When you just want to get out of the hustle and bustle of the city, rural homes are a far cry from hectic schedules, people who are always in a rush, traffic jams, and smog that might choke your lungs out. It seems like a dream come true, right? Well, not exactly.
Even though the countryside might seem like a stress-free place where you can live out a simple life, it’s obviously not urbanized. Since it’s not urbanized, it won’t necessarily have the services and conveniences that you’re used to. If you’re also going to be looking for these services, you might have to drive for a good amount of distance just to get what you want.
In a study done in a rural area in Hawaii, one of the main blunders of living in a remote community is the access to healthcare, the scarcity of medical professionals, and the lack of certain services. These are just some environmental factors that most people will need to consider before setting up a rural home.
But if we’re going to take these factors into account in mainland North America, there are even more factors that can affect living standards and lifestyles in rural areas. So what’s the toughest part of living in any rural area? Here’s what you’ll need to know.
Factors to Consider
But before you make any final decisions in getting a rural home, it’s important that you take into account several factors. In the long-run, these factors might determine how much you’ll be spending on your home, the time needed for traveling, and several important impacts.
Environmental Conditions
The elements will always be a factor in where you are settling in. It’s best not to place your home in low-lying areas. While heavy vegetation and trees might help with floods and landslides, this is not a guarantee that it can stop natural disasters from actually happening.
If you are going to place your home in the path of storms, hailstorms, and high winds, you can always modify your home with sturdier construction materials for your foundation and roofing. However, sturdy and long-lasting construction materials often come at a hefty price tag. Since you might have to invest in high-quality materials, you might want to get a USDA loan, which is explicitly designed to help families that want to set up their own rural homes.
Agricultural Industry
One of the most prominent industries in rural areas is farming and agricultural landscaping. Since much of the industry revolves around agriculture, you might have to invest in your land to ensure that you are getting a steady profit from it.
Predators
If you are taking care of livestock, you might have to deal with predators that will hound the surroundings of your area. However, there are different security measures that you can put in place for these types of situations. Most experts would suggest setting up a perimeter of electric fences or barbed wired that wolves, coyotes, or any predator can’t jump over.
When you’re planning on living in a rural area, it might be a peaceful life, but it’s still far more complicated than what most people think. You might not get as stressed as living in the urban jungle, but you might need to get to the mindset that there will be significant changes to your lifestyle.
These factors shouldn’t really put you off on your dream of having a rural home. Just like most things in life, there are bound to be pros and cons that you will need to weigh-in on. Still, it’s important to keep these factors in mind.
