[quote=AN]I’m confused. You said people buy houses in small lot because they don’t think long term, but then you turn around and tell me to change the one thing that I love most about where I’m living, which is having the ability to go home in 5-10 minutes and eat lunch and see my wife and kids. I can see myself working for at least another 20 years. 20 years is a long time to do something you don’t like (in my case, commute). Not everyone want acreage either. I’m perfectly happy with ~.25 acre. I’m not going to sacrifice location for acreage. There’s a reason why that house on 1 acre sold for a little over $400k. AFAIK, that house is also in suburbia as well. Overpaying is all relative. You can’t make a generalization statement like “They often take the path of least resistance and overpay for a home on a tiny lot in *newer* suburbia/exurbia…” without looking foolish.[/quote]
Couple of things, AN. I never stated YOU bought a house on a small lot because YOU didn’t want to be there. Correct me if I’m wrong, but my understanding from YOUR situation is that you bought a place to be near other family members in the same area as you grew up in. I also understood that your spouse was employed – was it as a nurse? Do I have this wrong, also? If she is employed, then why do you want to go home in the middle of the business day? That was my thinking.
When I worked F/T from 8-5 away from home (nearly 30 yrs), I never dreamed of “going home” in the middle of the business day and even telecommuting was unheard of. I guess times have changed :=}
The $415K recent sold is located in a close-in suburb to dtn SD. It is NOT located in the far reaches of east or north county or RIV County and therefore would not be considered an “exurb” to SD. MM could also be considered a close-in suburb to SD.
Car enthusiasts and other hobbyists LOVE to have land for workshops, parking or even for a small farm and/or horses. Obviously, if you are not willing to live more than +/- 3 mi from SV, you will never have this option :={
