Thinking about Buying a Country Home

It may have started with growing concern about our food supply. Then, widespread interest in farmers markets.  Besides being fun to shop at, they often provide bargains and products not generally available at the Kroger. Now we urban dwellers have renewed interest in vegetable gardens, raising chickens and planting fruit trees on our small city lots. Urban Harvest, Houston Urban Gardeners Society, Hens for Houston and the Houston Beekeepers Association are actively promoting urban farming with monthly meetings. Pick up a Leisure Learning magazine and you’ll see a large section on permaculture and various other farming classes.

The Derr’s now have chickens and a few herbs, right here in the Heights on less than 6600 square feet of land. I know first hand that the next logical train of thought is, why not a country home? Houstonians are fortunate to have beautiful country properties within a 1-1/2 hour drive, thanks in large part to 80-mile-per-hour speed limits. In that hour-and-a-half, or less, you can be in the gently rolling hills of the Texas hill country. O.K., that’s hill country with a little ‘h” but when you’ve lived and worked in Houston for any length of time, those hills of Chappel Hill, Bellville, Burton, Round Top, La Grange, Smithville and Bastrop look pretty high. Austin and San Marcos are about where the official Texas Hill Country begins, according to the Texas Park and Wildlife Department.

I’ve sold homes in Galveston for years, promoting the premise that a vacation home does not have to be a long drive away to be a great get-away. I recently sold my beloved Galveston home, circa 1876, to a lovely family who came to me unsolicited.  It was good timing.  I now have a 17 acre home in Winchester Texas under contract.  Check back to see how Bob and I progress in acquiring our own country home.