demon said:
I could make that train commute every day! Beautiful, and the thunk thunk noise of trains is so relaxing. I't be especially nice on the way home.
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that noise would put be to sleep after a busy day, it wasnt so bad when i woke up leaving my station as the next one was only a ten minute walk up the hill to home but if i woke up to the sound of going into the big tunnels towards wellington i would have to go all the way into town and catch a crowded train home -the old trains didnt have aircon (the light blue ones in the video)
on saturday after work (sundays were the worst as trains were often replaced by busses for track maintanace and id get bus sick) one day it was the train that was picking up all the ACDC fans for a concert in Wellington, the train was so full they stopped stopping -so i coudnt get off and had to go into town and catch the next train home
they never put on enough trains for stadium traffic, the main stadium was litterly at the end of the platforms at Wellington station
i did enjoy commuting aganist the flow, some days id have a whole carriage to myself
they had lovely friendly staff on the trains and they would chat between stations
 
Daisys and Diamonds said:
that noise would put be to sleep after a busy day, it wasnt so bad when i woke up leaving my station as the next one was only a ten minute walk up the hill to home but if i woke up to the sound of going into the big tunnels towards wellington i would have to go all the way into town and catch a crowded train home -the old trains didnt have aircon (the light blue ones in the video)
on saturday after work (sundays were the worst as trains were often replaced by busses for track maintanace and id get bus sick) one day it was the train that was picking up all the ACDC fans for a concert in Wellington, the train was so full they stopped stopping -so i coudnt get off and had to go into town and catch the next train home
they never put on enough trains for stadium traffic, the main stadium was litterly at the end of the platforms at Wellington station
i did enjoy commuting aganist the flow, some days id have a whole carriage to myself
they had lovely friendly staff on the trains and they would chat between stations
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That would be my problem - I'd be afraid I'd fall asleep. And buses aren't nearly so nice, but I guess one day of buses would be worth the rest of the week on the train.
 
@Daisys and Diamonds, When my husband and I started dating he lived across the street from a train station. He worked in the city, walked out the door of his apartment building and hopped on the train for work. That train was so loud. You could hear the train clicking on the tracks. He loved it. When we bought our first house it was in a very quiet neighborhood. It took him months to sleep well. He missed the train and said the sound put him to sleep. He said a lot of people fell asleep on the train.
 
Calliecake said:
I get everything you are saying @JV36912. I have a large pond behind our home that is also maintained by the HOA. We have lived here over 20 years and I have loved it every single day. It truly makes me happy..

The house next to us has sold twice during this time. Their backyard has sold their house in days with people fighting over it and this was before Covid. Finding a beautiful view is difficult.
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Oh @Calliecake - thank you for sharing. I'm so happy to hear that you haven't tired of the view and that it brings you happy. Random question but have you ever had to deal with snakes living next to a pond. Hubs was wondering about this but not a deal breaker since snakes are common in lots of towns here
 
Calliecake said:
@Daisys and Diamonds, When my husband and I started dating he lived across the street from a train station. He worked in the city, walked out the door of his apartment building and hopped on the train for work. That train was so loud. You could hear the train clicking on the tracks. He loved it. When we bought our first house it was in a very quiet neighborhood. It took him months to sleep well. He missed the train and said the sound put him to sleep. He said a lot of people fell asleep on the train.
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the train line was behind the houses over the road but down a bank so the noise of commuter trains were ok -freight trains not so nice, it was the main truck line so the busiest piece of track in NZ
out at our back door hanging out the washing i would hear the doors open and close
but it was awful if we heard a continouse train horn as the level crossing down the road at the next station (it has bells, barriers and also sirens (trains on both tracks) had a reputation as a suicide spot


as for falling asleep
im glad it wasnt just me
sometimes when i was really tired .....




there was drool

and i snore

or i might have fallen asleep on someone on the rear occassion the train was busy

a few times i was shaken awake by a staff member who did not know me as someone had died on the train heading into Wellington
usually they would just keep an eye on me that i would wake up before my stop

for years afterwards i always felt like a nap about 4pm
id say to Gary im just off to Porirua on the train
 
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