[TowerTalk] rural acreage and suburbs

[RICHARD BOYD]

We had a "thread" on the PVRC reflector recently when a ham in North Carolina decried the unavailability of QTHs without restrictive covenants.  This was during his new QTH search in North Carolina.  I commented that they were pretty easy to find in Maryland.  He refused to believe it.  I was thinking, "Have I been living in a bubble all my life?"  Every time I've gone driving in the country looking for a new QTH I have been able to find for sale signs on acreage.  The ones I have checked out, at least, never had any covenants associated with them.  I have bought and sold a number of country properties of between two and 27 acres and they never had any covenants.  Granted, none of them were part of any development of any kind -- let's say a 200-acre farm being broken up into farmettes or large lots.  They were all single parcels, stand-alone.

I was later told the NC ham was only looking at golf course country club communities and million-dollar homes.  Maybe that explains it.

In any case, I was pleased and somewhat surprised to find that in suburban Washington, D.C. (I can drive to the U.S. Capitol Building in as little as 20 minutes, which amazed even me when I did it) acreage is still available at reasonable prices.  Mine is 14-1/4 acres.  A friend, AI3M, also sold a 10-acre rural property within the last year, near here, for a very reasonable price.  These sorts of properties are generally without covenants and restrictions, even in this very suburban area -- suburban at least in that it is close to big cities.  The counties have restrictions to greater or lesser extent, varying county to county, but are generally relatively workable for hams who want to put up even tall towers.

73 - Rich, KE3Q