# 511 - Acreage - Top Ten Wish List

Years ago, when looking for acreage, I had a wish list of things I wanted. Honestly, I didn't think I would find two things on my list that I dreamed of having.

Here is the start of mowing as we moved here in May of 2013 as
our permanent residence.

Here is the way things are beginning to look, more recently.

Digging in, here is the Top Ten of my wish list items while looking for acreage:

1.  Approximately ten acres, but minimum of five acres
2.  Country setting, nothing industrial within view or near the acreage
3.  City utilities nice, but not likely, so it would just be a huge bonus
4.  Natural water source, of some sort
5.  Wooded land, not clear cut
6.  Preferably, not flat topography, but with some character
7. Within two hours drive to Houston
8.  Preferably out of Harris County and away from high taxes, insurance rates and the Gulf Coast
9.  Acreage must be able to accommodate some livestock
10. Privacy, the land must have some privacy; be laid out in a way that maximizes privacy

In many rural country areas, most gem-properties are not listed with agents. You have to actively search for them. Most rural properties are listed by the owner who sticks a sign out front, and you will only know it is for sale by actually driving past it or by word of mouth.

In the search for our acreage, Sgt. Dave and I had taken our girls for many drives through the country landscape, and we spent more time than I can log in our efforts to find that "perfect" property.

Once we found this land, I was thrilled to find that we had both electricity and water via local co-ops, but our acreage is still, by law, considered "rural" because it only has two out of five requirements to get out of the "rural" status. But, that's okay with us.

In fact, this property was so inaccessible as we tried to look at it to consider buying it, about 15 years ago, that we asked the previous owner to run a tractor or bulldozer to clear some of the perimeter so we could get imagery on the scope of the property, and he did.

And you should have seen the day that we discovered the creek with our daughters as we traipsed through the woods in flip flops; we were ga-ga over the clear, cool, beautiful creek!

Our creek...picturesque.

 However, the funny part of buying densely wooded, brush-entangled property was that, on closing day, we discovered our property directly led to a fantastic spring-fed lake.

The land had been too thick for us to make it to the lake, but after we purchased our property, it became our mission to find that lake, and we were not disappointed.

Our acreage was and is still heavily wooded, with rolling hills and could easily accommodate some livestock.

Plus, there were so many other bonuses that I couldn't keep track of. Unbelievably, we had found acreage that exceeded my wish list.

I am thankful to have a little slice of the earth to enjoy while we are graced with LIFE. Yes, it is great to love your home-base. To love where you are planted is a true gift. And, as I hear quite frequently from some friends and family members that not everyone loves the country life, but right now, I am savoring this chance to be in the midst of nature. Living a full-time city-style-life is certainly not appealing to me any longer.

Even the dirt boogers don't spoil this country lifestyle! But, it helps to be enjoying my acreage wish-list.