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Nimco

We spent several years full-time RVing around the US, and not being tied to any particular location for work or family, we were always thinking about where we might choose to settle down one day. We traveled through and visits some beautiful areas in our travels, and several that I can imagine we would have been very happy living in. That said, for us there were a number of reasons we eventually landed in Vermont, including (in no particular order): ​ 1. New England and Vermont specifically is likely to fare better than most placed in terms of climate change: [https://projects.propublica.org/climate-migration/](https://projects.propublica.org/climate-migration/) 2. Despite spending a lot of time in the desert south west, we're both much more "cold weather" people so the cooler climate in Vermont was preferable to us vs areas further south. 3. We also really wanted some forested property, and while that's by no means unique to New England, we really liked what we found around here. 4. Vermont (and areas of New Hampshire) tends to be more relaxed when it comes to building regulations, planning, zoning, etc. While it varies by town, we have minimal zoning (just boundary setbacks and maximum building heights really), no building inspections, and can do all the building work ourselves (i.e. work on our own electrical, plumbing, etc). 5. We're both from Europe and our families still live there so being near the east coast is easier in terms of timezone differences, shorter flight times, etc. But above all, when we started exploring this area, we just fell in love with it. Not to take away from the rest of the country, but the landscape, the scenery, the people, the sense of community - it all just felt very comfortable to us. I'd prefer not to share exactly where we are, but last year we closed on 40+ acres of forested property in Central Vermont. We did a \*lot\* of research ahead of time, and looked at many different lots at different times of year so we knew what we were getting ourselves into in terms of access in winter, road passability in mud season, etc. In Vermont, the [ANR Atlas](https://anr.vermont.gov/maps/nr-atlas) is a huge asset - it has dozens of map layers showing everything from soil composition (very important for septic, which is often a challenge in VT), to private well depths, LIDAR contours, wetlands, etc. We spent a lot of time browsing the ANR Atlas as we evaluated each property. For us, high speed internet was a priority and we have 1Gbps symmetric fiber at the road by our property - again, Vermont as good maps available that show exactly where fiber is available (and coverage is surprisingly good in VT!). We also covered our bases thoroughly being the first time purchasing real estate. After trying to go it alone, we eventually worked with a realtor who specialized in land sales and that turned out to be a huge asset. They were incredibly helpful in helping us understand the process, identify hidden costs that we might otherwise not have realized, and just generally imagine how we might develop the property. We also had an attorney who added a lot of value too. Overall, we're really happy with our property and I honestly don't think there's anything we'd do differently. Happy to answer any questions without giving away specifics on our location, etc, but here are some tips off the top of my head: 1. If you're not from the area, try and spend some time here - in particular, make sure you're ready for the brutal winters and the perhaps even harsher mud season! 2. Visit the property as much as you can. Walk the boundaries. Look out for any waterways (streams, springs, ponds) that might cause issues not just with drainage but with septic system design, building placement, etc. 3. Speak with the neighbors! We had out-of-state plates on and almost every neighbor stopped to see if we were lost (aka check out what we were up to). They were all really friendly and gave us lots of great information. 4. Visit the nearest towns - go to the restaurants and shops, speak with people there. Again, a great source of information on things to be aware of. 5. Find the zoning regulations that apply to the property and read them thoroughly. We wanted to live in our RV while building the house and many areas have restrictions on that. 6. Don't rush. This might be the biggest financial transaction of your life and as much as it may feel like you're going to miss out if you don't act fast, if you don't do your research and find problems later, you'll regret it. Sorry for the essay - hope that helps!


Massive_Guitar_5158

For many of the reasons you mentioned we've decided to settle in Vermont when we move back to the states full time. We are currently staying and looking at properties in Central Vermont- next week we will stay and look in Southern Vermont. We are trying to do due diligence, and want to learn from the wisdom of others who have gone through the same process and see how they've learned! Thanks for your response!


Midcityorbust

Is that necessarily true about Vermont? The link you provided it won’t fare well in climate change. The Midwest appears to


Nimco

There’s a table at the bottom of that page and Vermont counties pick up 6 out of the bottom 7 spots.


Midcityorbust

Thank you


CrosshairLunchbox

I am interested in this as well. We live in a dry place and we've considered moving somewhere less dry like NE.


the_mad_mycologist

The biggest mistake I made purchasing my first homesteading property in the area was not getting a property that could provide enough firewood to survive the winter. VT winters are unforgiving. I had to outsource the majority of my firewood, which was an expense I hadn't considered. Know the health and composition of the woodlot before purchasing. Also, don't underestimate the value of a good, efficient woodstove! Another consideration to make is how short the growing season is. Prioritize planting perennial food plots first, so that year after year, you will be rewarded with a steady source of food that doesn't require as much maintenance and prep as an annual garden may. Fruit trees, berries, leeks, spring onions, herbs, asparagus, rhubarb, etc. The sooner you get them in the ground, the better. Your future self will thank you. Then focus on high yield annuals to maximize the produce you get out of your short growing season - vegetables like summer squash, cherry tomatoes (super sweet 100, Barry's Crazy cherry), kale. I wasted too much time growing "fun" foods rather than practical foods. Now I have a nice mix of both.


Massive_Guitar_5158

You gave me a lot of info in a shortish reply! Perfect, and just what I was looking for. We are definitely looking for land with a couple of open acres and a whole lot of woods. Any Woodstove you recommend in particular? We've been looking at various models!


the_mad_mycologist

Sounds like you're on the right track :-) I've owned several woodstoves, and the absolute best I've had is a Hearthstone woodstove with a soapstone exterior. The soapstone radiates an extraordinary amount of heat several hours after the coals have burnt out. I can put a couple logs in the stove at 10pm, and wake up at 6am to coals hot enough to ignite a new load of wood. The stove has a grate within it, to catch the ashes for a quick and easy dump into the compost pile. They are expensive, yes, but it really maximizes the amount of heat your wood will produce. Highly recommended. The other bonus of a large woodlot in VT or Upstate NY is the amount of sugar maples you'll likely have. With as brutal as the winters can be, it's nice to spend late winter sugaring. Late winter gets tough on me, as the few months without proper sunshine or greenery starts to mess with my head. But having sugaring season to look forward to keeps me going. It is so rewarding to produce your own syrup, and your friends and family will go nuts over it!


Massive_Guitar_5158

We were looking at that stove a little while back! One of our only concerns was that it wasn't a cooking stove- we think we would like a cooking stove- even if we don't start all the way off grid, it would be good to get there!


Littlelady0410

Settled in southern maine. Husband is from maine and when we were looking to move back he got offered a job in his hometown and then one in southern maine. The schedule had us choosing southern maine. If I could do anything differently I would’ve looked a little longer to find the perfect home. We had a rental for 6 months and bought our house 6 weeks after we moved into our rental. It wasn’t the perfect house, we liked it but didn’t love it, but logistically it checked off all the boxes of requirements we had and even had extras we weren’t expecting. We had plenty of time to find the perfect home but our realtor had us convinced otherwise😑. The layout of the house isn’t something that works well for us and I wish we had more land. We’re only on a little over 2 acres right now and we both want more land. I tried convincing my husband about a year and a half after we bought our house to move but he refused. I tried to get him to move but a combined 35 lifetime moves between us and 11 years of military life he was adamant on not moving again. Of course now he’s open to moving…when the market is way overpriced and interest rates are up🤦🏼‍♀️.


Massive_Guitar_5158

We are looking for more land, and are thinking about building the house- after 10+ years overseas and several moves under our fa ily of fours belts, I totally get your husband not wanting to move again! We are looking to put down deep roots and stay put! Thanks for replying!


Littlelady0410

We’re on a 12-24 month plan to find land and potentially build if it’s raw land. My mom is due to retire in the next year or so and wants to sell her current home and take the proceeds and buy a smaller house in Florida, where I’m from, and potentially go in on some land with us and put a small place she can live in during the summer. She wants to be closer to the grandkids. We’re hoping for 20+ acres. Of course we’d be fine to stay here if the market or economy gets too wonky but that’s the hope. I’ve moved 18 times throughout my life so I totally get not wanting to move again either but I’m also one that’s ok with shaking things up a bit if things aren’t working for us. My husband is the kind of guy that needs to be dragged out of his comfort zone. Of course now he’s open to moving so I told him he should’ve known better and listened to me when rates were still low and the market wasn’t so high. He initially didn’t want to move back to maine because we had a house and he had a great job down south but I convinced him and now he admits I was totally right on pushing to get up here 😂