Are You Happy With Your Home, Your Location, Your Surroundings and Your Neighbors?

SeaBreeze

SeaBreeze

Endlessly Groovin'
Location
USA
We have a small house in the suburbs with a big back yard and an open natural area behind us, no houses back there, cars or people...just some wildlife. We're lucky to have very nice neighbors, some of the houses in the neighborhood are rentals, even though some families change out now and then, the folks all seem to be quiet and respectful of each other. There are no loud railroad tracks, loud overhead planes, or smelly businesses nearby to negatively affect our quality of life. No fast traffic on our block. So all in all, we're pretty happy and plan to stay where we are for good.

Are you happy with your home and surroundings?
 

I don't really have a home, just a house. But it has a roof and heat and running hot and cold water, so I'm thankful for that.

Some half-grassed dirt in the back, a parking lot on the side and a ton of traffic flying by out front. Half-way houses across the street. Druggies and hookers up the street.

But I'm used to it - I DID grow up in NY! :playful:
 
Very happy. Location is ideal. Coastal road with a forest behind us and a sea loch in front. 1/2 acre. Quiet neighbours. I'd like a bigger kitchen but otherwise happy.

10 miles from small town but an hour and a half to Glasgow for shopping, culture, airport, major hospitals.

The only possible improvement would be weather but then if we had great weather we'd be overpopulated and even more tourists.

Yes we do escape the winters with cold rain and wind and short daylight hours.
 

SifuPhil said:
Umm ... er ... shed?

I thought, being the newest addition, I'd get the master bedroom. You DO have satellite TV and high-speed Internet, right? And home delivery of pizza?
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No way are you getting my beloved master bedroom with sea view! We quit Sky satellite as we object to paying Rupert Murdoch. Internet not bad but not yet high speed. It's been promised. Sorry we are semi rural. No home deliveries and there aren't any real pizza places in town. No fast food other than fish n chip shops.
 
Ameriscot said:
No way are you getting my beloved master bedroom with sea view! We quit Sky satellite as we object to paying Rupert Murdoch. Internet not bad but not yet high speed. It's been promised. Sorry we are semi rural. No home deliveries and there aren't any real pizza places in town. No fast food other that fish n chip shops.
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Oh ...

You know what? I just checked my lease - I can't get out of it for another 5 years. Sorry. :(

*brings his parrots back inside*
 
SeaBreeze said:
We have a small house in the suburbs with a big back yard and an open natural area behind us, no houses back there, cars or people...just some wildlife. We're lucky to have very nice neighbors, some of the houses in the neighborhood are rentals, even though some families change out now and then, the folks all seem to be quiet and respectful of each other. There are no loud railroad tracks, loud overhead planes, or smelly businesses nearby to negatively affect our quality of life. No fast traffic on our block. So all in all, we're pretty happy and plan to stay where we are for good.

Are you happy with your home and surroundings?
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We have a 1700 sq ft house on the edge of a large city. The yards are moderate size and easy to keep up. We've lived here 20+ years and know the neighbors..it's a quiet neighborhood. The location is perfect for us..it's not too far to mountains, ocean or whatever. The weather is excellent all year. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else..so that's saying something. :)
 
I'm very happy where I am, and feel extremely lucky for the way things fell into place in this phase of my life.

In partnership with one of my cousins, I was buying a small market up in the Sierra Nevada foothills as well as a small cabin situated within walking distance from the store. Four years later some serious medical problems made it impossible for me to work. Here's where the luck came in - my partner found someone to buy my half of the store and I put a sizable chunk of it toward the home loan. My son assumed the remainder of the loan. I get to live here for as long as I can, then my son gets the cabin to rent out, sell, or use as a vacation home. The cabin is comparable to a "tiny house" except that my bedroom, a fairly recent addition, is huge. The original bedroom is a small but pleasant guest bedroom. It even has a tiny basement that has electricity! It's perfect for me.

There are some real "mountain folk" here, men in kilts, Native Americans, Wiccans, Pagans, biker dudes, and lots of aging hippies...all of them whom I have met are wonderful people. Other wildlife includes deer, owls, a white wolf that shows up now and then, gorgeous hummingbirds, and we're in the path of an annual Sphinx Moth migration. I have snowy winters and hot summers, am within 20 miles of pine forest mountains to the north and a well developed city to the southwest. For me, someone who prefers to live small, it's a dream come true.
 
I live in a small village on the other side of Scotland to Ameriscot. My village has barely changed in size since it was founded 250 years ago. It was originally built to manufacture a coarse cloth called Osnaburg for the slave trade. Sorry to say that considerable wealth in this area did come from that trade. Anyway, that didn't work out, but the village flourished with a wide variety of trades and professions eg The souter (shoe maker), squarewright (carpenter), book binder, merchant and even a surgeon.

Now all that has gone - the 2 churches, the school, the shops, the inn - all gone as people have the ability to travel to find work.
My house dates from the 1830's and is built from locally quarried stone. It has a secure feel to it with walls up to 30" thick.
The village is quiet ( except for the odd helicopter goin to/from the oil rigs) and most people know one another.

The real downside is that small rural villages don't get a lot of money spent on them. The bus service has been reduced, there's little chance of getting high speed broadband - even the local health centre has virtually closed because they couldn't get doctors. So, we have to travel to the shops, the doctor, the dentist, the library etc..

On the other hand, we live in the countryside (but close to the sea), the air is clear and fresh and if you know the right person to ask, you can get just about anything you need. The quality of food available is top quality - and we're just on the edge of the malt whisky producing area.

If I move, it will be because as I get more ancient, it would be better to be near to ameanities such as the doctor.
 
Although we live in a "trailer park", we are very comfortable and have some great neighbors. The houses are close, but our place has a canal and woods behind us. There are just over 500 units in our community and very little crime. When an emergency does come in the park, we know that someone is usually in health trouble.
 
I live in a fantastic area, visitors envy me, there's much to love about it, but, I'm tempted to move for a variety of reason, not being happy about where I live isn't really the reason in and of itself. I have access to so much quiet enough most of the time surrounded by beaches and a multitude of cultural activities, a place where seniors feel alive and seem to live life to the fullest.
 
Wow, that sounds like a great area, April.

I am happy with my house and yard, even though it is a rural area, I like the peace and quite and I do most of my shopping online now.
 
We live out in the boondocks, on 40 acres of heavy hardwood forest. There are perhaps 20 families living within a mile, or two. Our neighbors are all great, and the environment is very clean and quiet...the sole exception being a bit of dust from the gravel road. We have several deer and other critters that roam the area, and the neighbors cute little beagle that visits with us most days when they are at work The nearest town, 3 miles away, has all the necessities, and we are probably no more than 40 miles from several other towns that have virtually anything we might need. It's a bit inconvenient sometimes, but the rewards outweigh any disadvantages. Our health has improved with this healthy environment, and plenty of physical activity taking care of the place. I'm sure the day will come when age dictates that we need to move to a more central area, but hopefully that day is years away.

The house is about 2400 sq. ft, over a full basement/garage, with 4 bedrooms and 3 baths....plenty of room for the kids and grandkids when they come to visit. My wife loves to sew/quilt, and has converted one of the bedrooms to her hobby room. I also have a nice 900 sq. ft. workshop/garage a few yards from the house for the tractor, mowers, and tools, etc...where I spend most of my time, or in the yard/forest on good weather days. On balance, this has been a great place to retire, and we take a 2 or 3 day break about once a month to go to the city and visit the kids and casinos....and a couple of days back in that hectic environment makes this place look pretty good.
 
We live on a cul-de-sac off of another cul-de-sac, so the neighborhood is great for kids in that there's virtually no traffic. Very safe. House is modest, the first one we ever bought. Our starter home. We've made improvements over the years and it's comfortable. Wish we had a larger kitchen, but it's fine for the two of us. Wish it had an alternative heat source (we're all electric), but there's no gas lines on our street and the builder refused to do oil at the time. Neighbors are mostly fine. Only one annoyance: A miniature dachshund across the street that barks like a field at everything. Owners are oblivious to it. My wife want to get one of those electronic devices that are used for training that we can aim over there when the dog starts yapping since the neighbor won't do anything to silence the dog.

I'll miss this house, but can no longer take the winters here. I think we'll be gone from here in the next year or two.
 
Mine's okay. People who've seen it remark on the clever and efficient use of space and how "cute" it is. Neighborhood is fine, neighbors nice. Wish there was just a little more separation from daughter's house but that's not possible. Would have liked the sitting room and bedroom each a foot wider and a foot longer. That wasn't doable, either, so here I am in Lilliput. Also wish I had a screened porch.

However...wish in one hand, sh*t in the other and see which one gets full first:D

I do have free reign to plant flowers in an enormous back yard. That's a plus, and it's pretty in spring/summer/fall.
 
I am very happy with my home and location. The beach, mountains, and even New York City are within easy reach. My husband and I have always lived within a 50 mile radius of where we were born. Today that is almost unheard of. When I was very small the family would take day trips,we always drove through my little town to get to PA for a picnic. Even at that young age I loved going through this town. I'm not sure why, maybe because it was so quaint and seemed inviting. Little did I know that I would marry, and I hope, spend the rest of my life here.
 
PFFFFT, sigh....where do I begin? This house is probably more than a hundred years old. Still has original insulation and boiler. In the 50's or 60's three guys named Nunzio came in and moved the staircase and added an upstairs bedroom. I think they used plaster and old pizza boxes...then put stucco over that. The electrical used to be above the basement ceiling in a big ball.

Yup you put the microwave on at the wrong moment and you blow out blocks around. Asbestos and mold in the basement. I could be packed to move in two weeks. But the land is worth a lot. The house would be condemned but if they level it the land is a good neighborhood...well except for the few drive by's down the way. Somebody would be crazy enough to buy it.
 
I live in an overbuilt suburb of Melbourne---units, flats, houses, even birds, all fighting for space (Haven't seen a fox for a long time, but a mother duck with ducklings braved the road and paid a visit).
Can be pretty noisy here: Neighbors engaged in discussions in various languages--Greek, Laotian, German, Chinese, Indian, Portuguese (Brazil), and more.
The neighborhood has always been friendly.
There is easy access to a shopping mall by bus, car, or on foot; the train to Melbourne or elsewhere only a few blocks away.
I'll never move, even if I were offered a beautiful home or mansion in the nearby hills. :cool2:
 
Susie, my husband's brother and his family live in Yarraville in one of those cute houses with the ironwork on the front. They love it. They've been there about 35 years.
 


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