Buying rural. Unsure about the distance to work each day. Please lend your thought

[investor2009]

Hi there!

As some of you may already know, my wife & I are selling a couple of properties to buy a nice home in the rural area for lifestyle choice.

We looked at a few properties over the weekend (4 in person, plus whatever is listed in our price range, around 40 more that we don't like or are poor value in comparison) and keep casting our minds back to that first one we visited. The other three were overpriced and needed a lot of work. Anyhow, back to that first one. The location is the furthest (not by much) of all. And by far the nicest.

The property is a standard (for the area) 5 acres, but with a really nice garden which we really like. The house could use a little work but we're prepared to do that anyway.

Our current PPOR is located 20kms from work, with a few traffic lights to take up time in-between, this new place is 40kms out but no traffic lights past where we live so maybe an extra 10-15 minutes drive but an extra 20kms (thats 80kms EACH every day to and from) What are your thoughts on this, I know we're ultimately the only ones who can decide, but it really helps hearing other peoples stories and thoughts.

Petrol would equal a further $50p/w or so for me and maybe $20-$30 for my wife. I get paid $100 per week for petrol at work but use around $60 per week for work purposes anyway, the rest is a little for servicing.

I hope you can add something of value.
Thank you.

 

[Propertunity]

I went thru this same exercise a few years back when I was considering working in Brisbane but living on the Sunshine Coast. I stayed with friends and did the trip in and out for 3 or 4 days. The experience convinced me that it was definitely not what I wanted to cope with.

So my suggestion is that you try the same. Stay o/night in a nearby B&B or motel / pub and do the trip in & out in the peak hour or the same as you'd be doing if you lived there - and see how you find it.

 

[The Y-man]

....in the peak hour or the same as you'd be doing if you lived there - and see how you find it.

Didn't know they had peak hours in Darwin....

(Having said that, I used to say that for Perth - me and my big mouth - got stuck in grid lock traffic for 30 minutes in the middle of St George terrace in a Taxi enroute to hotel - should have got out and walked!.... and don't get me started on that stupid traffic jam on the Bruce Hwy coming back from the Sunshine Coast to Brissy on a Sunday afternoon....)

The Y-man

 

[Peter_Tersteeg]

When I was a student, I noticed my friends from rural areas would travel 4 hours for a 21st party. My suburban friends started hesitated over anything more than an hours travel. If you can cope with the costs, it's only an extra 15 minutes each way. I wouldn't mind that for living in the right house.

I suggest you turn the radio on to some good music and scream at the top of your lungs all the way home!

 

[lizzie]

i agree - try the trip a for a week and see how you feel then.

years ago we were half heartedly looking at a rural property. one sounded perfect ... and only 20 mins out of town.

20mins at 100km/hr that is. i flew along the country roads for 10mins, past km after km of farming land and thought "bugger this".

 

[rugrat]

funny how when you live in the city a 30min commute isn't a huge deal, but when you are looking at regional 30mins seems like ages. I was talking to someone about this the other day. We once knocked back a house when we lived in Armidale (nsw) because it was a 10-15min drive out of town. Funny thing is I now live in Canberra and think absolutely nothing about driving 20mins each morning to drop my DD off at school, and then 20mins back home again. Only to repeat this in the afternoon for pick up. (thank god I don't drive through traffic it's going the other direction at both times).

 

[Y33]

I use to do a 2-2.5hr trip in the morning and afternoons. At first it was nice listening to music in the car, watching dvd's or feeling the wind ( motor bike) but eventually the novelty wore off. Ended up renting an apartment in the city and stayed there every 2nd night. FWIW, I can easily get in a vehicle and drive 1500klms in a day but stop start traffic is a nightmare.

 

[marg4000]

It really boils down to choices.

If the value stacks up and you REALLY want to live there, then you will accept the longer drive as part of the deal.

As suggested, try the drive at the times you will be doing it, even if you have to stay locally or get up extra early. It is the time taken that will tell the story.
Marg

 

[Mr. Fabulous]

You could always get a helicopter.

 

[Propertunity]

..... FWIW, I can easily get in a vehicle and drive 1500klms in a day but stop start traffic is a nightmare.

Seriously mate, there is no such thing as stop-start traffic if you are riding a motor-cycle. See here: http://www.angelfire.com/ak2/intelligencerreport/high_speed.html

 

[softmonkey]

You could look into car-pooling options. I can't stand driving (it's wasted time), but have successfully used car-pooling or public transport on long commutes with a phone/laptop/book. The person driving me listens to podcasts and I kick in for fuel, so it's win all around.

 

[investor2009]

We're still no closer to makiing a decision.

A mate of mine is about to leave another suburb we're thinking about buying in-to and is currently turning on the tacco, but there's nothing suitable there currently on the market.. This suburb is the closest possible suburb that offers 5 acre blocks and if it's only 5-10km less than the place we're looking at it may help us see a bit clearer.

We 'could' look at pooling, but I start work earlier, and finish 1.5 hours earlier than my wife. So that would make the decision a 'no' in this particular instance. Good idea though!

We actually both rather enjoy driving, so thats a plus for us. I guess our fears may be more the cost of fuel more than driving. And also the distance between our regular shopping centres and things, that seems to me where the 'fear' is coming from. And fear of the unknown as in every new situation.

 

[investor2009]

And to the dude who's watching DVD's while driving, wtf. . !
A 2 hour one way trip is a bit extreme though, who can blame you

 

[investor2009]

Ok he's just been and gone.
It's 30kms from his place (closest suburb with 5 acre block sizes) and 40 to where were thinking.. The verdict is still out.

 

[zed_kid]

Dude are you serious? 30mins extra driving per day is NOTHING in today’s traffic conditions. It takes me 30mins to get over the Westgate Bridge in Melbourne... and you’ll be doing the extra 20kms flat out anyway without traffic lights, sometimes a spirited drive is very liberating in the morning / afternoon.

 

[Fourex]

My PPOR is 42 km from my place of work (regional town on the Darling Downs).

I like the long drive and think nothing of it. I have no traffic lights and only 2 intersections from when I leave my front door to when I hit my place of work.

In the morning I find I can turn on the radio and catch up on the current events of the day and get a chance to wipe the sleep out of my eyes.

On the return journey when my partner and I were coming back after a long hard day we found the time great for taking the time to both chat (or rant) about our day, we found that when you got to the front door we had both unwound and ready to relax.

I find it a pain in the **** having to drive accross 10 km through town takes just as long.

I would consider a night or two in the town in overnight accomodation and check out the drive as well as the local shops, pup, sevo etc.

My wife loved it where we moved at the time you could park out the front of the local IGA and they would help her bring the groceries to her car, driveway service at the servo and would deliver the meat from the butcher to her front door if she asked them.

Good luck with the decision.

Fourex.

 

[allie125]

Did the same thing 7 years ago... we lived in Leichhardt Sydney and worked in Rushcutters Bay... 40 minutes on a good day, but only 12 km. Then we tree changed to 40 km outside Canberra for family and lifestyle reasons. WE live on a 200 acre property, work in town ( still about 40 minutes but ALWAYS 40 minutes and the scenery is soooo much better) I would have no hesitations in recommending a similar move- we love it. "Our two young sons have such a better life- no inner city living for them! Its all outside, motorbikes, swimming running around outside. Best thing to do! Now looking at making first investment in property.... all a bit scary/exciting!

 

[KidsInheritance]

Used to have an 8km & ten minute trip to the office for over 6 years up until 2006.
Company got bought out & I had to close our state office in Melbourne & move into the new owners premises which is 56km from home down south-east of Melbourne, now 50 minutes in the morning & 1 hour on the way home.

Salt into the wound, my wife & I spent several weekends looking at houses in that same area about 12 months before the takeover but decided against it as it would have been a 50+km to the office........Instead we sank around $150K into renovating & extending our PPOR (which we still love).

Make it worse, I drive past my old office morning & night on the way to work.
It's about 20,000 extra k's to work each year - fortunately I like my job & thank god for talkback radio to keep the mind active whilst burning up the fossil fuel!

 

[Melbournian]

i been recently working on a project in mt eliza. takes me like nearly 1 hour to get there from CBD to the mt eliza. It's around 65km. Honestly - i can't see how some people do it. i'm not a big fan of driving and i feel it is just time lost which can be used to do other more productive things. THis weekend might have to stay overnight at frankston as i would have to work on the weekend as well just in case something happens. Apparently, It's a mission critical system where lives are at risk. (personally rather go to inspections)

I also remember there was a manager who lived in geelong and worked in mulgrave and did that for like 10+ years.

 

[Ms Jade]

Maybe i missed it but how long does the 40km take? I would drive that each way every day and it takes me about 35mins. If you're driving 1.5hrs each way to work or something (as i have in the past) it really affects your quality of life. Only you can decide where the cut off is: 45 mins, 1hr? An extra 10 minutes means a lot more when you're already driving for an hour. If the extra 10 mins means a 30 min drive I wouldn't think twice about buying it.