Our Land Purchase Experience

Where do you buy land for your dream home? Like Robin and myself, many log cabin fans are looking for a rural mountain experience. We moved to an apartment just outside Atlanta from Connecticut in 2005 and liked the southern climate and friendlier (except behind the wheel of a car) residents. We eventually bought a town house in Marietta and then began to consider a retirement home location. We took advantage of the ‘free weekend’ offers from real estate developers and looked at a number of mountain properties in Tennessee and Georgia. Last year, we finally found a property at the end of a cul de sac ridge in a Georgia Blue Ridge Mountain land development with gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains. There is also an accessible lake at the northern end of the development. I immediately envisioned myself sitting on the back porch with my early morning coffee gazing at nature’s majesty. The developer had repossessed the property from the original purchaser and offered it at a discounted price. We fell in love with the location and views. The property sold itself. We negotiated a lower price (now is the time to buy) and closed. God willing, in the not too distant future, I will be walking the numerous roads and cul de sacs in my development and experiencing both the physical and mentally uplifting benefits. I also plan on acquiring a canoe. I’m not a fisherman but you can’t let a beautiful lake go to waste.

The area surrounding our property is still quite rural. The three top industries are logging, cattle and chickens. Our property is located in the metropolis of Ranger, a ‘Georgia Pioneer City.’ That means the 2000 census results were 85 citizens and 44 households. I haven’t bothered to find out the latest update. The current downtown strip surprisingly includes a post office along with an antique store, a small industrial business and a few deserted buildings. If you don’t love nature like me, you might become a little bored. However, there is a more developed region to the east, about a half hour drive, which includes a Super Walmart, restaurants and other retail signs of civilization. If Walmart is there, you know that the experts expect the population to continue to grow. With the continuing influx of retiree imports like ourselves, even Ranger may eventually support a McDonalds.

Ranger is only an hour drive north from Marietta which in turn is only a twenty minute drive (non rush hour) from downtown Atlanta. Ranger may be in the boondocks but the city is within a reasonable distance. Although not so important to me, you don’t have to give up the benefits of city entertainment and social activities.

In any case, now is the time to buy. Don’t wait until the economy recovers. If you’re a nature lover like me, I recommend the southern Appalachians. There will be some occasional snow in the winter but I won’t mind. I’ll have that fireplace cranking. Spring arrives early and the Falls are just as colorful as up north. My bottom line recommendation: fall in love with a property like we did and take the plunge.