It took us a year to find property that was just right for us for our Yellow Bird Flying adventure.
After evaluating hundreds of parcels using Google Earth Pro and a combination of Zillow and Redfin, we focused on the states of Kentucky, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
Then it was a series of epic road trips to narrow down the parcel choices, followed by working with real estate agents in the three states.
All three states offered areas that met our criteria, but ultimately, the Lexington, Kentucky area won. With the help of Kelly Karls, our excellent real estate agent, we attempted to purchase several properties.
The Deal that Wasn’t
This land had a beautiful hilltop view and a barn with a driveway and power already built on it. There was a second generation, three-person family to negotiate price with, which turned out not to be an issue.
The problem was the seller’s real estate agent.
This agent was unavailable for questions or really any type of communication to the point that when we did send a formal bid for the property, she never called our agent back (although Kelly tried many times to reach out), and they ended up selling the property for less than our cash offer.
Red Roof House
The was more land than we needed and had a small house on it. The house appeared to be a benefit because we could have lived there and expanded the home to meet our needs. But, after a thorough inspection, we found major structural problems with the house.
We went as far as obtaining builder quotes to repair the structural issues, but the owner wasn’t willing to move on price, even when presented with the problems and costs involved with repair.
So we moved on.
Farm
At almost 150 acres, this property was beautiful, the owner was friendly, and we agreed on a price.
Everything was looking good until I looked into putting in a new driveway across the stream that encircled the property. The original crossing had been built for large farm equipment, was in bad shape, and wasn’t usable for vehicles like SUVs or cars.
Kentucky’s government system is run very efficiently through its 120 counties, each of which is directly connected to its state government. After one phone call to the county, they connected me to the state engineer, who let me know that what appeared to be a stream while we were looking at it transformed into a raging river every spring.
To span the river, we’d need to build a small highway-style bridge, which would cost at least $150,000. The engineer was very friendly and helpful, and his logic for the need of the bridge made perfect sense:
I don’t want to have to send a helicopter every spring to rescue you and your wife.
Sugar Hill
At 20 acres, with two 110-foot tall hills and a 25-minute drive to Lexington, this turned out to be the perfect place for us.
The views are beautiful–seemingly like we are in the middle of nowhere. It’s quiet. The people are very friendly, and there is great year-round weather.
And when you want town or city life, including every imaginable type of shop and entertainment, there are multiple towns 10 to 15 minutes away in addition to Lexington. Plus, both Lexington to the south (25 minutes) and Newport to the north (45 minutes–part of metro Cincinnati) have award-winning hospitals.
Lexington has its own airport for domestic travel. For international travel, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is 45 minutes away with non-stop or one-stop service to Europe and Asia.
Must Haves–How We Did
| Rolling terrain | Yes |
| Good weather | Yes |
| Availability of water | City water |
| Reasonable distance to a city | 25 minutes |
| Reasonable land purchase price | Yes. Just over $9,000 per acre. |
| Low property taxes | Yes. Less than 1% (state, county, city). This is less than 25% of what we were paying. And you can tell taxes are being used to help the community. |
| Major airport access | Yes. Within 45 minutes to non-stop or one-stop flights to Europe and Asia. |
We signed the paperwork and completed the purchase!
House Design
Next time, we’ll share how we designed our house.
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