By Analeese Burnabaker
One of my lifelong dreams has been to own and live on a farm. I think my dream began when I visited my grandparents farm frequently during my formative years. I would spend all of my summers helping out my grandma and grandpa on their chicken farm. My family lived in a large city, so I guess I loved the escape and the fresh air that a farm provided. Ever since childhood I have dreamed of selling my home and moving my writing career and my own family onto a farm.
If you dream of living on a farm, take time to really think through the idea before you up and sell your house. For a while I was convinced that my husband and I could sll our house and then just take a drive into the country and end up with the house of our dreams. Fortunately for the health and life of our family, I never actually went through with my crazy ideas and moved to the country.
If you are serious about moving to a farm, your first step should be to learn all you can about live on a farm and about the real estate options that are in your area. Make sure you have a realistic perspective on what living on a farm will really be like. Find a working farm and make plans for your family to visit it and work the farm for a day or for a week. You may be surprised to learn all that goes in to living and working on a farm. You may find that it isn't all the fun and bliss that it is cracked up to be. So please, please don't jump into a commitment with a farm that is over your head.
Meeting with someone in real estate can also be a wise move when you're thinking of moving to a farm. Talking with a professional about the market for farms in your area is a great way to get a good picture of the market available. You can also look online for farms that are available in your area. The important thing is to research and learn.
If you have children that would be moving with you, make sure you take time to sit down with your kids and teach them about the realities of life on a farm. Make sure they know what kind of commitment your family is making and be sure that they are really willing to make the farm work. Sometimes children have the perspective that a farm will be all fun and playing with animals.
Living on a farm can be a great thing. It can also be a horrible thing depending on your expectations going in. So get informed and then make a wise decision for everyone involved.
About the Author: Analeese Burnabaker is an advisor to people thinking of making huge life changes. Moving to a farm is such a change. See www.allfarm.info before you make a move to the farm.
Source: www.isnare.com
