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nbarker
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Reged: 04/01/08
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Posts: 21
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Loc: western NY
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Making the move to country life
04/09/08 10:20 PM
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Hi...
My husband, 4 month old daughter and I will be heading 30 miles from the city to a rural part of the county. Our home is on 17 wooded acres, set back about 600 feet from the road. We have 4 stocked ponds, a stream, tennis court, party cabana. It really seems more like a vacation destination, than a home. I absolutely love the property, but am a little apprehensive about some of the changes. We will be on well water, septic, propane, dial-up internet...This is all new to me (I've been in the city/burbs for 30 years!). We may raise some chickens someday when my daughter is older, but we the move is mostly to give us some privacy and to give my husband a place to play! He already purchased a John Deer tractor and can't wait to use it.
Just wanted to introduce myself....
I am interested in hearing from anyone who moved from the suburbs to the country.
Nicole
Live....Laugh....Love....Learn
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egon
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Reged: 09/12/02
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Posts: 3031
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Loc: Nova Scotia,Canada
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: nbarker]
04/10/08 05:11 AM
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Welcome! 
Enjoy your new property.
Water wells and septic systems are not usually maintenance free. It would be wise to Google both and become familiar with the different systems and how they work. Then start asking specific questions.
Be sure you get all the information available on your systems and do have a water analysis done.
Egon
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JazzDad
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Loc: South Central Texas
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: nbarker]
04/10/08 08:29 AM
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Welcome to CBN, Nicole. We moved from the suburbs of a HUGE city about 3 1/2 years ago. I complain that the work never stops on our place. Our dial up internet connects no faster than 26.4K, but 20 years ago we had no internet! When it's time for bed with the windows open, the sounds of crickets and frogs, the cool breeze blowing through... well, back in Houston if you had your windows open someone would come in and take everything you owned, kill you, or both. Of course, you wouldn't want the windows open for the smell of car exhaust and the noise. Would I go back? Maybe in chains.
All kids are gifted; some just open their packages earlier than others.-Michael Carr
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jimbrown
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Reged: 08/06/04
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Posts: 385
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Loc: Tombstone, AZ
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: nbarker]
04/10/08 11:18 AM
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You will either love it or hate it. No in between. We live 30 miles from the closest real town. 15 miles of dirt road to Tombstone. We love it. No noise. No neighbors. Door windows open all most all the time. Animals run free and come and go. You just gotta learn to plan your trips to town or do with out. Next learn who the local good guys for things like well repair, fences, ect.
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nbarker
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Loc: western NY
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: egon]
04/10/08 02:13 PM
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Thank you Egon...
We will definitely be looking up information about these systems before we move. My husband is very smart on how to fix things, so I am sure he will be able to learn these new systems. We found out that a town water line runs through the property, so I am going to look into connecting to it. That one be one less thing for us to maintain.
The sellers are supposed to have the sypetic and well tested by the county before closing. Do you know how often you are supposed to have them retested?
Live....Laugh....Love....Learn
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nbarker
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Loc: western NY
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: JazzDad]
04/10/08 02:18 PM
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Thanks JazzDad....
I agree, it will definitely be safer and more peaceful at our new place. Our house will not have neighbors on either side of it. We will have a neighbor across the street, but our house is back 600 feet and tons of trees in the front to block the view from the road. I guess there are always trade-offs. The internet is one area that makes me kind of disappointed, as I pretty much grew up with a computer and internet. It seems like a step back in time using dial-up after having high speed cable for the last 8-9 years. I guess I'll be busier on our land though, so I'll be less likely to tinker on-line.
Live....Laugh....Love....Learn
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: nbarker]
04/13/08 10:46 AM
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Welcome to the country. My move was less dramatic--from a small town to the country, but still I would not want to go back. I love the privacy and quiet, and find I am much more aware of nature and the change of seasons. There are alternatives to dial-up. We have a satellite system--Wild Blue through Dishnet (Dish TV) that is considerably faster than our old dial-up was. It goes down in a heavy cloud cover but that is rare. There are other satellite companies. I also have a notebook computer provided by my employer that is set up to connect to a Verizon wireless system. I'm not sure exactly how that works but it does connect at my home in the middle of nowhere and seems at least as fast as the satellite. So, you should check around for alternatives in your area. A well can be pretty problem free, though when we moved to the country we had a very weak well that kept going dry--we hauled a lot of water for a couple of years until a water district pipeline was built in the area and we connected to that. That is one bill that I love to pay every month. You just need to learn your systems and how to maintain them.
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nbarker
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Reged: 04/01/08
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Loc: western NY
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: homeinwestIL]
04/13/08 02:02 PM
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Thank you. . .
The more I think about it, I realize that some of my anxiety about moving is due to the unknown. I love wildlife and the outdoors, so I am sure it won't take me long to realize how much I love our new home.
I have looked into the satellite internet. The start up costs seem kind of pricey, but the monthly service rates aren't too much more than cable or DSL in my area. I have looked into both Wild Blue and Hughes Net. I'm not sure which one I'll get though. I've read mixed reviews about both companies.
Live....Laugh....Love....Learn
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Pat
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: nbarker]
04/14/08 03:09 PM
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Is it fifty cents of a half dollar? Wild Blue and Hughes are as similar as DishTV and DirecTV, there is not enough difference to matter. Go with which has the best LOCAL representation.
Install isn't cheap, but... they both do a good job now with good grounding practices (think lightning damage) and such. The install guy will photo document the install to prove he did it right.
With the gas prices high and going higher, you will learn to "batch" your trips to town.
We left decades of living on a postage stamp lot in San Diego between the bay and the ocean for a remote location that is 30 miles in any of three directions to get to a Wal*Mart or other real shopping. Closest drive through fast food is a Sonic over 12 miles away and there is a Dollar General store there too as if that made much difference..
I haven't been on my tractor since before lunch and haven't actually seen another living soul besides my wife all day.
If you want me to live in the city you better bring a large armed contingent to support the move as it could get really ugly.
So, hello, welcome, and good luck.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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Bird
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Loc: Corinth, TX, USA
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: Pat]
04/14/08 07:58 PM
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In reply to:
Wild Blue and Hughes are as similar as DishTV and DirecTV, there is not enough difference to matter.
I sure hope you're wrong about DishTV and DirecTV, since I got fed up with Dish after about two and a half years and replaced it with DirecTV today.
I don't even know anyone who is using Wild Blue, but I have one brother using Hughes and he sure is not impressed with it. For reasons unknown (not because of his mailbox being full) e-mails sent to him frequently don't go.
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Pat
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: Bird]
04/15/08 08:47 AM
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Bird, I have had both Dish and DirecTV and they both suffer the same problems. They are both playing a numbers game. They both promise more than they deliver and either will let you pay forever for your obsolete package while new customers get better deals (due to ongoing competition with the other guy.)
I have friends who convinced me that you have to call up to complain at least annually and twice a year may be required. When you threaten to quit you will be switched to a person whose sole responsibility is to offer yo blandishments to stay with them. Both Dish and DirecTV do this.
It is likely that you got a better deal by switching than you had before but it is just as likely that if you called to complain about the cost of your package versus its contents compared to the advertisements from the competition as well as what your provider was doing for new customers that you would have gotten your deal sweetened such that it would be approximately what you moved to.
Give it 6 mo to a year and compare what you pay for what you get to what new customers get and what the competition has and you will see yourself being left behind, yet again.
Sorry I don't have a happier story to tell but Dish and DirecTV are functionally equivalent with the same business model and same tactics, which work well (for them.) It is good you changed as you needed to either raise a ruckus and threaten to quit or to actually change to get brought up to the current level of price-performance. Make a note to investigate the situation in 6-12 months so you don't get left behind again.
I have dealt with the tech folks from both outfits and it is indistinguishable. One time it will be a good experience with good results and another it is quite poor.
I really hope you are as happy as a clam with your new deal. Later when the new wears off, remember to compare your situation to the then current price-performance situation being offered new customers with your provide and what you'd get if you switched back. Just the threat, properly applied, will usually get you concessions. Remember they have people there whose only job is to "handle you" offering whatever they have to to keep you from switching if it doesn't exceed the current level of price-performance.
I have also used Wild Blue as a "non computer techie" friend had it installed a few months ago and I helped him get everything set up. If I were getting SATCOM for my computer I would go by cost. Whoever got me the equipment installed and running for the least $ would get my business because, once again, there is no real difference in the two. They both usually work OK and they both screw up now and again.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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Bird
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: Pat]
04/15/08 10:26 AM
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Pat, for 5 years down in the country, I had DirecTV (actually provided by Pegasus) and, yes, I had to call quite a number of times, but got things resolved each time. But this time when Dish quit working right and I called, the guy I talked to decided I needed a new remote and he'd send me one, but it would cost me. Now I don't know much about this equipment, but I definitely know enough to know that the problem was the receiver, not the remote. When it happened before, they had to send me a new receiver and I had to pay "shipping and handling" charges. And the new receiver came with instructions that were completely wrong; not even in the ballpark, but eventually the young lady I talked to on the phone had me try various and sundry different things until we found one that worked. So this time I told the guy I wasn't spending any more money to make their equipment work, since I've been paying for their "America's everything" highest priced package anyway. He said that was the only thing he could do so I told him I guessed it was time for me to change providers and he said he was sorry I felt that way.
So I changed providers. I'm gettin' off to a bad start with DirecTV, but this time I'd have to admit it's my own fault.  When I ordered DirecTV, I did not include the High Definition option because our old TVs wouldn't work on that anyway. But then Sunday, we went shopping, lost our minds, and bought 2 new LCD HDTVs. So I called DirecTV and the lady said to change the order at that late a date would mean to cancel the order, start over with a new order, and a new installation date. But she suggested just letting the installer go ahead with the installation and then order the High Definition. Like a dummy, I assumed we were talking about some kind of "add on"; didn't know it's a different dish, different receiver, different cables, etc. 
The installer was a nice kid who did not have any HD equipment with him, called someone to see if he could go pick it up and install it and was told to just go ahead the standard installation and then for me to call and order the HD. The HD "upgrade" is supposedly $128.95 and they said that charge will show on the bill, but then a credit will cancel it out, so it won't cost me anything, but it'll be the 24th before they get back out here with the HD equipment. 
Like I said, my ignorance, my fault, and us changing TVs, but so far at least it appears that DirecTV wants to help and that's more than I can say for Dish.
But overall, yep, I think you're about right; probably not a big difference in them; just depends on which individual you get when you call.
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Pat
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: Bird]
04/16/08 12:07 PM
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Bird, You hit the nail on the head a couple times: 1. Yes, I'm right and 2. it matters which moron you talk to.
Realizing #2 above, when things go poorly and you don't think you are getting what you need that is reasonable to expect then just thank the bozo you are talking to on the phone and call back, hoping to get someone who can help you. This is true for both Dish and DirecTV.
A little late now but it may have been better to say OK cancel and reschedule.
Now as to the reply you made to my "Magic" comment...
No, you are not being singled out. The comment pretty much applies universally to everyone. The threshold where technology blurs into magic may be different for different folks but like juggling little balls, no matter how good of a juggler you may be there is an upper limit to the number of balls you can juggle.
Consider the hrair limit (See "Watership Down" or Google it) the limit for rabbits is 4 and for humans it is 7 plus or minus 2. Few functional individuals exceed the range indicated. So whether you rate a 6 and someone else an 8, you both can be put into cognitive overload.
Pat
"I'm not from your planet, monkey boy!"
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Clint
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Re: Making the move to country life
[re: Pat]
04/20/08 12:49 PM
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nicole, welcome to rural living. if you are surrounded by trees, ignore this won't work for you, but we also live out in the country (not as close to the middle of nowhere as Pat) and i found an internet service provider that offers high speed internet over wi-fi. his antenna is over the hill and about 5 miles from me. i get excellent speeds (2mb up and down) for $50/month.
we've also been w/ dish for over 5 years and have had no problems, ever.
definitely go for the chickens. easy maintenance you'll love eating healthy eggs. a year ago, my wife picked up some chickens, a while later, i came home from work to two nigerian dwarf goats - now we have 5 goats and a pony to go w/ our 5 cats and 3 dogs. we have two neighbors w/i 1/2 mile and that's perfect for me. if my 5 y.o. son wanders outside before i'm ready, i don't worry that he'll get hit by a car speeding through the neighborhood or snatched by a nutjob. i do worry that he'll terrorize the animals though.
si vis pacem para bellum
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