When we bought our land and old house out in the country we had such dead land that I very seldom found earthworms due to all the chemicals that had been used. It has been 10 years now and I am happy that our soil is coming back and the wildlife has been moving in (Except for the coyotes and fireants). We could make money letting people hunt on our property but do not. It is so wonderful to stand on the porch and watch all the birds, butterflies, etc. For several springs we had a doe that had twin fawns each spring. We would see her drink from our pond and then take off with her babies, jump the fence and go on her merry way. Unfortunate the past spring she did not come back so I suppose some of the people who own property on both sides of us must have taken "care" of her. There are feeders and stands in all the pastures that surround us. We keep out feed but I guess it was not enough. I was so excited last week to see some bluebirds drinking from one of my small water projects that I have in the back yard. They joined the cardinals, dove, many kinds of other birds that I have no clue as to what they are. This area is not a natural habitat for the blue birds but I sure do hope they stay. Gonna put them up a nesting box just in case. Patsy

No decision yet - it's still a possibility - they're in the reference checking stage. Ironically I was talking to someone I work with who relocated to KC a few years ago - asking more about where she lives. She lives in Liberty!! And another person I work with is thinking about relocating to KC - family from there. Of course I haven't talked to these people much as I would not want anyone thinking I'm leaving if I'm not. After my day today it couldn't happen fast enough - if it meant getting out of this rat race. I also posted something on the buying/selling houses forum. The idea of all that is a little disconcerting - more the buying than selling. I'd hate to buy, decide not to stay there long term, and then be stuck with a house I paid too much for. I'm thankful not to be in that situation now and really don't want to get in that predicament. I'd also be relucatant to rush into selling/buying until I was somewhat sure the whole job situation was going to work out. You know how you never know what you're really getting into until you're in it. I've been looking at the real estate listings - I found a few places with trees. Lakes and water are scarce though I saw a few bodies of water - nothing like the land of 10,000 lakes though. We have a lake cabin in MN which we would keep - and if "retired" I would probably spend a good part of the summer there. It's interesting to hypothesize about the change - I think I'm ready for one.

NC: I'll tell you after we close. :-) GreenDesigns: I've sold 3 houses in my life ($120K, 250K, 500K) and every single one of them was lengthy and difficult to sell, as they were all in down markets. I have no idea how long we'll be here. My average tenure in places is about 5 years, with job changes, but this may be different because I own a business here. I definitely won't retire here, though. I could think of it as a 5-year deal...food for thought. Geez that's a long time to live in a place you don't love. It's harder for me than for Mr. Weedy, who could live in a shack as long as it had a garage. Camlan: Building costs are ~$100/sf. Existing homes run in the $50-70/sf range for most. Even the high-end homes with acreage rarely go over $100/sf. So I think that route would be even less financially smart. cocontom: Yes, There's some good stuff (newer, spacious, nice finishes) that, from the photos, I think I could love. I obviously need to go inside to make sure, but there is some good housing stock to be had at pretty darn good prices (i.e.,

Thanks for that explanation, Mtn, and that seems to correlate with what's happening here in the Chicago area. This pandemic has unfortunately further divided the economic gap that existed before. With interest rates so low, paying over listing doesn't seem like such a risk. Also, in my area, many soon-to-be empty nesters are cashing out sooner than expected while the market is so strong. They're not anticipating it lasting until they're fully ready. So they're choosing to sell now and rent or downsize, and now they're competing with new buyers, etc., which adds fuel to the fire. New homebuyers are willing to take the risk, though, because they see themselves in it for the long haul. I closed on my current house in January. I had been researching the housing market around here for months. I secured my financing (which wasn't easy as a female home buyer--I went through 4 mortgage officers before one would work with me and my unique circumstances). When my current house came up for sale in November, it was surprisingly underpriced, for reasons I won't get into. Today, I could sell my home for more than I paid, but I'm going to stay for a while. It took a lot of legwork to get here, and I'm exhausted! I feel for anyone who's in the mess now. Mary_lu, yes, I would rent if I were in your situation. Friends of mine were in similar circumstances recently in which they sold very quickly. They didn't feel comfortable turning around and buying, so they're renting and taking their time. If you can find a place to rent, I think you'll be more confident in where you end up.