If you live in a small town, the five - ten mile rule should be easy to achieve. That is, it is best if everything you need for daily life is within 5 - 10 miles of your home. Living in a big city may make the five - ten mile rule harder to achieve; but at least implementing a 10 mile rule would be a good substitute. Aside from just the convenience of having everything close by, we are likely to see higher gas and even electric prices, for those that have electric cars go up in the next few years. The federal government is currently implementing polices that will raise all energy costs.
If you are buying a home, consider the 5 or at most 10 mile rule. Sometimes people buy homes in the middle of nowhere to get lower sale prices; but doing so could be short sighted. What ever you save in house payments could be eaten up by additional energy costs not to mention time on the road. With interest rates being so low, it would be better to have a higher tax deductible mortgage in order to move closer in to amenities and or your job, if not already working from home.
As someone who drove 40 miles to work each way years ago, I would never do that again. The bumper to bumper traffic seriously impacted my quality of life. I hated it. Many times of the year, I never saw my home during day light hours except on weekends. It was miserable, which is why today I implement the 5 to 10 mile rule. I want everything I need close by. So, think about the amenities that are important to you and buy a home near them.
At Paragon, we work with customers to sell and buy homes for the best price possible. We take the stress out of moving by providing counseling concerning every aspect of the process. We love the 5 - 10 mile rule and can make it happen for you.
