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

[Calliecake]

@JV36912 No, I have never seen a snake in or around the lake. DH said if we lived in a different part of the country we would probably have snakes. I have no idea what states have snakes.

We have had Canadian Geese, ducks and cranes. We used to have a lot of geese but they rarely come around any more.

 

[LilAlex]

Did not read all of the above; maybe this has all been settled without me.

All things being equal, half-acre with half the commute. I might not say that if it were 10 vs. 20 minutes, but 30 vs. 60 is really getting into QoL issues. For context, we are in the very close-in 'burbs and raised 3 kids on ~ 0.15 acres. But there are walking-distance parks and greenspace.

I briefly wished for a larger yard when the kids were little and just starting soccer and my car in the driveway was the goal that I was (legitimately) defending from increasingly powerful penalty kicks. But they grow so fast that by the time we could have moved for a bigger yard, they would have "outgrown" that one, too. So staying put -- mostly from inertia and being too busy to seriously contemplate moving -- was the right, er, move.

 

[empliau]

As a New Englander, I have to ask: are you in snow country? That view is glorious, and I understand wanting land - but in areas with snowy winters, how much of the commute will involve shoveling a driveway in the dark?

I've had long (well, an hour is long for me) commutes on trains that I loved, but I don't enjoy driving in traffic every day. But if you and your husband don't mind, then that's not so bad.

I'd say go with your heart after gaming out worst case scenarios - snow, flood, whatever that area is prone to.

 

[JV36912]

@LilAlex Thanks so much for sharing! All such good points and so interesting to note that you felt the kiddos would have outgrown the larger yard too- had you opted for that. Thankfully the smaller lot we're considering does have parks and green space nearby

@empliau no snow really in these parts but absolutely a point if there was! My heart is being pulled in two directions, lol. I know either decision will be right as long as we're trying to do what's best for our family.

Thank you so much, again, all for sharing your thoughts, wisdom and experience with me. Brought up lots of points we hadn't considered and appreciate it all!

 

[Austina]

@Austina duly noted!! any particular reason why?

I don’t know if you mentioned where you’re intending to move to, but depending on the climate, having more land is definitely a major chore in a hot climate. We’re both retired, and even with a pool taking up some of the 3/4 of an acre, we still spend a couple of hours a week gardening. Even using a ride on zero turn with a 42” cut, mowing, edging, pruning etc., takes time, and during the summer, needs to be done really early so you don’t melt! Of course, if you’re going to get someone in to do, that’s different, but costly. Here, they’ll mow and edge, but the gardeners don’t do pruning or weeding.

On the commute side, my DH had a 3 hour daily commute, that’s a lot of time away from home everyday, not to mention exhausting.

 

[Arcadian]

Personally I would be fine with a 1 acre, but I also have 2 greyhounds who beat the hell out of my tiny yard. The back yard is really there's anyway. The front is the only thing I actually keep looking nice. If I had more space and money, I'd put in and area of artificial grass.

The bigger issue is the amount of commitment you put into that yard. If you're not into yard work, go for a smaller yard unless you plan on doing a ton of hardscaping.