Hello from North Carolina

Hello, I live in coastal NC. I'm retired and a Christian. Currently my house is for sale and I plan to move west to the NC mountains to (hopefully) a smaller house or cabin with some land. I just discovered your website and I am grateful that it's here.

Stan

Welcome to the site Stan, and I hope you enjoy yourself here as much as I do.

Hi Stan and welcome to our little corner of the world. What part of NC are you hoping to move to? We often drive through Cherokee on our way to Pigeon Forgen.

Sonshine wrote:Hi Stan and welcome to our little corner of the world. What part of NC are you hoping to move to? We often drive through Cherokee on our way to Pigeon Forgen.

I've been looking mostly in the NW part of the state, near West Jefferson, Sparta, and Boone, but I went up to Burnsville (further South) sort of between Spruce Pine and Ashville, last Friday and looked a place up there. It is 12-17 very steep and forested acres (depending on what you want to buy) with a very very small cabin. It's remote and secluded which I like, no power which I'm unsure about, but it is a beautiful place with a trout stream running through it. I really really liked the Burnsville area. I'm waiting for my place to sell, but the market is slow in picking up where I'm at (on the Pungo River in Eastern NC). I'm glad I found this site. Thank you for the welcome.

I'm glad you found this site too and hope your move goes well. Keep us posted on how things are going.

Hi Stan and welcome. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and enjoy your stay.

You say "I'm retired and a Christian."

and then you say:
"It is 12-17 very steep and forested acres (depending on what you want to buy) with a very very small cabin. It's remote and secluded which I like, no power which I'm unsure about, but it is a beautiful place with a trout stream running through it."

If I may be so bold...not the place for a retiree. The need for Power, and access to medical facilities are simply a fact of life. Those younger than me can battle the elements without power, and not concern themselves with quick access to doctors and pharmacies, but a dream retirement home can quickly turn into a nightmare if you need heat, and there is no dry wood, and no way to get any. Besides who among us wants to face 100 degree summer heat without air conditioning.

12acrehome wrote:Hi Stan and welcome. Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and enjoy your stay.

You say "I'm retired and a Christian."

and then you say:
"It is 12-17 very steep and forested acres (depending on what you want to buy) with a very very small cabin. It's remote and secluded which I like, no power which I'm unsure about, but it is a beautiful place with a trout stream running through it."

If I may be so bold...not the place for a retiree. The need for Power, and access to medical facilities are simply a fact of life. Those younger than me can battle the elements without power, and not concern themselves with quick access to doctors and pharmacies, but a dream retirement home can quickly turn into a nightmare if you need heat, and there is no dry wood, and no way to get any. Besides who among us wants to face 100 degree summer heat without air conditioning.

Thank you. Yes, I agree with you about the health issue. I'm in good health at the present other than being a little out of shape. And living in coastal NC, believe me, I REALLY agree with you about the heat. We get plenty days of 98 degree temperatures and 98% humidity down here. That parcel of land is at an elevation of over 3000 feet and the temperature up there is rarely over 80 degrees in the summer. In fact that's one of the reasons that I plan to move to the mountains. Of course there is a trade off too, because it gets colder up there and snows in the winter (which actually is another reason I want to move up there). The cabin is about a 20 minute drive (without snow) to Burnsville, and about 45 minutes from Spruce Pine and Ashville where there are excellent medical facilities. That's about the same situation I'm in right now at my current location. Also, as far as power goes, the cabin is within 1000 feet of existing power lines and can be connected by the power company at no charge, as long as I'm living there full time, if I choose to do that. I should have been clearer about the power issue. But I admit the thought of off the grid living really appeals to me. There is a spring up slope on that property and a gravity spring system would have to be built at a cost of around 2000.00. Another negative as I see it is the small size of the cabin. I mean it is tiny, no more than 250 square feet. It has a balcony that I would want to close in for more space and space underneath (it's on a slope and is on stilts) that I would close in with stone masonry for an additional 100 square feet. But the biggest negative is exactly what you referred too and that is access. It's about 1/2 from a paved road and is on more of a path than a dirt road. It's 4WD access only and when a big snow hits, and they do come every year according to the realtor, access is only through ATV's. That is what may well make me decide to pass on this property, although it is extremely beautiful, peaceful and quiet up there.

I lost my fiance due to an accident three years ago and having really been leaning on the Lord the last few years. So I've been praying a lot about this move and I've turned it all over to God. If it's His will that I live up there, then it will happen, if not it won't. There are plenty of places up there with better access, power, and a little land. What I want is a place that is quiet, peaceful and secluded where I can live out what years I have left in peace, sort of a place that I can devote myself to my relationship with the Lord. That property I looked at looks very very good to me (I'm a hunter and I fish) but I've learned in life that what looks good to me, may not be what Jesus has planned for me.

Thanks for your advice and interest. Sorry about the long post, but in addition to loving hunting and fishing, I also love to type on a computer apparently.

Stan

type away my friend...

Yes the area sounds perfect, but the older I get the softer I get and there are some things I am not willing to give up. I have read stories about others who overlook little things like water rights, access, yearly weather patterns,etc and end up being very unhappy with their choices. Glad to hear you are doing your research, and have turned it over to God's will. You'll be where you're supposed to be.

Sorry for the loss of your fiance, a good woman by your side is a priceless gift.

Stan, sounds good to me. I would love to live off the grid.