Acreage properties -Opinions

Hi,
I am new here, really impressed by the wisdom shared on this forum by so many real estate enthusiasts and professionals. Can anyone share the good, bad and ugly of living in acreage properties in the outskirts of big metropolitans like Sydney, Melbourne etc?

 

Thanks Y-man. This is super helpful. We are not looking for necessarily sub-divisible land etc. If it happens, it's good but not the main idea. Which suburb are you in? My objective for this post is to know the reality before signing up for the hassle of maintaining a large property. How much work is needed in maintaining the tennis courts, swimming pools, trimming the trees, lawn mowing etc.

 

Buying small acreage hoping zones will change is futile.
The CGT exemption is limited to 1HA
Maintenance costs and time can be a major issue. eg ride on takes a few hours. Fencing, water, fire hazards, snakes etc

If you have kids you will realise how far away you live when they need to go places and get picked up.

 

Acreage homes do seem to offer a lot on the surface and good value for money too as you already pointed out Y-man. Obviously your friends must like that lifestyle hence why they're moving to another similar property. Have you heard of any negatives from them?

 

Thanks for your input Paul. I understand the CGT exemption is not allowed but given we are only talking of an acreage, it's alright I guess. How often these things need to be taken care of- fencing, water, fire hazards etc.? Does it really weigh on the mind that much more than say a 1000sqm property?

 

Are you talking 1 acre or 40? Honestly. Because it varies. If you haven't got a green thumb, know your way around power tools and don't like being outside then stay clear. A 1/4 acre block is not an "acreage" IMO.

 

I am on 70 acres in the Adelaide hills. Could never go back to suburbia

 

1 acre to be specific I agree 1/4 acre block is not an acreage but I meant that maintenance is required in all kinds of houses - fences, snakes etc. can be a problem in even 1/4th of an acre, so how much more is really the stress of managing 1 acre.

 

70 acre!! Why would you go back to a suburbia when you have your the entire suburb sized land for yourself It wouldn't work for us but hats off to you!

 

1 acre not too bad if you're fairly handy. But tbh there's so many variables to answer this question,
Single or couple
weatherboard or brick
bore or town
colourbond or timber
couch or buff
zero turn or push..

The list goes on.

(sorry to be a bit cryptic but if any of the above is confusing to you then I would suggest staying with a 600sqm. Covid has done funny things to lifestyle areas)

 

Acreage is acreage...in terms of the required maintenance...regardless of whether it's on the outskirts of a capital city or if it's in a remote area, for example.

On that note you have two choices: do the maintenance yourself or pay someone else to do the maintenance for you.

 

I would post a detailed response but my 32+ years of acreage living is on 5 acres that is 15 kms from the CBD of a small country town called Brisbane, not an acreage property “in the outskirts of big metropolitans like Sydney, Melbourne”

 

My BIL used to comment that their 3000m2 was just a bit too large (why I am looking for 1200 - 2000m2). Then they bought 120acres but most of it is cow farm or native vegetation. Being retired from their day job (sold the business), they both seem to spend every spare minute maintaining something.

 

We are also conscious of what type of land it is. We do not want steep hills and we do not want unusable soil. Naturally the cheap land is less desirable if you want to be self sufficient. I am also conscious of climate - no point giving up my afternoon sea breeze here near the coast to move 50kms inland and get freezing cold in winter and stifling hot in summer and no town water when their dam dries up. Anyways here in SEQ I am looking for a township built on a disused dairy farm or pine plantation rather than a pineapple farm or sheep country.