Which property would you pick?

[prosefullstop]

We've finally sold our city apartment, and have our eye on two country properties. The country place would be a weekend home initially, though we would move there full-time in a few years; horses would follow thereafter.

House Number One: 1870 house with three bedrooms, needs some superficial work inc. but not limited to new bathrooms and the transformation of a large porch into a proper insulated room. Has a gorgeous three-stall barn plus four acres of paddocks. Trail access obtained 1/10 of a mile down a busy road.

House Number Two: 1840 house with four bedrooms plus home office. Needs no interior work. Swimming pool D). Surrounded by horse farms with excellent facilities--shows, indoors etc.--and direct access to bridle trails, which means zero road riding. Four-stall barn plus sand riding ring BUT property is only on two acres total, with a lone 1.4 acre paddock.

The riding on a busy road, renovation work and being close to neighbours bothers me about the first one, and the lack of real turnout concerns me about house number two. Would you choose either of these properties? Keep looking?

I know it's hardly a problem. I pinch myself every day to be in such a fortunate position

 

[ISHmad]

Property Two for me provided you could get your hands on some extra land somehow. If not I'd keep looking.

 

[FairyLights]

Definately property 2.

 

[prosefullstop]

Property Two for me provided you could get your hands on some extra land somehow. If not I'd keep looking.

This is the difficulty. The property is an hour north of NYC, and all the properties in the area are 10- to 50-acre horse farms, crammed to the max with boarders. Unless I was to board a horse at one of them, which kind of defeats the purpose of having facilities at home, I wouldn't have access to extra grazing.

Tough one. Maybe we'll just keep looking.

 

[Sun]

Keep looking! you will find the right one eventually

 

[s4sugar]

Assuming, as you are looking at a place with a three stall barn, you want only two or three horses then property two.
An acre is large enough for turnout but you'll have to feed all year round.
Four acres will be enough to graze three horses for part of the year but you will have to maintain the paddocks etc.

 

[prosefullstop]

Assuming, as you are looking at a place with a three stall barn, you want only two or three horses then property two.
An acre is large enough for turnout but you'll have to feed all year round.
Four acres will be enough to graze three horses for part of the year but you will have to maintain the paddocks etc.

Most people over this way give hay/grain year round, anyway, as in most cases the grazing is not on a par with the UK's. We would only ever have two horses, ideally two Morgans so only in the 15hh range.

In six to eight years we'll have more funds for a bigger place, so this property wouldn't be for the long haul.

 

[prosefullstop]

Just to give some visual point of reference:

House Number One:

House Number Two:

 

[Brontie]

MM. Its a tricky one. Is Both an option? As they're both stunning!
Looks wise, i'ld go for Property 1. But practicality etc, property 2.

 

[Ali2]

2 for me

 

[prosefullstop]

MM. Its a tricky one. Is Both an option? As they're both stunning!
Looks wise, i'ld go for Property 1. But practicality etc, property 2.

If we do end up pursuing property number two, I shall be fetching my ladder and painting the place white. That wishy-washy exterior is heinous.

I would also do away with the sand ring to add a tad more grazing room. The current owners have kids with tiny ponies, but I couldn't imagine hauling a horse around such a small space.

 

[ISHmad]

My family, horses, dogs and myself are available for adoption... (Sorry Mum).

 

[MillionDollar]

Most definitely number 2! Looks and sounds fab

 

[MillionDollar]

If we do end up pursuing property number two, I shall be fetching my ladder and painting the place white. That wishy-washy exterior is heinous.

I would also do away with the sand ring to add a tad more grazing room. The current owners have kids with tiny ponies, but I couldn't imagine hauling a horse around such a small space.

Noooooooooooo! Don't get rid of the arena!!!!!!!! It will be a god send when the weather is bad..........you can turnout in there with hay Plus it will be useful for lunging and loose schooling!

 

[amandap]

I'd buy house 2 100% and put a track in for the horses. Grass is bad for them anyway! lol http://www.paddockparadise.com/

 

[gracey]

i love the sound of house no 1 is there much difference in the price? you could do the work to all your own taste and you have all the room you need ... good luck xxx

 

[prosefullstop]

My family, horses, dogs and myself are available for adoption... (Sorry Mum).

Can you cook, say I? Can you lob tennis balls, says my smallest doglet

 

[prosefullstop]

i love the sound of house no 1 is there much difference in the price? you could do the work to all your own taste and you have all the room you need ... good luck xxx

Yes, about $300k! The problem with house number one is that the current owner has spent so much money renovating the stables, clearing the land, and putting new electricals and central air in, that it is already at its maximum worth and it STILL needs work.

Also, people in this area pay a premium to be directly on the trails and avoid any hacking on roads. The trails are amazing. They're maintained by members to ensure that the footing is premium and that the cross-country jumps are in good order. That means any house on the trails is far easier to sell on.

We're off to see house number two again next week, so I'll take into consideration all the advice, particularly about the small turnout. I do like the idea of a Paddock Paradise, though. Might be worth a go

http://www.nsbta.org/NSBTA_Site/Welcome.html

 

[AngieandBen]

Definately 2; You can use all that lovely yard as turnout too, ideal for good feet!

 

[Booboos]

I've moved house with the horses 4 times now, each time renovating and moving on, so here's my collected wisdom!

Things you can change given time, patience and a bit of money:
- house too small: subject to planning this can always be sorted out and you usually get exactly what you want not someone else's idea!
- house ugly, bad repair, etc: one of the easiest things to sort out and then see above!
- no horse facilities: subject to planning it's very easy to put in stables, fencing, arena, etc. Again designing from scratch gets you exactly what you want. Don't hesitate to re-design access roads, entry gates, etc.

Things you cannot fix no matter what:
- poor hacking: with house no1 you would be risking your life on a busy road twice a day to get to and from hacks, this is simply not worth it! Horses being horses can always be unpredictable and you do not want to end up under the wheels of a car on a daily basis! Might also be even more dangerous if you are escorting novice riders or children.
- not enough land: I don't know your area, so I don't know how much you need, but too little land is a constant headache. It will get poached, the horses won't have enough to eat, you won't be able to get more animals if you want them, etc.

Overall I would buy neither house but go into rented and look for a better third option.

 

[headsupheelsdown]

Keep looking. The second one is nice but that is nowhere near enough property. Have you seen a lot of properties yet?

 

[soulfull]

2 for me too, as someone said as long as you don't mind feeding the land is plenty for turn out.

 

[mik]

I would keep looking, but if pushed Number two, as you say it is for short term and 2 naggies. However you could add value to number one, no? Best of luck.

 

[prosefullstop]

We've decided to keep looking.

There's a house near the two-acre one on five acres. It doesn't have horsey facilities, but it is classified as a horse property and is perfect in every way: house needs no work; flat, well-draining land; backs on to the best bit of the bridle trails (about twenty XC jumps in the field across from the house) and is about two minutes hacking from the area's biggest show facility. Only problem is, it's a bit out of our price range. We're going to viview it, anyway, so I'll keep you posted with any updates!

 

[luckilotti]

i'm glad you've decided to keep looking

what about going slightly further north upstate to see if you can get more land for your money?


(i keep thinking of buying some of the reallllly cheap houses in NY state to rent out, but not sure how rentable they are as they are so cheap to buy. My 'plan' was to buy one when i was over in CT and go over at weekends to 'do it up' ready to rent, but i ended up getting to busy with life in CT but i have to say.... i do still venture onto the CNY property site and have a look at them lol!)

 

[prosefullstop]

i'm glad you've decided to keep looking

what about going slightly further north upstate to see if you can get more land for your money?


(i keep thinking of buying some of the reallllly cheap houses in NY state to rent out, but not sure how rentable they are as they are so cheap to buy. My 'plan' was to buy one when i was over in CT and go over at weekends to 'do it up' ready to rent, but i ended up getting to busy with life in CT but i have to say.... i do still venture onto the CNY property site and have a look at them lol!)

This town is the maximum distance we would go from the city for commuting purposes (just over an hour on the train). Yes, you can definitely snag a bargain in NY state. We drove through Colombia County at the weekend and it is gorgeous there. And the Adirondacks, which is five hours north of the city, is a breathtaking region. I'm not sure about the rental market in these places, though.

How are the prices in the Lake Placid area?

Avoid like the plague certain towns in the Catskills, such as Monticello. The area has a high rate of poverty and is depressingly run down, despite its lovely natural beauty.