I've always had this daydream about purchasing a large stretch of land
in Canada and building a small house there or acquiring an existing
one). This would be a holiday home of sorts. It should be in complete
solitude; specifically, I do not wish to have a large, noisy, polluted
city anywhere nearby. A small town not too far away would be nice for
groceries shopping etc. The land should include a lake and a forest,
or parts of these, since I would like to have the house on the bank of
the lake and the whole thing surrounded by forest.
There are two reasons I'm finally deciding to do something about this
fantasy, which I've had for many years: 1) Land may be getting scarce
due to population rise, so it might be better to grab some now. 2) I
heard that land in the Canadian wilderness can be remarkably cheap.
I live in Austria and have trouble envisioning the size of an estate
in acres (or even hectares, admittedly), but in any case I would like
complete privacy; I do not want to see, hear or smell any signs of
civilization while on the estate. It would have to be large enough in
order for this to be possible. This may sound misanthropic, but all I
want is some idyllic peace and quiet; a repose from the loud, busy
city life I'm subjected to on a daily basis.
It should be warm enough to bathe in the summer.
If I am able to find some land I can afford, I might buy it now and
not move there until I can further afford to build (or repair) a house
and actually live there.
French-speaking Quebec would not be a problem, since I have learned
French in school and can polish it up if necessary.
In summary, this is not a traditional "question" but more of a request
for any information, general or specific, that would benefit me in the
realization of this dream.
Note that the $50 I am putting up for this question is just for
starters. With this money I wish to purchase your thoroughness rather
than your speed. You can even answer me in a month or more, but I need
for you to conduct intense research on this matter, as it will be an
investment for life. If additional funds are required, then of course
I can put up more. Just let me know how much. |
Clarification of Question by
rowl-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 02:25 PST
In addition: if you know of a different country which can offer me a
similar option, then of course I am open to considering it. However, I
would rather not live on USA territory.
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Request for Question Clarification by
leader-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 07:09 PST
Hello rowl-ga:
This wold be an interesting research as I myself cinducted some
research on this issue. A good thing is that the lands in cnadian
wilderness are cheap. But may I ask you what size you will consider
appropriate (in acres), so I can start further research. Thanks.
Sincerely,
leader-ga
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Clarification of Question by
rowl-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 08:40 PST
Hi,
As I have no experience whatsoever buying land, it is very difficult
for me to make an estimation. I would like to have a lot of privacy
and a lot of space to roam. How does 250 - 500 acres sound? How much
would it cost? (I'm not rich!) Remember, I would like to have a forest
and a lake in close proximity. Additionally, I would prefer it if the
land were not completely flat; mountain-terrain attracts me very much,
visually.
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Request for Question Clarification by
umiat-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 08:45 PST
Hi, rowl,
You have a wonderful dream and one that is certainly worth pursuing.
Having lived in true wilderness myself for ten years of my life
(Alaska), I can tell you to "go for it" wholeheartedly.
There is one matter you need to consider, however. If you are really
talking about true wilderness, where you will have no human contact,
you are talking about parcels that will either require float plane
access (on a lake large enough to land one), small airstrip access
(that you will have to build yourself or share with others in a nearby
"town", or be able to drive, which is not the complete wilderness you
want.
If you want to be able to drive, or drive into a town for groceries,
you can still have a great semblance of wilderness living without
hearing or seeing people most of the time. But for access, and
groceries, you will need to have some sort of "civilization" nearby.
Having a house, or cabin, on the bank of a lake without seeing anyone
may be harder than you think, if you require easy access.
One other thing......I don't think, in fact I know, you will not find
water close to resembling "warm" in the way you are envisioning! I say
that with a big smile, and memories of bathing in "warm" lakes even in
the summer!
Anyway, some food for thought. If you can define what parameters you
are willing to live with, or without, then I would love to help you!
One other thing......If you buy a parcel without an existing "house,"
then think about whether you are willing to build your own log cabin.
(It isn't as hard as you might think) If not, you will have to
transport lumber and materials, and that requires a decent road or
river travel.
What a great dream, that can definitely be a reality!
One thing that would definitely help is for you to look at a Canadian
map and pinpoint some areas that look interesting. Even if you don't
know what they look like, you can see if there are roads, rivers,
lakes, and small towns in the area. Also, you should try to define how
far North you are willing to live, since it only get's colder!
umiat
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Clarification of Question by
rowl-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 08:48 PST
I've just had another thought. If the land surrounding my land was a
natural reservation, and nothing could be built there, then I would
not need to buy as much land since it would not be possible for other
people to build anything there. You might want to check to see whether
this is a plausible option. If so, I suppose that even as little as
100 acres would suffice.
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Clarification of Question by
rowl-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 09:01 PST
Hi umiat,
Thank you so much for your words.
I have actually considered the option of buying a small airplane, but
seriously doubt I would be able to afford this anytime soon. (Correct
me if I'm wrong.) Access by car sounds fine, especially since I could
probably get away with having neither insurance nor a driver's
license, if I were to drive only on those forlorn roads from my estate
to the nearest small town. (Again, correct me if I'm mistaken about
this.)
Regarding warm water, I have actually swum in lakes near Montréal
which were wonderfully warm in the summer; roughly 65 degrees
Fahrenheit or so.
As for building a log cabin, that sounds terriffic! While I haven't
any experience in "rough" work, this is a great excuse to begin. I
could probably round up a few friends to help.
Thanks again for all your tips; they are quite helpful.
rowl
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Request for Question Clarification by
umiat-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 09:24 PST
rowl,
At this point, you probably need to define a "specific" aspect of
your question that you would like a researcher to pursue. I am willing
to work with you, but I need something very specific to research for
you. If you want a general answer of ideas to consider, such as I
provided in my clarification, that is one approach. Otherwise, you
need to define something specific for a researcher to pursue.
Yes....there are some warm lakes...but again, a lake near Montreal
would not be anything close to the wilderness you desire. How far away
from civiliazation do you need to be to consider it wilderness?
Also, consider the amount you have posted for an answer. For the fee
you have proposed, you need some specific questions highlighted which
will provide the initial "start" in your quest toward realizing your
dream.
If you can refine your question to a few specifics, that would be
great!
umiat
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Clarification of Question by
rowl-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 09:35 PST
Hi,
The lake I swam in is not in the "wilderness", since it is surrounded
by holiday houses and some public buildings. However, there might be
wilderness on the same latitude line, where the climate is as warm.
I suppose what I primarily need is for someone to research all offers
on land that matches my descriptions, look into them, find out whether
they are plausible solutions for me, and present me with a detailed
comparison of these offers so that I can fly over and have a look. Any
other advice on how to go about realizing my quest, such as the advice
you have already posted, is of course more than welcome.
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Request for Question Clarification by
umiat-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 09:41 PST
rowl,
I firmly believe you would be better of dealing with a Canadian
real-estate agency on this question. It is unrealistic to expect that
researcher would delve into all the real estate listing within the
provinces that match parts of your criteria, find out the costs, call
the agents to see if they are still available, and provide a detailed
report and analysis. If you want an answer concerning agencies to
contact online, or a few examples of wilderness parcels that match
some of your criteria, that would be more realistic. Otherwise, what
you have proposed would be more along the lines of working with a paid
consultant over a lengthy period of time.
umiat
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Clarification of Question by
rowl-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 10:31 PST
OK, thanks for the tip. I shall do that. Thanks again for all that
valuable advice, too.
Should I "close the question" now? Would this cancel my $50 payment?
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Request for Question Clarification by
umiat-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 10:47 PST
Yes, you can contact the editors and close the question. You will not
have to pay for anything other than the .50 listing fee!
Good luck.
umiat
a tip....do a basic Google search for "Canadian real estate" or
Canadian lake real estate, and you can come up with some ideas!
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Clarification of Question by
rowl-ga
on
12 Mar 2003 11:28 PST
Thanks. I'm going to make a new post on Google Answers now based on
Imnop's advice in the Comments section below. You are welcome to
comment and/or answer it if you wish.
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