I saw a listing last week. 3 acres. Cute modern house. Basic sand outdoor arena. 4 stall pole barn w feed room and tack room. Good wood fences. Desirable zip code. 585k. Sold in less than 48 hrs.
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I would have bought that farm in 2 seconds, cash, if it were available here.
There’s nothing here for any price, and we’re not particularly close to anything major.
That’s a sweet spot property. Not too big, not too small. That’s what always sells in any market.
Only $585k?! In my vicinity that would be a $1m property, at least.
I keep telling my husband that when we win the lotto we’re going to buy a little farmette for my horse and his platonic life partner to retire on. The amount I need to win just keeps increasing. 
Yes, same here- have been in the fully remote world since 2010 and can’t imagine any other way! My favorite story was when I was presenting to a bunch of VPs while sitting outside (this is when everyone used GoToMeeting for screen sharing, but you dialed in and weren’t on video) and my chickens went crazy singing the egg song while I was presenting. One of the VPs interrupted and said…“I’m sorry, but is there someone with a chicken on the call?” Everyone else knew it was me but played it off. The presentation was great, I stayed at that company 10 years with several promotions. But all my colleagues thought of me as the eccentric girl with a farm. When we started doing more video, they loved it if a chicken or horse made an appearance.
I’ve hired and managed lots and lots of people in a remote environment. I’m sorry, but how you look, what’s on your background, etc. really have nothing to do with how smart or able to contribute a person is when managed well in an organization with good systems for getting work done. I’m glad so many more people are getting to experience remote work, but sorry for so many that the bad management systems and organizational structures in their companies that existed before the pandemic are being blamed for challenges people are experiencing during the pandemic. Bad management is bad management.
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Oh I’m sure they had lots of good offers for it.
That’s the size we bought too. Though less than half that price and not quite as posh a zip code.
Retire to NW FL when you win the lotto!
Excepting the coastal areas, where in the country, seriously, doesn’t have dreadful humidity AND/OR dreadful winters?
We have also had Chicken On Call, but it was the neighbor’s chicken. My coworker with her own chickens sadly didn’t stay with us for long enough for her own brood to join in.
@lenapesadie You can keep NW FL for yourself, thanks. I hear that not only is it a million and a half degrees all the time, except for two weeks in winter where you have to buy rugs all of a sudden, but also there are alligators. I’ll stick with neighbors who kick up a fuss about coyotes every time they see a leggy fox. (We do have beautiful foxes.)
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Albuquerque?
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Well, 6 weeks of winter this far North lol. And I complain bitterly over it.
Alligators aren’t nearly as much problem as the bears
I’ve hired and managed lots and lots of people in a remote environment. I’m sorry, but how you look, what’s on your background, etc. really have nothing to do with how smart or able to contribute a person is when managed well in an organization with good systems for getting work done. I’m glad so many more people are getting to experience remote work, but sorry for so many that the bad management systems and organizational structures in their companies that existed before the pandemic are being blamed for challenges people are experiencing during the pandemic. Bad management is bad management.
Echoing this. The really big struggle I’m seeing is companies who are trying to bring what worked in office to remote work life. It just doesn’t work. A lot of it (like the daily multiple meetings and check-ins) comes off as micro-managing. Remote really does show you who knows how to manage and curate a high-performing team vs. just “looking the part” which is what I saw a lot of in office.
Also–I know a few folks commented on dress code for jobs. I am so, so relieved to finally be out of the dress code that is typically imposed on women in corporate America. I used to have to spend a sizable amount of my income to “look the part” as outlined by my superiors–who were all male, incidentally. Drove me up a wall (and into startups). Like seriously I think I have about $500 more a quarter by not having to constantly invest in panty hose, manicures, eyebrows/eyelashes, and hair care.
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You are definitely not alone! I prioritized showing in my 30’s, and was able to do 8-10 A shows a year (April-Oct) on a low 100’s salary by doing many of the things mentioned here - braiding myself, driving an old car, no cable/streaming, choosing shows where I could go home at night or stay with a friend. But honestly the main reason I was able to afford to show was that I kept my own living expenses really low, like under $1000/month. I had started renting a cheap place with a roommate in a then-dicey neighborhood in my 20’s. Thanks to DC’s rent-control laws, it stayed cheap even as the neighborhood got more expensive. No amount of braiding, skipping the avocado toast, etc, could have made up the difference. To make showing like that possible, I had to sacrifice on my own living conditions. And I was lucky to get in when rents were still affordable.
My show horse is retired now and I moved her to a cheaper boarding barn (not dirt cheap - you get what you pay for when it comes to care!), and I’ve made the decision that I’d rather live in a nice house than show for the time being. Houses are so expensive around here that it’s really an either/or decision - I’d be stuck in a little condo if I wanted to own my home and continue to show, and at this point in my life that is not what I want.
I have often thought about where I would be now if I’d made the decision to put off showing and bought a condo instead of my horse when I was 30. Would I be in a better financial position now to both own my home and be able to show? Or would I not be willing to make the commitment of time and energy that I could in my 30’s? I am happy with the decisions I made but that doesn’t mean they are the right decisions for everyone, and I definitely wonder ‘what if?’ sometimes.
I understand the pressure of feeling like you need to do it all now, but as others have said, horses can be in our lives for years. Your mare is young still, so a few years of half- or even full-leasing her while you get into a more stable situation isn’t a bad choice. You could still have many fun years of showing her after that!
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While it is certainly true that if you’re constantly on video calls in a WFH scenario, you’re expected to be at least somewhat presentable from the chest up - it is still way cheaper than when you had to get fully dressed and go to the office every single day. it helps me not get dragged too far down the grub road if I have to take a shower and get my hair out of the weekend knotted up ponytail for the video calls. I’ll fully admit, however that I live in either shorts or yoga pants depending on the season during the work day on the bottom half.
I gotta say the chickens joining the calls actually cracked me up. I get the bouncing terrier making an appearance at least once a week. I joke I need to get him into agility with the height he can get from a standstill. He’s bored and expects me to “entertain” him.
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It’s completely irrational maybe but, when I was googling the headphone recos and the bone conduction results came up, I started shuddering. It felt very sci fi 
Also, Slack is down! Slack is down! I’m trying to figure out if this will positively or negatively impact me sneaking off for my regularly scheduled lesson.
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I must be around weird people because I do not know anyone who finds it to be a requirement that women color their hair to be professional. Sure, don’t come to work with bed head, that applies to both genders. But we have lots of women who have worked their way up because they are good at what they do, all while not doing manicures, eye lashes and hair coloring.
I think that is a pressure we (women) put on ourselves.
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I may or may not have gone for a run, then pulled my hair back into a tight bun, pulled a professional-looking (and machine washable) top over my sports bra, and done a video call.
On the internet, nobody can smell you.
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I just saw a thread on Reddit about HR (at the behest of some bigwig) asking a woman to cover up her gray hair because it was unprofessional and “unhygienic” (literally their choice of words).
There’s always a moron somewhere.
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I do the same thing at home as I did in the office. Blazer on my chair ready for any meeting.
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