Hello Everyone! I've read this forum for a while but never posted, but here goes... My question revolves around getaway places. I don't know if any of y'all out there in cyberland own rural property, but I know that I sure the h@ll don't! :< My girlfriend, my dog, and I are looking to rent out a cabin someplace (preferably in northeast USA) but finding anything else but corporate vacation rental agencies on the web can be mighty frustrating... Does anyone know any good classifieds, bulliten boards, URL's, anything! Hopefully those of us out there that want to get away from the cities can find someplace to go! Thanks for your time. P.S. please don't get mad at me for asking this... I've seen some pretty negative replies to posts in here before. I like positive things! And I'd like to hear from you! Thanks again... JAKE

-- Jake Ryder (sommerv1@pilot.msu.edu), April 29, 1999

Answers

Jake,

Look at a map for the names of smaller towns in the areas you're interested in. Even very small towns have web pages these days. You can find out the names of their newspapers and the addresses of real estate companies, City Council, etc.

A word of advice: don't tell anyone you are relocating because of y2k. No one wants to rent to a nut. :)

-- L (sstaten@fullnet.net), April 29, 1999.

Jake,

Having lived in a small rural town, West Coast, it's best to pick the area/town first ... where you want to create a new lifestyle ... then even send away for the local newspaper in addition to checking for a web-site.

"Small" town web-sites can be pretty limited, more PR oriented, like here are the hotel listings and cute shops in our town. Half the time they don't list the classified ads.

You want to collect leads to the local real estate agents (some have web-sites) that deal with rental properties. Some owners don't choose to go through agents, so I've found placing an ad, describing what I wanted, got results that worked.

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), April 29, 1999.

Jake

Try looking into tourist cabins. It would be off season so likely to be available. Look for a place by a lake or river so you would have water. Drag along your own gear to make it more habitable.

-- Brian (imager@ampsc.com), April 29, 1999.

Jake- would suggest that you get in touch with the chamber of commerce in towns you're interested in. Ask them for a listing of realtors. Also- ask them about local papers.then contact the papers and get a mail subscription. It will give you the feel of the place plus classifieds. I'm not sure if you do or don't want to disclose you're worried about y2k- I know of people out here who relocated due to this and are pretty open about why they came here. I've also heard via the grapevine thru realtors that other farms have sold to out of staters worried about Y2k. probably depends on the area. But if you pick a nice rural area, just looking for a vacation spot should suffice for inquiries.Good luck.

Oh- ask the Chamber of commerce to send you local info as well. they often have lots of stuff available. Will help you figure what's happening in an area. Would suggest you move fast on this though- would not relish moving to a new area and knowing nobody if y2k were a serious event.....

-- anita (hillsidefarm@drbs.com), April 29, 1999.